CHICAGO _ Anthony Rizzo sprained his right ankle during the third inning of Sunday's 16-6 win over the Pirates, putting a damper on a big milestone for Kris Bryant and the Cubs bagging their third straight game with at least 14 runs.
Bryant knocked two home runs off Trevor Williams to left-center field _ the first bomb moving him past Ernie Banks for the most by a Cub in his first five seasons.
Ian Happ, who replaced Rizzo at first base, added another blast off Yacksel Rios in the fifth. Kyle Schwarber hit his 36th home run of the season off Geoff Hartlieb in the seventh and Jonathan Lucroy swatted his eighth off Alex McRae the next inning.
For Rizzo, X-rays revealed no fractures and he's scheduled for an MRI exam Monday.
There's no minimizing the impact a prolonged absence would have on the Cubs as they chase the Cardinals in the division and try to hold off the Brewers in the wild card.
Rizzo entered Sunday's play ranked seventh in the majors in on-base percentage (.402) and he's 17th in baseball in expected-weighted on-base average (.391) and highest among the Cubs.
The Cubs already have other significant injuries.
Javier Baez could miss the rest of the season with a broken thumb and Addison Russell was officially placed on the seven-day concussion list Sunday. The injuries at shortstop forced the Cubs to call up Nico Hoerner, who went 1-for-5 with a run Sunday and is batting .379.
The Cubs have been without closer Craig Kimbrel (right elbow inflammation) for 13 games, but he threw a bullpen session Sunday morning.
Rizzo missed four games in May and five games in August with back problems, though the Cubs managed to go 6-3 without him in the lineup.
The Cubs next host a three-game series against the Reds, who have given them trouble this season, with the Reds holding a 7-9 advantage. Then comes the showdown that could determine the winner of the NL Central: a four-game series against the Cardinals to close the Cubs' final homestand of the season.
The Cubs' win coupled with the Cardinals' 7-6 loss to the Brewers draws the Cubs within two games of the division lead _ but also keeps Milwaukee within a game of the Cubs for the second wild-card spot.
