Cubs' Magic Number Drops To 7, With 2-0 Win Over Astros
HOUSTON (AP) -- Kris Bryant hit a two-run homer, Jon Lester threw seven scoreless innings and Hector Rondon and Aroldis Chapman completed the shutout to give the Chicago Cubs a 2-0 win over the Houston Astros on Friday night.
It was Bryant's first career game against the team that passed on him with the first pick in the 2013 draft to take starter Mark Appel, who was traded to Philadelphia this offseason before ever playing in the majors.
Bryant, taken second in that draft, gave Houston an up-close look at what could have been when he smacked his 37th homer off Joe Musgrove (2-4) to the seats in left field to put the Cubs up 2-0 in the fifth inning.
Lester (16-4) allowed seven hits and struck out seven for his seventh straight win. He hasn't lost since July 3, hasn't allowed a run in three of those starts and gave up just one run in four others in that span.
Rondon took over for the eighth and struck out two before Aroldis Chapman struck out one in a perfect ninth for his 13th save.
The victory improved the Cubs to an MLB-best 90-50, after they won 97 games last year to give them consecutive 90-win seasons for the first time since doing it in three straight years from 1928-1930.
The Astros had trouble stringing hits together against Lester, and didn't have more than one in an inning until the seventh when Yulieski Gurriel singled with one out and Marwin Gonzalez got another single with two outs. But Lester struck out Colby Rasmus looking to end the threat.
Musgrove allowed three hits and two runs with five strikeouts in six innings for his fourth loss in five starts.
Dexter Fowler snapped an 0-for-19 skid with a leadoff triple. But Musgrove didn't allow another hit until Bryant's homer with two outs in the fifth.
Alex Bregman singled for Houston with no outs in the fourth inning and stole second base. But he was thrown out trying to swipe third, too, and the Astros lost a scoring opportunity.
HAT HAD TO HURT
Play was stopped for a couple of minutes in the bottom of the sixth inning when home plate umpire C.B. Bucknor got hit on hit on his right shoulder with a foul ball from Teoscar Hernandez. Bucknor was shaken up after taking the hit and was checked on by a member of Houston's training staff. But the trainer soon left and he rubbed on his shoulder a couple of times before remaining in the game.
UP NEXT
Cubs: John Lackey (9-7, 3.36) is scheduled to make his second start since coming off the disabled list. He is 2-0 with a 1.65 ERA in his last five starts.
Astros: Collin McHugh (9-10, 4.96) has won two straight decisions and the Astros have won the last four games that he started.
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