CHICAGO -- Ben Zobrist went 4 for 4, Addison Russell had three RBI and the Chicago Cubs beat the San Diego Padres 8-7 on Tuesday night for their eighth straight win.
Jon Lester (4-1) pitched six innings of three-run ball as Chicago improved to 25-6 for the best start by a major league team since the 1984 Detroit Tigers won 26 of their first 31 games. Kris Bryant drove in two runs and Jason Heyward scored twice, helping the Cubs open an 8 1/2-game lead over second-place Pittsburgh in the NL Central.