CHICAGO (AP) — It’s purely about the math for Anthony Rizzo and the Chicago Cubs.A three-game lead is better than a one-game advantage http://www.bravesfanproshop.com/authentic-scott-kazmir-jersey , and that was all that mattered Wednesday.Rizzo homered, drove in three runs and stole two bases in his return to the cleanup spot, and Chicago beat the Milwaukee Brewers 8-4 to strengthen its hold on the NL Central.The Cubs bounced back nicely from their 7-0 loss in the opener of the two-game series, improving to 9-4 against the Brewers this year. But they have six more games left in the season series and St. Louis is gaining quickly, so Rizzo and company coolly packed up their three-game advantage over the second-place Brewers and got ready for a six-game trip.It’s just about the numbers in the middle of August.“I think early on we knew it was going to come down to the wire,” Rizzo said, “so I don’t see us or any team pulling away like crazy. Winning games versus our division is always big, and this one was nice.”Jason Heyward added three hits and two RBIs as Chicago moved 19 games over .500, matching its season high. David Bote had two hits, scored twice and made a terrific barehanded play at third base in his first action since he hit a game-ending grand slam in Sunday night’s 4-3 victory over Washington.Kyle Hendricks (9-9) struck out eight in six-plus innings on his bobblehead day, providing a lift for the Cubs after Jon Lester and Jose Quintana struggled in recent starts.“Psychologically, I mean obviously there was a lot of folks that would have been running for the hills had we lost,” manager Joe Maddon said. “The fact that you win the game, it settles down that method. There’s still a long way to go.”Milwaukee had a chance to inch closer to Chicago, but instead lost for the fourth time in six games. Junior Guerra (6-8) lasted just 3 2/3 innings, and first baseman Eric Thames committed an error that helped set up a run.“It was definitely a hard game Kurt Suzuki Jersey ,” Guerra said. “Some of the things just didn’t go our way today.”The Brewers, who are in position for a wild card, also lost left fielder Ryan Braun and catcher Manny Pina to injuries. Braun departed with tightness on the right side of his rib cage, and Pina hurt his left shoulder when he collided with Javier Baez while he was diving back to second in the seventh.Pina stayed in after the play and scored on Mike Moustakas’ single. But Erik Kratz took over behind the plate in the bottom half of the inning.“We’re going to take him to Milwaukee for tests tomorrow, but he was adamant about staying in the game,” manager Craig Counsell said. “It’s just kind of precautionary. So we’ll get some tests and we’ll see.”Braun is considered day to day. He got hurt trying to make a sliding catch on Heyward’s RBI double in the third.“I don’t anticipate making a quick move with this one, but if it lingers, we’re going to have to make a move,” Counsell said.Rizzo, who had been leading off, drove a 0-1 pitch from Guerra into the basket in left for a two-run shot in the first. The big first baseman also blooped a run-scoring single into center in the Cubs’ three-run fourth, helped by a partly cloudy sky that made life difficult for each team all afternoon.The Brewers closed to 7-4 on Hernan Perez’s RBI single in the seventh. But they wasted a chance for more when Travis Shaw popped out and Jonathan Schoop lined to left with the bases loaded, ending the inning.Albert Almora Jr. then led off the bottom half of the inning with a line drive into the bleachers in left . It was his first homer since June 28 and No. 5 on the year.MINOR MOVESThe Cubs acquired minor league outfielder Terrance Gore from Kansas City for a player to be named or cash. He was assigned to Triple-A Iowa.The speedy Gore is 0 for 11 in 49 major league games. But he has scored 14 times and swiped 21 bases.TRAINER’S ROOMBrewers: RHP Jimmy Nelson is unlikely to return this season after he had shoulder surgery in September, according to Counsell. … RHP Zach Davies, who is coming back from an inflamed right rotator cuff and tight lower back, could make another rehab appearance after he starts for Triple-A Colorado Springs on Thursday.UP NEXTBrewers: Following a day off http://www.bravesfanproshop.com/authentic-dansby-swanson-jersey , RHP Freddy Peralta (5-3, 4.47 ERA) faces Cardinals RHP Luke Weaver (6-10, 4.66 ERA) on Friday night in the opener of a big weekend series in St. Louis. Peralta was tagged for seven runs in three-plus innings in a 10-1 loss at Atlanta on Friday night.Cubs: Lester (12-5, 3.89 ERA) pitches Thursday night in the opener of a four-game series at Pittsburgh. He is 0-3 with a 10.32 ERA in five starts since the All-Star break. RHP Ivan Nova (7-6, 4.42 ERA) gets the ball for the Pirates. NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge saw Jose Urena’s plunking of Ronald Acuna Jr. before the Yankees played a day game Thursday, and he felt Acuna’s pain. The reigning AL home run leader knows that with so many big flies comes a risk that some disgruntled pitcher may try burying a fastball in your ribs.