Shota Imanaga tossed seven shutout innings and five players hit solo home runs Saturday, carrying the Chicago Cubs to a 6-0 win over the Boston Red Sox.

Wilyer Abreu homered twice and drove in three runs, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Chicago Cubs 6-1 to avoid a series sweep.

Chicago, which had led the NL Central since April 12, is now tied with Milwaukee. But it just needs to do what it has done all season.

Point differential is calculated simply by the difference between runs scored and runs against. The Cubs are leading the Majors in the category.

Wilyer Abreu hit a pair of home runs and Garrett Crochet threw six quality innings to help the visiting Boston Red Sox earn a 6-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday.

Cheerful and carefree is simply not how Counsell rolls. That focused attitude will influence how the Cubs approach the July 31 trade deadline. The contrarian manager is an extension of Jed Hoyer’s front office, which obsesses over depth and knows from experience that things can quickly go sideways.

The rookie was excellent Sunday, showing he can be part of the Cubs' starting-pitching answer as the team eyes October. But North Side relievers allowed three late home runs in a loss to the Red Sox.

After back-to-back losses to the Chicago Cubs to open the second half, the Red Sox were very much in danger of another sweep. Fortunately, Alex Bregman is on the team now. Bregman