​BALTIMORE (AP) — Matthew Boyd delivered six shutout innings, Alex Bregman drove in two runs, and the Chicago Cubs defeated the Baltimore Orioles 5-2 on Tuesday night. Miguel Amaya had three hits and scored three times for the Cubs, who have won 11 of 14 to strengthen their hold on the NL wild card lead.
Pitching in his third start since returning from a seven-week knee injury, Boyd (4-1) allowed three hits, struck out seven, and walked two. The left-hander is 2-0 with a 1.72 ERA since coming off the injured list on June 25.
Cubs reliever Ryan Rolison came on in the seventh with a 4-0 cushion but immediately allowed two singles and a walk to load the bases. Adley Rutschman then delivered a two-out, two-run single off former Oriole Jacob Webb before Gunnar Henderson struck out to end the threat.
Tyler Ferguson pitched a flawless eighth inning, and Trent Thornton worked a clean ninth for his second save.
Baltimore starter Shane Baz (4-8) retired the first eight batters he faced but ultimately surrendered three runs and six hits over six innings.
Bregman opened the scoring with an RBI single in the third and added a run-scoring grounder in the fifth, giving the Cubs a 3-0 advantage. Amaya extended the lead with a single in the seventh that brought home a run on a sacrifice fly by Michael Busch, and Dansby Swanson added an RBI single in the eighth to make it 5-2.
The game started with a 56-minute delay due to the threat of rain. The grounds crew stood ready behind the tarp for about an hour, but the rain never materialized.
On Wednesday night, right-hander Colin Rea (6-5, 4.74 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Cubs against Baltimore’s right-hander Dean Kremer (1-1, 3.18).