CHICAGO -- There it was, another big at-bat staring at Addison Russell. And once again, the young star delivered.Russell hit a two-run single with the bases loaded in the seventh inning, and three relievers combined for five perfect innings to lead the Chicago Cubs to a 5-4 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Thursday night.Hes growing up, manager Joe Maddon said. As a major league baseball player, his confidence could not be higher.The Cubs spoiled a shaky Jeff Samardzijas return to Wrigley Field and started September on a winning note after going 22-6 to match the 1932 team for the best August in franchise history.The major league leaders also moved a season-high 39 games over .500 and a jaw-dropping 15 1/2 games ahead of St. Louis in the NL Central -- their largest lead in the standings since the 1907 team finished 17 games ahead of Pittsburgh, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.Russells bloop single off Cory Gearrin gave the Cubs a 5-4 lead. Dexter Fowler had two singles and scored two runs.Kris Bryant added an RBI single to extend his hitting streak to 14 games, matching a career high. And the Cubs rallied behind a dominant bullpen and another big hit by Russell.I kind of embrace those situations, he said. In that situation, I didnt try to do too much. I just wanted to see a pitch, really, and just try to go about my approach the same way.The 22-year-old Russells 88 RBI are tops among National League shortstops. He is 8 for 18 and has driven in 23 runs with the bases loaded. On top of that, he is playing a Gold Glove-level defense.His go-ahead hit wiped out a 4-3 deficit and capped a rally that began when Hunter Strickland (3-2) gave up a leadoff single to Fowler and walked Bryant after two close pitches were called balls.Will Smith walked Ben Zobrist with one out to load the bases before retiring Jason Heyward on a pop fly. But Russell then drove in Fowler and Bryant with a bloop single to left.It obviously felt like I had a good game plan, Gearrin said. Made two good pitches and broke his bat and he just found a hole. Its just frustrating because you want to get the result no matter what. At the same time as a pitcher, you can only do so much.That made a winner of Joe Smith (2-4), who worked two innings after returning from a strained left hamstring.Carl Edwards Jr. worked the ninth for his first career save with Aroldis Chapman getting the night off after pitching in the previous three games. And the Cubs came away with the win on a cool and windy night in which both starting pitchers lasted just four innings.SHAKY STARTSSamardzija gave up three runs and five hits, walked three and threw 87 pitches in his second start against Chicago and first as a visitor at Wrigley Field. The right-hander played for the Cubs from 2008 until he was traded to Oakland during the 2014 season in the deal for Russell.Chicagos Mike Montgomery gave up four runs -- three earned -- and three hits, including a long two-run homer to Hunter Pence in the first.TRANSACTIONSThe Giants reinstated LHP Josh Osich and OF Mac Williamson from the DL and recalled LHP Ty Blach, LHP Matt Reynolds, LHP Steven Okert and INF Kelby Tomlinson from Triple-A.TRAINERS ROOMGiants: RHP Matt Cain (lower back strain) is expected to come off the DL and head to the bullpen rather than the rotation. Manager Bruce Bochy said the three-time All-Star, who has struggled with injuries in recent seasons, was all for the assignment. RHP Albert Suarez will start Friday.Cubs: RHP John Lackey (strained right shoulder) will likely return to the rotation this weekend. Thursdays throwing session went well, and assuming no setbacks, the veteran will start Sunday. ... RHP Hector Rondon (strained right triceps) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Iowa on Saturday and likely make another appearance for the minor league club before returning. ... Pedro Strop (torn meniscus in left knee) tweaked his right groin in a workout on Wednesday. The Cubs expect him to miss about six weeks after initially projecting him to be out four to six following his injury on Aug. 10.UP NEXTThe Cubs send LHP Jon Lester (14-4, 2.70 ERA), unbeaten in his past six starts, to the mound while Suarez (3-2, 4.35) makes his eighth start for San Francisco. Tremon Smith Womens Jersey . Each of Houstons starters scored in double figures as the Rockets improved to 2-0 against the Spurs this season, with both victories coming on the road. They also moved within 3 1/2 games of San Antonio (22-7) for the lead the Southwest Division. Armani Watts Womens Jersey . -- In one brief spurt, Brazil turned a close game into a rout and proved again it will be a strong World Cup favourite. http://www.cheapchiefsjerseys.net/ . 