Hammel pitches Cubs past Marlins
CHICAGO -- Dexter Fowler went 3-for-4 with two runs, and Jason Hammel tossed six shutout innings as the Chicago Cubs held off a late Miami Marlins rally for a 3-2 victory Tuesday.
Hammel earned his fourth consecutive victory, while the Cubs (65-41) won their third in a row and clinched their fifth consecutive home series.
Closer Aroldis Chapman pitched a one-two-three ninth with one strikeout for his 22nd save of the year and second since coming to the Cubs last month.
Marlins outfielder Ichiro Suzuki struck out in a seventh-inning, pinch-hit appearance and remained two hits shy of 3,000 for his career.
Hammel (11-5) was pulled for a pinch hitter in the seventh after allowing just four hits, walking two and striking out three. The 11 victories are a career high.
Marlins starter Jose Fernandez (12-6) took his second straight loss. Miami (57-50) has dropped two straight heading into Wednesday's series finale at Wrigley Field.
Trailing 3-0 in the seventh, the Marlins broke the shutout as Adeiny Hechavarria singled home Derek Dietrich off Cubs reliever Pedro Strop with no outs.
After Suzuki -- who pinch-hit for Fernandez -- struck out, J.T. Realmuto trimmed the margin to 3-2 with a base hit to right that drove in Chris Johnson.
Strop struck out Martin Prado for a second out and was replaced by left-hander Travis Wood, who got out of the inning thanks to a diving catch by left fielder Chris Coghlan.
Fernandez allowed three runs on eight hits, walked two and struck out eight over six innings.
Giancarlo Stanton and Dietrich each had two hits to pace Miami.
Miami loaded the bases in the top of the first but came up empty when Dietrich grounded to Hammel.
The Cubs grabbed a 1-0 lead as in the bottom of the inning as Fowler led off with a triple to right and scored on Willson Contreras' infield single.
Chicago added a run in the third. Fowler scored from third base on a fielder's choice as Anthony Rizzo sent a one-out pop fly to left that was followed by a throw to first that allowed Fowler to come home. Fowler beat a subsequent relay to the catcher.
Fowler collected an RBI with his third hit of the night in the fifth, scoring Coghlan from second for a 3-0 lead.
NOTES: Miami OF Ichiro Suzuki was not in the starting lineup for the second straight night and remained two hits from 3,000 for his career. He appeared as a pinch hitter on Monday but grounded out. ... Marlins manager Don Mattingly said he'll switch RHP David Phelps from the bullpen to spot starter at least for Friday's opener of a three-game weekend series at Colorado. ... Miami sends RHP Tom Koehler (8-8, 4.18 ERA) against Chicago RHP John Lackey (8-7, 3.69) in a Wednesday afternoon game that wraps up the series for the season. ... The Cubs have a .994 fielding percentage since the All-Star break, tops in the National League and second behind Baltimore's .995 in the majors. ... 1B Anthony Rizzo had a single, double, triple, walk and hit by a pitch on Monday, making him the first Cub with that distinction since 1913. ... Chicago added RHP Joe Smith to the roster. He was acquired Monday via trade with the Los Angeles Angels. The Cubs optioned RHP Spencer Patton to Triple-A Iowa.