CHICAGO _ Jon Lester shook his head as he marched to the dugout in a cold rain Sunday night at Wrigley Field. Perhaps he was annoyed at being removed with two outs in the seventh inning, but Joe Maddon's decision paid off in the Cubs' 4-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.
Brandon Kintzler froze No. 3 hitter Jesus Aguilar with a tailing fastball that caught the outer edge of the plate to end the threat. Kris Bryant then mashed a two-run homer to give the Cubs a three-run cushion.
Kintzler completed the eighth and Steve Cishek closed out the victory, allowing the Cubs to improve to 24-14 and take a two-game lead on Milwaukee (24-18).
Bryant went 3-for-4, reaching base for the 22nd straight game, a career high. He homered for the fifth time in his past eight games.
Javier Baez added two hits and a walk as the Cubs won for the 12th time in their last 14 games. Lester improved to 3-1, allowing nine hits and a walk over 6 2/3 innings.
The win capped an 8-2 homestand for the Cubs, who lead the NL Central by 2 games.
