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CHICAGO -- John Lackey had the luxury of early run support on Sunday but still pitched like he was carefully protecting a slim lead. Lackey gave up four hits over seven innings while his teammates supplied ample offensive support as the Chicago Cubs beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-2 for their first three-game Wrigley Field sweep of the Phillies since 1995.
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"When (Lackey) grabs a lead he's almost a perfect pitcher to have pitch because he treats every inning like it's 0-0," said Cubs manager Joe Maddon. "He just keeps going after you (and) he ran with that lead extremely well."
Lackey (5-2) earned his first win since May 6 as he struck out six, walked four and gave up a seventh-inning solo home run.
The Cubs scored in four of the first five innings to open a 7-0 lead for Lackey.
"We scored some runs today and made my job a lot easier," Lackey said. "But today was a little bit different because they're a young team and want to swing so much. ... You've got to keep mixing it up. They're not going to take first-pitch strike, they're going to be swinging."
The Cubs (34-14) have now won five straight and own the best record in the major leagues. The Phillies (26-24) have dropped three in a row and five of their last six.
Chicago last took three from Philadelphia at home on July 28-30, 1995.
Phillies starter Vince Velasquez (5-2) worked just 4 2/3 innings as the Cubs scored in four of the five innings he appeared.
Miguel Montero homered and added an RBI single, Ben Zobrist slammed a three-run home run while Kris Bryant went 2-for-3 and scored twice to pace the Cubs' offense.
"Today was nice because we were able to get a lead early and Lackey was pitching phenomenal," Zobrist said. "It felt like that game was in the bag early because of how well he was pitching."
Chicago struck quickly for the second straight day.
Dexter Fowler and Jason Heyward led off with singles, and Fowler came home on Anthony Rizzo's one-out bloop base hit to left.
Montero made it 2-0 in the second inning with a leadoff solo home run to right field. The homer, his second of the season and first since Opening Day, came on a 2-0 pitch.
With two outs in the third, Zobrist launched his seventh homer of the season on Velasquez's 0-1 pitch to score Bryant and Rizzo for a 5-0 lead. The homer, which landed in the right-field basket, extended Zobrist's hitting streak to 15 games.
Bryant's one-out RBI single in the fifth scored Heyward from second to make it 6-0. Montero's base hit to shallow left brought home Bryant for a 7-0 lead and spelled the end for Velasquez, who departed with two men on and two outs.
"The tone of the game was set in the first inning when they got those three little bloop hits to score a run and then the next inning, the home run by Montero," said Phillies manager Pete Mackanin. "Then the big blow obviously was Zobrist.
"We didn't string hits together. They outplayed us."
Velasquez threw 82 pitches in his abbreviated 4 2/3-inning outing, allowing seven runs on nine hits while striking out six and walking a pair.
"When you get behind the count you have nowhere else to throw a fastball down the middle and (give) up home runs," Velasquez said. "Just one of those days I guess. You can't do nothing about it. It's one of those days they put the bat on the ball, it falls into play and you've got to just continue pitching."
Phillies reliever Brett Oberholtzer walked the bases loaded with two outs in the sixth but escaped when Rizzo grounded to first to close the inning.
Lackey lost the shutout with two outs in the seventh as Tyler Goeddel hit his second home run of the season -- a bases empty shot -- to left.
Cubs reliever Justin Grimm gave up a leadoff solo home run to Tommy Joseph to open the Phillies ninth.
NOTES: The Philadelphia bullpen entered Sunday's series finale with the Cubs with season lows in ERA (3.66) and opponents' batting average (.235). ... The Phillies head back home for a Memorial Day game against the Nationals, the first of a three-game series. RHP Jeremy Hellickson (4-3, 3.97 ERA) goes against Washington RHP Tanner Roark (3-4, 2.71 ERA). ... The Cubs have recorded at least 33 wins in their first 47 games only one other occasion, going 37-10 in 1907. ... Chicago continues a 10-game homestand with a four-game series with the Dodgers opening with a Memorial Day match. Los Angeles LHP Dodgers Alex Wood (1-3, 4.03 ERA) goes against Cubs RHP Jason Hammel (6-1, 2.17 ERA). ... The Cubs and Phillies tangle in a return series on June 6-8 at Citizens Bank Ballpark.
