DETROIT (AP) — Yan Gomes and Nick Madrigal hit doubles in the ninth inning and the Chicago Cubs held on to beat the Detroit Tigers 7-6 on Monday night.
The Cubs squandered a three-run lead in the eighth and quickly went back ahead.
Gomes led off the next inning with a double and Madrigal followed with an RBI double. Madrigal later scored to put Chicago ahead by two, an extra run it needed after Matt Vierling's single pulled Detroit within a run.
Seiya Suzuki hit a homer for the second straight day and a three-run second inning helped the Cubs take an early lead. They went on to earn a third victory in a row, keeping their lead for the NL's final wild card.
Daniel Palencia (3-0) retired two batters and stranded two runners in the eighth to keep the score tied after Michael Fulmer gave up three runs in the inning against his former team. Mark Leiter Jr. pitched the ninth for his fourth save in six chances.
Beau Brieske (0-1) allowed two runs on three hits in the ninth.
Spencer Torkelson and Kerry Carpenter hit home runs for the second game in a row, clearing the fences on consecutive pitches in the sixth inning to cut Detroit's deficit to 4-2.
Happ hit a two-out triple and scored on Cody Bellinger's single in the eighth, giving Chicago a three-run cushion that they needed.
Javier Baez, a former Cubs star, hit a two-run double in the eighth.
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Chicago's LHP Drew Smyly (9-8, 4.92) and Detroit's RHP Reese Olson (2-5, 4.83) are expected to pitch Tuesday night in the second of the three-game series. The Tigers drafted Smyly in the second round of the 2010 draft and he pitched for them for two-plus seasons.
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