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 "We had a pretty good day today," Cubs manager Rick Renteria
said. "We had some good at-bats and we had some big at-bats in some
key situations."
Shortstop Starlin Castro's two-run homer in the fourth inning
provided the winning margin while third baseman Mike Olt added a
grand slam in the eighth as the Cubs ended a four-game skid and
salvaged the finale of the three-game interleague series with their
crosstown rivals.
Olt went 2-for-4, including his first career grand slam. First
baseman Anthony Rizzo was 3-for-5 with a two-run homer while leadoff
batter Ryan Kalish, right fielder Nate Schierholtz and left fielder
Junior Lake also had two hits.
Cubs starter Jake Arrieta worked four innings in only his second
start but had no decision while reliever Brian Schlitter (2-0)
pitched 1 2/3 innings.
"I was throwing some pretty good bullets with the heater today (but)
I really didn't have a quality wrinkle to mix in," Arrieta said. "I
normally have my curveball pretty much every time out and wasn't
able to establish that for strikes early or late, so I tried to mix
it up as well as I could."
White Sox right-hander Scott Carroll (1-2) was rocked for six runs
in four innings as the White Sox had their season-high four-game
winning streak ended.
 Shortstop Alexei Ramirez went 3-for-5 with two runs scored to pace
the White Sox (18-18).
The Cubs (12-21) led 6-4 entering the eighth and added five more
runs -- including Olt's grand slam.
Second baseman Luis Valbuena was camped on third after Rizzo's
double to center with none out. While Sox reliever Maikel Cleto
walked Schierholtz to load the bases and walked in a run when he hit
Cubs catcher Welington Castillo with a pitch.
Ott then took Cleto's 3-2 pitch and launched a 405-foot shot to left
field for an 11-4 lead.
Castillo's two-out single in the ninth scored Castro for the Cubs'
12th run. White Sox left fielder Dayan Viciedo singled home Marcus
Semien for one run in the ninth. The White Sox went on to load the
bases but Cubs left-hander Wesley Wright struck out center fielder
Alejandro De Aza with the bases loaded to end the game.
The White Sox scored twice in the second inning after putting
runners on first and second. Right fielder Moises Sierra drove home
shortstop Alexei Ramirez for the first run and De Aza reached third
and came home on catcher Tyler Flowers' grounder to third.
The lead was short-lived.
The Cubs erupted for three runs with none out in the third. Kalish
led off with a triple to deep right and scored on Valbuena's single
to center, cutting the White Sox lead to 2-1. Rizzo followed with a
home run over the center field fence for his seventh of the year. It
came on Carroll's first pitch and scored Valbuena for a 3-2 Cubs
lead.
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The inning was hardly over. The Cubs loaded the bases and Carroll
walked Lake, bringing Schierholtz home for the inning's fourth run.
In the fourth, Rizzo walked with one out and Castro followed with
his fifth homer of the season. The two-run shot to left-center came
on Carroll's first pitch and opened a 6-2 lead.
The White Sox got two runs back in the bottom of the fourth.
Flowers' two-out RBI single to center scored Ramirez and third
baseman Conor Gillaspie's base hit to center brought home Flowers
and trimmed the Cubs' lead to 6-4.
Carroll departed after giving up two base hits with none out in the
fifth, replaced by left-hander Scott Downs. Through four-plus
innings, Carroll gave up six earned runs and 11 hits, walked two and
struck out two.
"Tonight (Carroll) just didn't seem to have it locating like he did
in the last couple of games," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said.
"It was a little windy. I don't know if that has anything to do with
it, but he just couldn't control it tonight, and anytime he got it
over the plate they seem to hit it hard."
Arrietta was also pulled after four innings. He gave up four runs
(three earned) and nine hits while walking one and striking out
another.
NOTES: The Cubs have eight save opportunities, the fewest in the
majors. ... CF Ryan Kalish was slotted in at leadoff batter for only
the second time this season in place of slumping Emilio Bonifacio.
Chris Coghlan batted seventh as the DH. ... The Cubs are away from
Chicago for the next week, opening a weekend series in Atlanta on
Friday as RHP Jason Hammel (4-1, 2.43 ERA) faces RHP Julio Teheran
(2-2, 1.80 ERA). ... The White Sox bullpen -- with six right-handers
and one lefty -- saw a 23 1/3-inning scoreless streak dating to May
2 against Cleveland come to an end. It was their longest scoreless
streak since 1991. ... White Sox INF Marcus Semien leads the majors
with three go-ahead home runs in the seventh inning or later. ...
RHP Andre Rienzo (2-0, 4.50 ERA) gets the start Friday as the White
Sox host Arizona in their second straight inter-league series.
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