Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Alek Thomas hit three-run homers, rookie Brandon Pfaadt delivered 5 1/3 quality innings and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Chicago Cubs 6-4 on Friday night.
The two clubs are in the middle of a six-team dogfight for three National League wild-card spots. Arizona moved into a tie with the Cincinnati Reds for the final spot, while the Cubs are in the second position, 1 1/2 games in front of the D-backs and Reds.
Thomas connected in the sixth off Steele, delivering a two-out homer that barely cleared the right-field wall. Pfaadt delivered one of the best outings of his short big league career, striking out six while giving up four hits and a walk. Catcher Gabriel Moreno added four hits, including a double.Cubs All-Star Marcus Stroman was activated from the 15-day injured list and delivered two scoreless innings of relief on Friday.