Cubs 8, White Sox 3
CHICAGO -- Travis Wood gave up two runs in six innings and hit a grand slam to lead the Chicago Cubs to their fourth straight victory as the Cubs defeated the Chicago White Sox 8-3 on Thursday.
Wood (5-3) allowed five hits while striking out six and walking two.
The Cubs blew the game open against White Sox starter Jake Peavy in a wild fourth inning.
A strong wind played tricks with Welington Castillo's sky-high, infield popup and it fell to the third base side of the mound for a leadoff single. Luis Valbuena followed with a single and Darwin Barney was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Wood then lined Peavy's 2-1 pitch into the left-field bleachers for a wind-aided grand slam, extending the Cubs' lead to 6-1.
It was Wood's second home run of the season and his first career grand slam. The last Cubs pitcher to hit a grand slam at Wrigley Field was Burt Hooten on Sept. 16, 1972, against the New York Mets.
Peavy (6-3) lasted only four innings, giving up six runs and eight hits. It was Peavy's shortest start since he went four innings against the Detroit Tigers on June 5, 2011.
Nate Schierholtz padded the Cubs' lead with a solo home run in the fifth to make it 7-1. Valbuena added a solo shot in the eighth.
Valbuena, Barney and Wood, the Cubs' 7-8-9 hitters in the order, combined to reach base seven times, scoring in six runs and driving in six. Barney and David DeJesus had run-scoring singles in the second to give the Cubs a 2-0 lead.
Paul Konerko went 2 for 4 with a double and knocked in two runs for the White Sox. Alejandro De Aza was 2 for 3 with two walks, an RBI and a run scored.
The victory pushes the Cubs to 3-0 against the White Sox this season and ensures that they'll win the season series for the first time since 2007. The teams will face each other one more time this season when they make up Tuesday night's rainout at U.S. Cellular Field.
The four-game winning streak is the Cubs' longest of the season and comes on the heels of a six-game losing streak.
NOTES: The Cubs optioned reliever Alex Burnett to Triple-A Iowa and selected the contract of reliever Zach Putnam from Iowa. Putnam had a 3.26 ERA with 22 strikeouts and six walks in 19 1/3 innings. ... Reliever Kyuji Fujikawa, who will have Tommy John surgery, was placed on the 60-day disabled list to make room for Putnam on the 40-man roster. ... Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo tripled in the fourth, tying him with Colorado's Carlos Gonzalez for most extra-base hits in the National League at 28. ... Wood had his string of nine consecutive quality starts to start the season snapped in his last outing. ... The Cubs and White Sox are tied with Kansas City for second-most one-run games played this season at 19. ... The Cubs entered the game tied for third in the NL with 3.90 pitches seen per plate appearance, yet are last in baseball with a 6.2 percent walk rate. ... Peavy entered the game with seven quality starts for the season, including six of his last seven.
