Barring a Major-League collapse, the Baltimore Orioles have the American League East well in hand, but that did not stop the N.L. Central's last-place Chicago Cubs from using the long ball to defeat the Orioles 4-1 Friday afternoon. The Cubs gave their fans a sneak peak into a promising future in Wrigley Field. Luis Valbuena and Javier Baez each blasted a solo shot, and Jake Arrieta continued his terrific season on the mound for the Cubs.

Baez, one of the Cubs' many highly-touted prospects, sent a 3-2 fastball from Kevin Gausman (L: 7-5, 3.81 ERA) down the left-field line and into the street for a tape-measure shot (6) that gave the Cubs some insurance in the bottom of the fifth inning. 

Although hitting .216, Baez now has six home runs and 10 RBI in just 18 games since his call-up in early August.

The Cubs started the scoring in the fourth when Luis Valbuena hit home run #12. Later in the inning, rookie Logan Watkins picked up his first RBI of the season with a single that scored Ryan Sweeney. The Cubs scored their final run in the seventh on an RBI infield single from Arismendy Alcantara, scoring Chris Valakia.

Jake Arrieta (W: 7-4, 2.53) pitched seven strong innings for the win, allowing only a solo home run to Nelson Cruz (34) in the top of the seventh. The home run was one of only four hits Arrieta allowed. Arrieta also struck out five and walked one. Pedro Strop and Hector Rondon each threw a scoreless inning in relief with Strop notching his 20th save.

Gausman pitched well overall despite the two home runs. He allowed three runs on six hits in five innings, striking out seven and walking no one. Four Orioles relievers combined for one run and three hits in relief.

The series continues Saturday at 2:20 p.m. EDT with Bud Norris (11-7, 3.69) going for Baltimore and rookie Kyle Hendricks (5-1, 1.48) starting for the Cubs. Hendricks has quality starts in six of his seven games in his first season. They have all come in consecutive games, the first time a Cubs rookie has turned the trick since Kerry Wood in 1998.

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About the author
Raymond Bureau
Raymond became a baseball fan at a very young age. He played baseball through high school and soon after became a varsity coach. He is now the P.A. announcer at his high school where he teaches. Raymond previously produced radio sports talk shows and hosted a weekly MLB radio call-in show. His favorite teams are the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees. Raymond is a devoted husband, father, and Christ follower. His life verses are Philippians 4:13, John 14:6, and Isaiah 41:10.