ST. LOUIS — Kyle Schwarber hit a three-run home run in the top of the seventh inning off Brett Cecil as the Chicago Cubs beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-4 on Thursday.
Schwarber’s 404-foot shot down the right-field line left Cardinals starter Lance Lynn with a no-decision after a solid outing in his first game since Oct. 2015. Lynn, who sat out last year after undergoing Tommy John surgery in Nov. 2015, worked 5 1/3 innings, allowing five hits and two runs. He walked one and fanned four.
Chicago’s John Lackey pitched six innings, yielding six hits and four runs — three earned. He issued two walks and whiffed seven.
Twins 5, Royals 3
MINNEAPOLIS — Jason Castro delivered an RBI double and Miguel Sano added two hits as Minnesota swept Kansas City to improve to 3-0 for the first time since 2007.
Castro was 3-for-6 in the series and drove in three runs. Jorge Polanco added two hits for Minnesota, which scored 14 times in the seventh inning or later during the series.
Mike Moustakas and Salvador Perez homered for Kansas City, which saw its pitching staff issue 23 walks in the series.
Reds 7, Phillies 4
CINCINNATI — Michael Lorenzen hit a tiebreaking homer and Adam Duvall hit a two-run shot as Cincinnati beat Philadelphia.
Lorenzen became the first major league pitcher since Micah Owings for the Reds in 2009 to hit a pinch-hit home run.
Daniel Nava homered twice for Philadelphia.
Rockies 2, Brewers 1
MILWAUKEE — Mark Reynolds and Nolan Arenado slugged solo home runs while Antonio Senzatela pitched five solid innings in his major league debut as Colorado edged Milwaukee.
Pitching above the Double-A level for the first time in his career, Senzatela scattered two hits and walked three. Reynolds homered in the third off Milwaukee starter Chase Anderson and Arenado hit a tiebreaking home run in the ninth off Neftali Feliz.
Kirk Nieuwenhuis homered in the seventh for Milwaukee.
White Sox 11, Tigers 2
CHICAGO — Geovany Soto homered twice and Chicago routed Detroit.
Matt Davidson also homered and tripled for the White Sox. Right-hander James Shields allowed one run and two hits.
Detroit’s Matt Boyd was tagged for five runs and five hits in 2 1/3 innings.