Baez, Schwarber power the Cubs past Phillies 8-3

CHICAGO -- Kris Bryant saw the adjustments Javier Baez was working on before the game with his swing. Then, he saw the results.

Baez came within a double of the cycle with four hits and three RBI, Kyle Schwarber broke out of a slump with a three-run homer and the Chicago Cubs defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 8-3 on Tuesday night.

Baez hit his second homer in as many days and tied his career high with hits, and Bryant homered and tripled for the Cubs, who won for the second time in six games.

Baez has been trying to improve his swing after a slow offensive April.

"I was watching him in his pregame and I think that something he was focusing on was trying to limit his leg kick a little bit," Bryant said. "And I saw it in the game. I was pretty impressed. He went from the cage right to the game. I don't know -- it's just what I saw. I thought he looked awesome today. He was right on everything."

Cubs starter Jon Lester (1-1) pitched long enough to earn his first victory of the season. He struck out five and worked around five walks and four hits. He allowed three runs, two earned, in five innings.

Lester improved to 11-2 at Wrigley Field since the start of the 2016 season. He also improved to 7-0 against the Phillies in nine starts.

Cubs manager Joe Maddon had issues with plate umpire Toby Basner's strike zone.

"There wasn't a strike zone tonight, it was a ball zone. That's what it was. I don't know what was going on," Maddon said. "What can I tell you? It was frustrating for both sides."

Phillies starter Jeremy Hellickson (4-1) had his worst outing of the season, allowing six runs on eight hits in four innings. He was tagged for three homers at chilly Wrigley Field.

Aaron Altherr homered for the Phillies, who have lost four of their last five.

Lester singled in the fourth with two outs for his first hit of the season, and Baez followed with another single. Then, Schwarber, in a 4-for-38 slump, homered to right on a 2-0 pitch. It was his first home run since April 18. Bryant followed with a triple and scored on Ben Zobrist's double to give the Cubs a 6-2 lead.

With two outs, Hellickson was close to getting out of the inning.

"It was a bad pitch, a bad curveball. It's about as frustrating as it gets. Nobody on, two outs and the pitcher up, 1-2 count. Yeah, it doesn't get more frustrating than that," Hellickson said.

Before the game, Maddon discussed Schwarber's struggles and said he had no intentions of pulling him out of the leadoff spot.

"It takes one at-bat to have a great night. That's what I tell to anybody struggling like he has been," Maddon said. "He had a great night."

Baez took advantage of a hanging breaking ball from Hellickson leading off the third for his third of the season. In the fifth inning, Baez hit a two-run triple off Phillies reliever Mark Leiter Jr.

In the first, Altherr hit his third of the season into the left-center basket. Bryant smashed his fifth of the season into the left-field bleachers in the Cubs' half of the inning.

Lester, who is usually reluctant to make a pickoff throw in a game, caught Altherr trying to steal second in the third with a soft toss to second to get the Phillies outfielder.

Tommy Joseph hit an RBI double in the fourth to score Michael Saunders from first to tie it at 2.

The Cubs bullpen was perfect, retiring the final 12 batters

Cubs reliever Carl Edwards Jr. pitched two perfect innings of relief with two strikeouts, Hector Rondon tossed the eighth and Wade Davis the ninth.

OOPS

The Cubs confirmed a report that their 2016 World Series trophy was damaged in Boston last weekend. Several flags were taken off the trophy while it was passed around by a crowd of enthusiastic fans at President Theo Epstein's Hot Stove Cool Music charity event on Saturday. The trophy was repaired and on display one day later.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Phillies: Manager Pete Mackanin said the Phillies will be cautious with RHP Aaron Nola (strained lower back), who threw a bullpen session on Monday: "We're still a little tentative on him. He showed improvement, but we're not quite sure whether to throw him back out there." He last pitched on April 20. He is 2-0 in three starts.

Cubs: Bryant was pinch-hit for in the eighth inning because of a sore calf. Bryant doesn't expect to miss any time.

UP NEXT

Phillies: RHP Jerad Eickhoff (0-2) is scheduled to make his sixth start of the season Wednesday night against the Cubs. He is 1-1 in three career starts against the Cubs with 2.70 ERA.

Cubs: Jake Arrieta (3-1) will try to bounce back from a subpar outing against Boston on Friday. He allowed five earned runs on 10 hits in his first loss of the season.