| 1 | CHICAGO (AP) -- Chris Coghlan hit two home runs, Anthony Rizzo also went deep, and the Chicago Cubs made it eight straight wins and 14 in 15 games with a 6-5 victory over the crosstown White Sox on Friday. |
| 2 | The Cubs, coming off a 7-0 homestand, extended their longest win streak since a nine-game run during the 2008 NL Central championship season. |
| 3 | Coghlan hit a three-run homer in the top of the third, and then he and Rizzo added back-to-back solo drives off the struggling Jeff Samardzija (8-8) in the fifth to give the North Siders a 6-5 lead. |
| 4 | Dexter Fowler tripled, double and scored two runs, and the Cubs won again even though Kyle Hendricks got knocked out in the fourth inning. |
| 5 | Four relievers combined to shut down the White Sox the rest of the way, with Clayton Richard (3-0) working two innings. |
| 6 | Pedro Strop escaped a first-and-second jam in the eighth, striking out Adam Eaton and Tyler Saladino to end the inning. |
| 7 | Hector Rondon pitched the ninth for his 20th save in 24 chances. |
| 8 | But with Samardzija getting hit hard while dropping his third straight start, the White Sox came up short after sweeping three games from the Los Angeles Angels. |
| 9 | The longtime Cubs pitcher went six innings, allowing six runs and nine hits in his first appearance against his former team. |
| 10 | Samardzija's ERA in his past three starts is 12.91. |
| 11 | The Cubs, trailing Pittsburgh by 1 1/2 games for the first NL wild card and leading San Francisco by 4 1/2 for the second when the day began, were up 4-2 after Coghlan's three-run homer in the third. |
| 12 | The White Sox answered with three in the fourth while chasing Hendricks, the big blow being a two-run homer by Eaton after Geovany Soto's RBI single. |
| 13 | But two swings by Coghlan and Rizzo with two out in the fifth put the Cubs back on top, 6-5. |
| 14 | Coghlan's drive to center gave him two multi-homer games this season and five in his career. |
| 15 | Rizzo followed with his 23rd homer and second in as many games when he sent a drive to right. |
| 16 | It was the fourth time this season and second consecutive game that the Cubs hit back-to-back homers. |
| 17 | Cubs: Manager Joe Maddon said RHP Rafael Soriano (right shoulder inflammation) is getting close to pitching in simulated games and will then go on a rehab assignment. |
| 18 | White Sox: INF Emilio Bonifacio (strained left oblique) was reinstated from the 15-day disabled list and INF Leury Garcia was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte. |
| 19 | Cubs: With a career-high 17 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings, RHP Jake Arrieta (13-6, 2.38 ERA) looks to keep the streak going. |
| 20 | He is 7-1 in his past 10 starts. |
| 21 | White Sox: LHP Jose Quintana (6-9, 3.59) goes for his first career win against the Cubs. |
| 22 | He is 0-2 in three starts against the North Siders. |