Cubs On a Roll; Cardinals Post Second Straight Shutout

CHICAGO--The way Kyle Schwarber is hitting the ball, Joe Maddon felt he had no choice but to keep him in the lineup.

Schwarber continued his offensive surge with two hits and two RBI to back Jon Lester, and the Chicago Cubs beat the San Francisco Giants 7-3 on Friday for their eighth win in nine games.

Schwarber, who had homered the previous two games, scored two runs to help put the Cubs 1-1/2 games ahead of San Francisco for the second NL wild card spot. They also moved 12 games over .500 (60-48) for the first time since the 2008 NL Central championship season.

Schwarber's latest outburst came after Maddon juggled the lineup to keep him in there. He started in left field, one of several switches that left struggling shortstop Starlin Castro the odd man out, at least for now.

Schwarber doubled and scored in the first inning, then drove in two and came around to score in the fifth. The Cubs scored five runs in that inning to break open a 1-1 game.

Dexter Fowler homered and had three of Chicago's 12 hits. Jorge Soler chipped in with a single and two-run double. Chris Coghlan added two singles and a RBI while getting the start at second with Addison Russell moving over to shortstop, and Hector Rondon worked the final 1-2/3 innings for his 18th save in 21 chances.

TODAY--San Francisco vs. Cubs at Wrigley Field, 3:05pm

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MILWAUKEE--Lance Lynn had trouble throwing his fastball for strikes Friday night. He was still good enough to shut down the Milwaukee Brewers.

Randal Grichuk hit a three-run homer to cap a six-run fifth inning, and Lynn pitched the St. Louis Cardinals to a 6-0 victory.

Lynn (9-6) stranded nine runners in six innings as the NL Central leaders became the first major league team to reach 70 wins this season. He allowed six hits and four walks while throwing 109 pitches.

It was the second consecutive shutout and 12th this season for the Cardinals (70-39), who beat Cincinnati 3-0 on Thursday behind Michael Wacha.

The Cardinals have won 42 of 63 games against the Brewers since St. Louis beat Milwaukee in six games in the 2011 NL Championship Series.

TODAY--Cardinals at Milwaukee, 6:10pm