Panik Leads Giants Past Cubs, MLB Scores

By ESPN

Joe Panik felt a little better the past couple days in St. Louis. He felt a lot better after his performance Monday night.

Panik hit his first career leadoff homer and doubled twice, leading the San Francisco Giants to a 6-4 victory against the Chicago Cubs.

Brandon Belt also connected and Ty Blach (2-2) pitched into the eighth inning in the first meeting between the teams since San Francisco was eliminated by Chicago in the NL Division Series last year. Panik, Belt and Justin Ruggiano each had two RBI as the streaking Giants won for the eighth time in 10 games.

"Our guys did a nice job swinging the bat," manager Bruce Bochy said.

Panik hit just .172 (10 for 58) in his previous 14 games. But he said he had some constructive conversations with hitting coach Hensley Meulens and assistant hitting coach Steve Decker during the previous series against the Cardinals that helped him find his stroke at the plate.

"Just little things. It's nothing major," Panik said. "Just going back to staying on the ball, really. Just using the whole field."

Ruggiano's leadoff drive in the eighth made it 6-0 and gave San Francisco 18 straight solo homers, just three away from matching its major league record of 21 from 2011.

The Cubs responded with four in the bottom half on two-run homers by Javier Baez and Ben Zobrist. But the rally stalled from there.

With one out and runners on first and second, Hunter Strickland got Willson Contreras to bounce into an inning-ending double play. Mark Melancon then worked the ninth for his ninth save in 11 chances.

Baez finished with three hits for Chicago, which was coming off a 13-6 victory against Milwaukee on Sunday. He singled with two out in the ninth before rookie Ian Happ struck out swinging to end the game.

"I have nothing to complain about," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "I shall sleep well. That's the game we're looking for right there."

John Lackey (4-4) pitched five shaky innings in his first loss in a month, allowing five runs and seven hits. The right-hander was 3-0 with a 3.86 ERA over his previous four starts.

"Honestly, I threw the ball better tonight than the last three," he said. "I felt like I executed quite a few pitches, but they got a few more balls up than we did."

Lackey looked off right from the start, with Panik driving his sixth pitch into the bleachers in left-center for his second homer of the year. The Giants followed with two more hard-hit balls, but Lackey got bailed out by two outstanding defensive plays.

First, shortstop Addison Russell robbed Christian Arroyo of a hit with a diving stop and a strong throw to first. Then Albert Almora Jr. reached over his head for a terrific leaping catch on Belt's drive to center.

But the Giants opened a 5-0 lead by scoring in each of Lackey's last three innings. Panik hit an RBI double and scored on Belt's single in the third. Ruggiano added an RBI double in the fourth, and Belt hit a drive to left in the fifth for his ninth homer.

Diamondbacks 5, White Sox 1

Zack Greinke was dominant again, looking a lot like the pitcher who went 19-3 with a 1.66 ERA two years ago.

His reaction: "It's nice."

Greinke struck out a season-high 12 and came within one out of a complete game as the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Chicago White Sox 5-1 on Monday night.

The ace right-hander gave up four hits and improved to 5-0 in his last six starts.

"It was another Zack moment for us," manager Torey Lovullo said.

The crowd booed loudly when Lovullo walked to the mound to pull Greinke (6-2) after Jose Abreu's two-out double in the ninth.

Lovullo understood.

"Sometimes you've got to sit in the seat and not make popular decisions," he said, "but I made a deal with Zack."

Basically, it was three up and three down or he was not finishing the game.

Greinke wasn't surprised to see Lovullo come to the mound.

"Torey told me I had to get everyone out and I didn't," he said.

Greinke threw 104 pitches and everything was working for him. He was asked to compare the way he's pitching now to that masterful 2015 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers that helped earn him a $206.5 million, six-year contract in Arizona.

The three-time All-Star and 2009 AL Cy Young Award winner went 13-7 with a 4.37 ERA in his abbreviated first season with the Diamondbacks.

"Right now I'm making really good pitches," Greinke said. "The pitches aren't quite as sharp maybe as that year, but the location's been just as good, maybe better."

Daniel Descalso hit a three-run homer with two outs in the fourth inning to break a scoreless tie.

Greinke's final strikeout -- of Yolmer Sanchez -- was with a 65 mph curveball; the scoreboard called it an eephus pitch.

"We hadn't seen that all day," Chicago manager Rick Renteria said.

Greinke said he tried to throw the same pitch earlier but it was a little too hard and it wound up being hit for a home run by Leury Garcia.

Paul Goldschmidt added a solo shot for the Diamondbacks during their sixth victory in seven games.

After totaling 24 runs in their last two games at Seattle over the weekend, the White Sox managed only Garcia's solo homer against Greinke, who walked one in his third double-digit strikeout game this season.

Miguel Gonzalez (3-5) went five-plus innings, permitting five runs -- four earned -- and seven hits.

"Those two pitches -- a curveball, a three-run homer, and a fastball in (for Goldschmidt's homer)," Gonzalez said. "Those two pitches, if I take them back you never know. It is a different ballgame."

Jake Lamb, just selected NL player of the week, tripled to right-center and scored for Arizona.

Leading off the sixth, Goldschmidt jumped on Gonzalez's fastball and lined it into the left-field seats.

Lamb followed with a triple and Arizona went on to load the bases.

Rey Fuentes grounded sharply to shortstop Tim Anderson, who tried to force the runner at home. White Sox catcher Omar Narvaez couldn't quite come up with Anderson's low throw, the ball dropping out of his mitt. Anderson was charged with an error, and it was 5-1.

Monday, May 22 Scoreboard

Minnesota 14, Baltimore 7

New York Yankees 4, Kansas City 2

Colorado 8, Philadelphia 1

Cincinnati 5, Cleveland 1

Los Angeles Angels 3, Tampa Bay 2

Atlanta 5, Pittsburgh 2

San Francisco 6, Chicago  Cubs 4

Houston 1, Detroit 0

Arizona 5, Chicago White Sox 1

Tuesday, May 23 Schedule (All Times Central)

San Francisco at Chicago Cubs, 6 p.m.

Minnesota at Baltimore, 6:05 p.m.

Kansas City at New York Yankees, 6:05 p.m.

Seattle at Washington, 6:05 p.m.

Colorado at Philadelphia, 6:05 p.m.

Texas at Boston, 6:10 p.m.

Cleveland at Cincinnati, 6:10 p.m.

San Diego at New York Mets, 6:10 p.m.

Los Angeles Angels at Tampa Bay, 6:10 p.m.

Pittsburgh at Atlanta, 6:35 p.m.

Toronto at Milwaukee, 6:40 p.m.

Detroit at Houston, 7:10 p.m.

Chicago White Sox at Arizona, 8:40 p.m.

St. Louis at Los Angeles Dodgers, 9 p.m.

Miami at Oakland, 9:05 p.m.