Arrieta Pitches Cubs Past Marlins 6-1
MIAMI (AP) - Jake Arrieta had a career-high 11 strikeouts in seven innings, and Nate Schierholtz hit a three-run homer to help the Chicago Cubs beat the Miami Marlins 6-1 Wednesday.
By taking the rubber game of the three-game set, the last-place Cubs won consecutive road series for the first time since June 2013. They went 5-5 on their three-city trip.
Miami's Giancarlo Stanton hit his NL-leading 20th homer in the first but left the game after six innings with a bruised left wrist. His status is day to day.
Arrieta (3-1) allowed five hits and one walk and lowered his ERA to 1.98. He also doubled for his first career extra-base hit.
Schierholtz was in a 3-for-26 slump before he hit his third homer off Nathan Eovaldi (4-3) in the Cubs' four-run sixth. Starlin Castro had a pair of RBI doubles and a single for Chicago.
Eovaldi, back from paternity leave after joining his wife in Texas for the birth of their first child Monday, allowed five runs in six-plus innings.
Chris Coghlan doubled in the first inning when his deep drive popped out of the glove of right fielder Stanton, and Castro hit a two-out double.
The Cubs had 13 hits, including four in a row in the sixth. Castro made it 2-0 with an RBI double, and after Ryan Sweeney singled, Schierholtz homered into the upper deck in right field.
Arrieta gave up a homer for the first time in his past five starts when Stanton connected with two out in the first inning. The homer also ended Arrieta's streak of 17 1-3 consecutive scoreless innings.
The Marlins struck out 14 times. They went 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position and went 4 for 30 in those situations in the series.
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