“Oh yeah, it’s happened before,” New York’s star slugger said.Throwing at a batter for hitting home runs? That’s what many think Urena did, including Mets broadcaster and former big league first baseman Keith Hernandez, who defended Urena’s plunking of Atlanta’s breakout rookie. Mostly, though, players and coaches around the game seem to want nothing to do with this murky unwritten rule.The Miami right-hander sparked a benches-clearing fracas in Atlanta when he drilled Acuna in the elbow with the first pitch of a game Wednesday. Acuna had homered leading off three consecutive games and gone deep four times in the first three games of the series against the Marlins.Acuna had a CT scan that revealed his elbow was normal, and X-rays also were negative. He was back in Atlanta’s lineup Thursday night against Colorado.Urena claimed he was just pitching Acuna inside and missed his spot with a “bad pitch.” He was suspended six games and fined an undisclosed amount on Thursday.The Braves — as well as the game’s umpires — believed the plunking was intentional. Braves All-Star Freddie Freeman said it “was just completely classless on Jose Urena’s part,” and manager Brian Snitker was near the front of a line of Atlanta players charging out of the dugout toward the mound.“I’m not sure I’ve ever felt like that in a baseball uniform,” Snitker said.At least one prominent baseball voice thought Urena would be right to intentionally drill Acuna, though. Hernandez Ozzie Albies Jersey , the 1979 NL co-MVP, said during the Mets broadcast Wednesday night that in this case, “you got to hit him.”“They’re killing you,” Hernandez said. “You lost three games. He’s hit three home runs. You got to hit him. I’m sorry, people aren’t going to like that. You know, you got to hit him, knock him down.”Hernandez’s words weren’t well received by the Braves. Reliever Peter Moylan tweeted that Hernandez was a “clown,” and Hall of Famer Chipper Jones tweeted that the comments were “waaay off base!”“So by this way of thinking, Jacob deGrom should get drilled cuz he’s the hottest pitcher on the planet? NO!” Jones wrote.Players and coaches around the majors were asked about intentional plunkings Thursday, and it’s clear that Hernandez’s opinion falls among the minority.Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Urena’s pitch “seemed pretty blatant to me.”“It had a bad look to it,” he said.Rays veteran Kevin Kiermaier thinks plunkings have a time and a place. He recalled being a rookie when Tampa Bay unintentionally hit Yankees star Derek Jeter twice in the same game. Kiermaier was the first batter up for Tampa Bay the next inning.“I knew I was going to get thrown at,” Kiermaier said. “Guy ended up missing. I had no problem with it. He got thrown out, whatever.”But Kiermaier also suspects at least one pitcher has thrown at him intentionally because the speedy center fielder tried to bunt for a hit in the first inning of a game, and that experience infuriated him. Kiermaier, who is expecting a child in November, doesn’t want any part of pitchers throwing at him for just playing the game. He called Urena’s pitch “classless.”“You’re hitting good http://www.bravesfanproshop.com/authentic-mike-foltynewicz-jersey , and they want to hit you to hit you, then I got a problem with that,” Kiermaier said.Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said he would’ve preferred umpires leave Urena in the National League game, rather than eject him.“That would have been a little more punishment, because he’s got to bat,” Gardenhire said, adding that “I would be mad enough if I were the manager, I might start (Urena) tomorrow and lead him off just so they can smoke him and knock him out just because he did something so stupid.”Added Angels manager Mike Scioscia, the longest tenured manager in the majors: “Throwing at somebody with intent should not be part of this game.”Retired seven-time All-Star Michael Young said on Twitter that “you don’t drill people for doing their jobs” and “that’s not old school.” He also said the concept of brushback pitches — throwing a fastball inside to scare a batter off the plate and make him uncomfortable — doesn’t work against major league hitters.“You can’t make a good hitter uncomfortable,” Young said. “He’s been there, done that. He’s laughing in his head because your heaters inside are simply teeing him up with a 2-0 count. Then he’s going to torch you.”