Jordan Lawlar homered, Eduardo Rodriguez pitched seven scoreless innings, and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Chicago Cubs 2-0 to win the rubber game of a three-game series matching National League wild-card contenders in Phoenix on Wednesday afternoon.
Lawlar lined an opposite field homer 364 feet over the right field fence leading off the sixth off Matthew Boyd (8-3) for the first run of the game, and Rodriguez won his fourth straight start.
Rodriguez (14-4) gave up two hits and three walks, and he tied a season high with nine strikeouts. He extended his streak of scoreless innings to 17 2/3, since giving up two runs in the first inning of a 10-3 victory at Atlanta on Aug.15.
Rodriguez, who has 17 quality starts, lowered his ERA to 2.50, third in the NL.
Ryan Waldschmidt’s sacrifice fly in the eighth made it 2-0 as the Cubs were shut out for 13th time.
Juan Morillo pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for this second save after Brandyn Garcia pitched around a two-out walk in the eighth.
Presumptive NL MVP favorite Pete Crow-Armstrong was 1 for 12 with a double and walk in the series. He struck out three times.
Crow-Armstrong was the only Cub runner to get as far as third base after doubling to lead off the controversial sixth. He took third on a groundout before Rodriguez got Alex Bregman on a fly out to short.
Crow-Armstrong broke toward home on a 2-1 pitch to Michael Busch, and replays showed Rodriguez stepped back off the rubber before delivering the ball.
The Cubs lobbied for a balk, and the umpires huddled before deciding against a balk as Crow-Armstrong was restrained by third base coach Quentin Berry. Busch walked and Nico Hoerner struck out to end the inning.
Lawlar and Geraldo Perdomo each had two of the D-backs’ six hits.
Arizona has won five of seven.
The Cubs have lost five of seven, including consecutive road series at Seattle and Arizona.
Boyd gave up three hits and two walks while striking out five in six innings. He beat the D-backs in Chicago on May 3, giving up two runs in six innings in an 8-4 victory.
The Cubs did not have a hit off Rodriguez until Tyrone Taylor dropped a single over shortstop to open the fifth. Taylor stole second with one out but stayed there when Carson Kelly grounded out and Gabriel Arias struck out.
