Chicago Cubs (24-18) at Arizona Diamondbacks (20-22), 4:10 p.m. (ET)
(SportsNetwork.com) - The Chicago Cubs target their fourth series victory in a row when they close out a three-game set against the Arizona Diamondbacks Sunday afternoon from Chase Field.
The Cubs lost Friday's opener 5-4 in 13 innings and evened the set with a 9-6 victory in the middle test of this desert series.
Chicago broke a 6-6 tie on Anthony Rizzo's three-run homer in the top of the ninth inning and Pedro Strop set the Diamondbacks down in order in the ninth for his first save. Rizzo finished with six RBI and cleared the bases with a double during the fifth inning.
"They got us last night, Riz got them tonight, tremendously big at-bats. We needed that," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said.
Jorge Soler drove in two runs and ended with two hits for the Cubs, who have won nine of their last 12 games and sit 2 1/2 games off the NL Central lead. Kris Bryant extended his hitting streak to 12 games and scored twice.
Jason Motte threw two-thirds of an inning for the win and starting pitcher Jake Arrieta was roughed up for six runs -- three earned -- and seven hits in six innings. He struck out seven and walked two batters.
The Cubs, who are scheduled to visit Washington and Arizona next, will hand the ball to Jason Hammel in the series finale against Arizona. Hammel is 3-1 with a 2.70 earned run average in eight starts and has allowed only three earned runs in his last three starts. He did not record a decision in Tuesday's 4-3 win at San Diego and struck out eight over seven shutout innings.
Hammel is unbeaten (2-0) in his previous five appearances and 4-3 with a 3.43 ERA in 12 career meetings (9 starts) with the D-backs.
Arizona had its five-game win streak cut short Saturday, as Enrique Burgos served up Rizzo's deciding homer and Rubby De La Rosa did no better in the start, charged with four runs in six innings. He did have eight K's.
"I just saw the difference from last night to tonight," Burgos said. "When I threw the slider, he lowered pretty well so I think he was looking for it."
Tuffy Gosewisch homered and David Peralta added three RBI.
The D-backs will visit St. Louis and Milwaukee next for six games and are slated to send Jeremy Hellickson to the bump Sunday. Hellickson pitched for Maddon in Tampa Bay from 2010-14 and is 1-3 with a 5.52 ERA in eight starts with his new club.
Hellickson hasn't posted a decision in his last four trips to the hill and gave up two runs in six innings of a 4-2 win at Miami on Tuesday. The righty is 0-2 in four home starts and has never faced the Cubs.
The D-backs went 5-2 against the Cubs last season.