The Cubs wiped out a five-run deficit with six runs a fifth inning against Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly, then watched their bullpen shut down the White Sox in the final five innings for a 10-7 victory Wednesday, completing a two-game sweep at Guaranteed Rate Field.
The result kept the Cubs (50-51), winners of five straight games, positioned to be buyers at the Aug. 1 deadline. The Sox (41-62), meanwhile plummeted to another season low number of games below .500 with their fifth straight loss and seventh in their last eight.
Ian Happ and Cody Bellinger hit back-to-back homers in the eighth against Keynan Middleton, opening a 10-7 lead for the Cubs before 37,214 fans, the second straight sellout on the South Side and the only two of the season.
Trailing 7-2 to Lynn, the subject of trade rumors throughout the day, the Cubs started a six-run inning with Mike Tauchman’s infield dribbler for a hit before Lynn (6-10, 6.47 ERA) hit Hoerner with a pitch. Happ had an RBI single and Christopher Morel a two-run single that knocked out Lynn, who was charged with seven runs on seven hits and two walks.
Kelly replaced Lynn with two outs and struck out Miles Mastrobuoni on a breaking pitch in the dirt that skipped past catcher Seby Zavala for a wild pitch, allowing Seiya Suzuki to score. Kelly then hit Tucker Barnhart and walked Tauchman and Hoerner with the bases loaded for an 8-7 Cubs lead.
Javier Assad, Mark Leiter Jr., Julian Merryweather and Adbert Alzolay combined for 5 2⁄3 innings of scoreless one-hit ball in relief of Marcus Stroman, who allowed seven runs on nine hits in 3 1⁄2 innings.
Stroman, who had a 2.28 ERA before the Cubs game against the Cardinals in London on June 25, saw his ERA climb to 3.51. He owns a 8.00 ERA in his last six starts.
The Cubs were 9-for-10 stealing bases in the two games against the Sox.