Cubs’ Wells earns first win; Indians’ skid extended to 6

Chicago swept Cleveland in the three-game weekend series at Wrigley Field.

CHICAGO (AP) — His nerves frayed and his stomach twisting like a wicked curve, Randy Wells couldn’t bear to watch so he stayed in the weight room.

Finally, with one out left, he came back out.

Then, he got the shaving-cream treatment.

And the beer shower.

His first major-league win certainly was something to see.

Wells pitched into the seventh inning, Geovany Soto homered and Jake Fox drove in three runs to lead the Chicago Cubs to a routine 6-2 victory over the Cleveland Indians and their fourth straight win.

Derrek Lee extended his hitting streak to 18 games with an RBI single, tying a career high, and the Cubs cruised to an easy win after taking the previous three in their final at-bat.

This time, they didn’t need any late excitement to send the Indians to their season-high sixth straight loss.

Back-to-back extra-inning wins gave way to this: The Cubs taking control early after rallying Friday and Saturday and finally giving Wells (1-3) the support he needed.

“It was pretty nerve-racking,” he said. “I tried to stay in the weight room for most of it. I wanted to be out there for the last out.”

Soto got things started when he gave the Cubs a 1-0 lead in the second with his fifth homer.

Fox drove in Ryan Theriot with a sacrifice fly in the fourth and capped a four-run fifth with a two-run, bases-loaded double against Jeremy Sowers (1-5), sucking the drama out of this one.

Wells allowed two runs and five hits in 62‚Ñ3 innings. He left to a loud ovation with a 6-1 lead after getting knocked out in the fourth against Minnesota nine days earlier. Now, he finally has a win after posting a 2.55 ERA in his first seven starts following his call-up from Triple-A Iowa last month.

“You dream about winning ballgames in the big leagues,” Wells said. “It’s been a long time coming.”

Gregg preserved the win after things got a little tense in the ninth.

He came on with runners on first and third and one out and promptly threw a wild pitch before striking out Ben Francisco and retiring Trevor Crowe on a grounder for his 11th save in 13 chances.

Wells led off the fifth with a single and scored from third with one out on a bases-loaded single by Lee, who has now reached base in 28 consecutive games.

Sowers then walked Soto to force in another run, and Fox chased him with a double off the center-field wall that made it 6-0.