24 Baylor in a Big 12 clash between teams trending in opposite directions. Andrew Wiggins made 10-of-12 from the foul line and scored 17 for Kansas (14-4, 5-0 Big 12), which capped a stretch of four straight games against ranked opponents unscathed. Black Friday Chiefs Jerseys . Its 1987 and a Brazilian playmaker, known as Mirandinha, is being paraded around St James Park to the passionate Newcastle fans. Chiefs Jerseys Online . The Cleveland Indians, Tampa Bay Rays, and Texas Rangers all won on Sunday meaning the Rangers will host the Rays in a play-in game on Monday. LONDON -- The key to winning for Andy Murray might have been realizing that he could live with losing.Way back when, at Wimbledon in 2012, he became only the second man in tennis history to come up short in the first four Grand Slam finals of his career (the other was Murrays coach, Ivan Lendl, but more on him later).I was worried about the consequences of losing those finals, the 29-year-old Scotsman said Monday at the All England Club, sitting near the 18-inch Challenge Cup, now and forever etched twice with A. MURRAY on the side.Less than 24 hours after beating Milos Raonic 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2) for his second Wimbledon championship since 2013, Murray reflected on his setback against Roger Federer in the tournaments title match four years ago, calling it a really hard loss for me.The day or so afterwards, I was really emotional. But I sort of accepted that I might not win one of these events and that I was actually doing everything that I could to give myself a chance to do it. And that was it, he said. That was probably around the time where I started to accept that its OK to not achieve what you want, if youre doing everything you possibly can.It was important for Murray to head into big matches, as he put it, not being afraid of failing.Obviously, you dont go out on the court thinking, `Its no problem if I lose the match. But the reality is, he said, you can deal with the consequences of losing a tennis match. And Ive learned that over the years, for sure.He entered Sunday having won two of his 10 previous major finals, all of which were against Federer or Novak Djokovic. This season, Murray had been 0 for 2, finishing as the runner-up to Djokovic at the Australian Open and French Open.The No. 2-ranked Murray most certainly did not forget how to win a Grand Slam title, of course.It just took him a bit to get back on track.And now the question becomes whether his third major championship will propel to him to more -- and, if so, how many more?For him, its a big step forward. Whats next for him is up to him, said Raonic, a 25-year-old Canadian who had never before participated in a Grand Slam final.Murray spoke Monday about not feeling satisfiedd, about aiming to add to his collection of major titles.dddddddddddd He said becoming a father this year provided additional incentive to put in all the necessary work to continue to excel.I still feel very motivated, he said. And having won here again, it gives me a big lift, hopefully through to the end of this year and beyond, that I can win some more Slams.He said reuniting with Lendl after the French Open was all about that desire to add to his Grand Slam resume.They split in 2014, after working together for Murrays first two major titles. Now Lendl was back for No. 3.Thats not a coincidence, said Murrays mother, Judy, the former British Fed Cup captain.The focus, and the resetting of the focus if you start to lose it a little bit, is one of the things that (Lendl) helped him enormously with the first time he worked with him, she said. And because hes worked with him before, it was easy for him to jump back in and just go, `I know exactly what you have to do to win a Slam.As a player, Lendl -- who went 8-11 in major finals -- betrayed little emotion on court. The same goes for his guest-box demeanor as a coach. On Sunday, though, his eyes welled with tears when Murray won.Yeah, he was telling everyone it was allergies. That he had hay fever, Murray said with a chuckle. No, I dont believe him.Murray knows from tears.When he lost to Federer in the 2012 final at the All England Club, agonizingly near to giving Britain its first male champion at Wimbledon since 1936 -- a drought he would end a year later -- Murrays voice cracked and he cried as he assured the Centre Court crowd, Im getting closer.And when he sat in his sideline chair after defeating Raonic on Sunday, now a two-time champion at the tournament that means so much to him, Murray covered his face with a towel as he bawled. Tears of joy, this time. Maybe, just maybe, he won because he wasnt afraid to lose.---Howard Fendrich covers tennis for The Associated Press. 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