Baez, Murphy go deep as Cubs romp past Diamondbacks

Arizona suffers 4th straight loss

PHOENIX — Javier Baez and Daniel Murphy each hit a two-run homer as the Chicago Cubs jumped out to a big early lead Tuesday night on their way to a 9-1 win over the fading Arizona Diamondbacks.

With its fifth victory in six games, Chicago increased its NL Central lead to 3 1/2 games over the Milwaukee Brewers, who lost at home to lastplace Cincinnati.

Mike Montgomery (55) allowed a run and four hits with a season-high eight strikeouts in six innings for his first win since Aug. 7.

The slumping Diamondbacks dropped six games behind the first-place Dodgers in the NL West and six back of St. Louis for the second wild card. They have lost four in a row and nine of 11.

The Cubs built a 5-0 lead after their first two turns at bat.

In the first inning, Baez drove a 2-0 pitch from Matt Andriese onto the pool deck in right-center for his second homer in two nights. Baez’s 33rd home run gave him 107 RBIs this season.

Just before Baez connected, Anthony Rizzo lined out to end a 17-pitch at-bat.

CHC: 89-62 overall ARI: 78-74 overall

Ian Happ drove in Jason Heyward with a second-inning double before Murphy, who scored three times, hit his 11th home run of the season.

Rizzo added a two-run single in a four-run fifth.

Ketel Marte homered in the second for Arizona, his 12th.

Andriese (3-6) lasted two innings and was charged with five runs on five hits in a bullpen game for Arizona. Four other pitchers appeared.

The teams combined for five errors, three by the Diamondbacks.

HEY, IT’S HEYWARD

Heyward started for the