Kris Bryant started this week of Chicago Cubs games by hitting a solo homer in the eighth inning Friday, and then the eventual game-winner in the 10th. He was the first Cub to hit two homers in a game at Dodger Stadium since Sammy Sosa single-handedly won a 3-1 affair on Aug. 10, 2003. Sosa was also the last Cub to hit any extra-inning home run at Chavez Ravine; that happened eight years earlier, on May 21, 1995, off Felix Rodriguez.

Overall, the game was the Cubs' first extra-inning win in Los Angeles since May 31, 2005, when Carlos Zambrano threw eight innings of one-hit ball and Neifi Perez's RBI single won it in the 10th.

Sunday's finale with the Dodgers resulted in a 1-0 Cubs loss, their third of the season by that score (only the Padres, with four, have more) and first at Dodger Stadium since Apr. 26, 1996, when Delino DeShields hit a solo homer off Steve Trachsel.

The Dodgers got that run in the bottom of the eighth without a base hit (hit batter, error, walk, and a failed force play at the plate); the error meant it was the first Cubs loss in more than three years where they did not give up an earned run.

The Cubs returned home on Monday and gave the Wrigley faithful an 8-7 win against Pittsburgh, highlighted by Jorge Soler's tying home run in the bottom of the ninth and then four singles to plate two runs in the 13th for the walk-off. Soler's homer was the Cubs' first tying (not walk-off) homer in the 9th inning this year, and their first at home since Donnie Murphy took Stephen Strasburg deep in 2013.

The two runs in the 13th marked the first time the Cubs had walked off in the bottom of an extra inning, after surrendering one or more runs in the top half, since June 30, 2011, on a Geovany Soto three-run homer.

The Pirates did have an opportunity to take the lead in the 11th, but Josh Harrison was hit by a batted ball on his way from first to second. That was the third out, nullifying the run that Jordy Mercer would have scored from third. It's the first time that a potential go-ahead run in extra innings was nullified by a runner hit by a batted ball since June 1, 1991, when the Mets' Howard Johnson pegged teammate Mark Carreon between second and third with two outs. Had Carreon continued on and scored, the Mets would have taken a 10th-inning lead on the Cardinals (instead, they ended up losing).

Aroldis Chapman entered Wednesday's game with a two-run lead and, despite allowing three two-out baserunners, emerged with his 32nd save. Along the way Chapman uncorked three wild pitches, a first in his career and a first for a Cubs reliever since 2013. But since saves became official in 1969, only two other closers have thrown three wild pitches in an outing and still gotten a save: Jeurys Familia last June, and Mark Wohlers for the Braves on April 12, 1998.

As for all those one-run scores, Saturday through Monday marked the first time this season the Cubs had played three straight one-run games (win or lose), and with two more such games on Wednesday and Thursday, the Cubs played five one-run games out of six for the first time since May 10 through 15 of last season. Thursday's win evened their record in one-run games at 19-19 this year; last year they had the third-best one-run winning percentage in the majors at 34-21. The last time the Cubs were over .500 in that department for two straight years corresponds with their past two division titles in 2007 and 2008.