Bote, Rizzo blasts send Cubs to walk-off W

CHICAGO -- Rookie David Bote arrived in time to deliver a game-tying two-run home run and Anthony Rizzo followed with a walk-off blast to celebrate his 1,000th career game, hitting the longest homer by a Cubs player at Wrigley Field this season, to post a 7-6 victory over the D-backs on Thursday afternoon.
The win was Chicago's 33rd come-from-behind win, the most in the Major Leagues, and the Cubs became the first National League team to reach 60 wins.
Trailing 6-4 in the ninth against Brad Boxberger, pinch-hitter Ben Zobrist walked. One out later, Bote launched his second big league home run into the left-field bleachers to tie the game at 6. Bote was called up from Triple-A Iowa on Thursday after Kris Bryant went on the disabled list due to a sore left shoulder.
"Whether I'm in Iowa or here, it's the same game," Bote said. "I'm here to help the team win. If I'm in Iowa, it's the same thing. I take my plan, my approach. It's really not that different a mindset."

Rizzo wasn't happy about the first pitch from Boxberger, a called strike, and he stepped out of the box before he connected. Bote gave Zobrist credit for setting the inning up perfectly.
"As soon as you get the tying run up to bat, things change. It changes," Bote said. "It puts the pressure on the pitcher. We're in the driver's seat, at home [plate], the crowd's into it. Leadoff walks score a lot. For [Zobrist] to have that quality at-bat was incredible."
Said Boxberger: "To put the tying run at the plate just because I couldn't throw a strike was probably the worst part of the inning. I felt like the ball was coming out good today. I just felt like they had a good plan and hit the pitches I threw."
This is the first time the Cubs have hit back-to-back game-tying and walk-off homers since April 16, 2004, when Sammy Sosa and Moises Alou did so against the Reds' Danny Graves in the ninth inning.

It was Rizzo's 13th home run but his first since June 24, a span of 25 games without a big fly.
"It does feel nice to end that skid with a walkoff," Rizzo said.
Bote got a curtain call as Javier Báez and Ian Happ pushed him out of the dugout, and Rizzo got a Gatorade bath. His home run was the longest he's hit at Wrigley since Statcast™ began tracking in 2015. Rizzo's longest homer in that timeframe is a 463-foot blast at Citi Field off of Zack Wheeler on June 13, 2017.
The Cubs managed to win despite starter Tyler Chatwood's struggles. They are now are 11-8 in his starts, and they have won his past five outings. On Thursday, the right-hander issued six walks over 4 2/3 innings.

"He might walk guys, but then he doesn't give up a ton of hits," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "That was kind of how it played again today."
This spring, Maddon felt they had the best rotation since he arrived in Chicago in 2015. However, the starters haven't lived up to the hype, as Yu Darvish has been limited because of injuries and Chatwood, Kyle Hendricks and José Quintana haven't been consistent.
Darvish, who has made eight starts, is going to throw off the mound on Friday for just the second time since June 29, and there's no timetable for his return. Chatwood, who signed a three-year contract last December, has been puzzling. He now leads the Majors with 85 walks over 94 innings. Asked before the game if the Cubs have enough talent on the current roster if they don't make a move, Maddon brought up the right-hander's name.

"We would have to have Chatwood pitching as well as he possibly can," Maddon said. "Darvish in the wings is the really intriguing part. I don't know when that will occur, but that's about as good of an acquisition as we can get right now.
"Knowing the [front office], I would imagine something is going to happen," Maddon said.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Milestone: With one out in the fifth, pinch-hitter Tommy La Stella and Bote both singled, and Rizzo notched his 600th career RBI with a run-scoring single. Bote then scored on third baseman Daniel Descalso's error. Rizzo's milestone RBI came in his 1,000th game since he made his big league debut.

In the wild:Kyle Schwarber doubled with one out in the sixth and advanced on a wild pitch by Zack Godley on the third strike to Addison Russell. Pinch-hitter Baez then struck out but reached first on another wild pitch that allowed Schwarber to scamper home and the Cubs to pull within 6-4.

SOUND SMART
The Cubs have walked the pitcher 13 times this season, the most in the Majors. Chatwood has done so four times, including the second inning, when he walked Godley. Perhaps it was fitting that Chatwood drew a walk in Chicago's second as well.
HE SAID IT
"I got goosebumps. The fans are great. To hear them cheering the whole time when going around the bases was incredible." -- Bote, on the response from the crowd at Wrigley Field when he hit his home run, then came out for a curtain call
MITEL REPLAY OF THE DAY
In the top of the first, home-plate umpire Mike Estabrook ruled that A.J. Pollock was hit by a 3-2 pitch from Chatwood. The Cubs challenged the ruling, and after a review, the call was overturned and Pollock was out.

In the top of the seventh, Ketel Marte tried to stretch his hit, but Schwarber fired a strike to Bote and Marte was called out. Arizona challenged the call, and after a review, the call stood. It was Schwarber's ninth assist, tops among NL left fielders.

UP NEXT
Mike Montgomery will open the series against the Cardinals. In his last start, the lefty held them to one run on five hits over six innings, but he did not get a decision in the Cubs' 6-3 loss. This will be Montgomery's 11th start of the season subbing for Yu Darvish; he's 3-2 with a 3.02 ERA as a starter. Luke Weaver will start for St. Louis. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. CT from Busch Stadium, free on MLB.TV and MLB Network.