Chicago Cubs at Chicago White Sox

Dansby Swanson homers twice as the streaking Cubs beat the crosstown White Sox 7-3

Swanson homered twice and drove in four runs, and the Cubs beat the crosstown White Sox 7-3 on Tuesday night for their fourth consecutive victory.

Christopher Morel and Nico Hoerner also connected for the North Siders, and Kyle Hendricks pitched four-hit ball into the seventh inning. Swanson and Hoerner each had three hits, and Hoerner had two of the team's five stolen bases.

“We've been playing really well recently,” Swanson said. “I love our at-bats. I love the way we're playing defense, the way the pitching staff's going. It's fun to be a part of a collective group that believes in one another and is willing to lay it out there each and every night.”

The Cubs (49-51) won for the sixth time in seven games overall, putting them firmly on the bubble ahead of the Aug. 1 deadline. The rest of the week could go a long way in determining if the team is a seller or tries to rally into a playoff spot.

“We know we got everything we need in this clubhouse,” Hendricks said. “It's a great group.”

There is no question about the direction of the White Sox (41-61) after a stretch of 12 losses in 16 games. Lucas Giolito and Kendall Graveman are among a group of players who could be shipped out in the coming days.

Andrew Vaughn had two RBI in his return to the White Sox lineup after being sidelined by a bone bruise in his left foot. Michael Kopech (4-9) allowed five runs, four earned, and nine hits in five innings in front of a sellout crowd of 37,079 at Guaranteed Rate Field.

“For the most part I was getting ahead of guys and limited my walks, threw a lot of strikes,” said Kopech, who struck out five and walked one. “Ultimately they weren’t quality strikes and got hit a few times.”

The South Siders had a chance to get back in the game when they loaded the bases with no outs in the seventh. Yoán Moncada then hit a deep drive to right, but Seiya Suzuki made a leaping catch at the wall to take away a grand slam.

“I thought it was gone, for sure,” a chuckling Hendricks said, “and then he made it look so casual, kind of nonchalant. Just an unreal catch.”

Tim Anderson scampered home on the sacrifice fly and Vaughn followed with an RBI single, but Mark Leiter Jr. limited the damage by retiring Yasmani Grandal on a fly ball to left before striking out Jake Burger.

Hendricks (4-4) allowed three runs, struck out four and walked one in 6 1/3 innings. The crafty right-hander improved to 2-6 in 12 career starts against the White Sox.

With two runners on in the ninth, Adbert Alzolay came in and struck out the side for his 10th save.

“That's as good as I've seen Adbert tonight,” Cubs manager David Ross said.

The Cubs backed Hendricks with three runs in the second. Suzuki reached on a throwing error on shortstop Anderson before Swanson connected for his 11th homer. Morel then hit his 16th homer, a 400-foot drive to center.

Swanson added a solo shot in the fourth and an RBI single in the seventh. The All-Star shortstop is 7 for 11 with six RBI in three games since returning Saturday after being sidelined by a bruised left heel.

DONE DEAL

The Cubs announced they had agreed to contracts with their three remaining selections from this year's draft, including right-hander Jaxon Wiggins, a second-round pick from the University of Arkansas.

TRAINER'S ROOM

White Sox: 3B Moncada (lower back inflammation) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list, and C Carlos Pérez was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte. Moncada went 0 for 3 in his first major league game since June 13. ... Asked if LHP Garrett Crochet (shoulder soreness) is going to pitch again this season, manager Pedro Grifol responded: “It’s too soon to tell. I’m anticipating he will. But I haven’t sat down with the trainers to talk about his plan going forward.”

UP NEXT

Right-handers Marcus Stroman (10-7, 3.09 ERA) and Lance Lynn (6-9, 6.18 ERA) take the mound on Wednesday night. Stroman is 1/3 with a 6.46 ERA in his last five starts for the Cubs. Lynn surrendered four homers in 6 2/3 innings when the White Sox lost 9-4 at Minnesota on Friday. Stroman and Lynn both could be on the move ahead of next week's trade deadline.

Follow Jay Cohen at https://twitter.com/jcohenap

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