CHICAGO — Jon Lester pitched effectively into the sixth inning Monday night, continuing an impressive stretch for Chicago’s rotation and helping the Cubs beat the Colorado Rockies 3-2 for their season-high fifth straight victory.

Lester allowed two runs and five hits, struck out five and walked three. Luke Farrell (1-0) worked 11/3 innings of perfect relief for his first career win, and Steve Cishek got two outs for his first save.

Wilmer Difo of the Washington Nationals looks up Monday night after sliding back into third base on a failed pickoff attempt by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the fourth inning. Washington came away with a 3-2 victory at home. Associated Press/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

The Rockies put runners on first and second with two outs in the ninth before Cishek struck out Nolan Arenado.

Lester extended the streak for Chicago’s starting pitchers to 332/3 innings without giving up an earned run. The Cubs have permitted just four runs and 21 hits during their last five games.

Colorado wasted a solid start by Kyle Freeland (1-4) in its third straight loss. He pitched seven innings of three-run ball, allowing six hits with five strikeouts and one walk.

NATIONALS 3, PIRATES 2: Tanner Roark pitched seven efficient innings and drove in his first run since 2016, and Washington won at home.

Roark (2-2) allowed two runs on six hits, struck out four and induced two double-play grounders for his first win since April 2 as the Nationals ended a disappointing April with their second straight victory.

Starting pitcher Jameson Taillon (2-3) drove in the first run for the Pirates with a two-out double to deep left-center in the fifth. He worked six innings, allowing three runs on seven hits, as NL Central-leading Pittsburgh lost for the first time since his previous start. The Pirates had won five straight.

BREWERS 6, REDS 5: Homers by Manny Pina and Lorenzo Cain ended Milwaukee’s historically bad slump, and Domingo Santana doubled home the go-ahead runs in the seventh inning at Cincinnati.

The Brewers managed only two runs while getting swept in four games at Wrigley Field, matching their lowest total for a four-game series. They had 14 hits total, their worst for such a series, and were shut out on two hits in each of the last two games.

Pina ended their streak of 23 scoreless innings with a solo homer in the fourth off left-hander Brandon Finnegan, who hasn’t won in more than a year.

MARLINS 8, PHILLIES 4: Brian Anderson homered, drove in four runs and made a diving catch in right field with the bases loaded to preserve a lead, helping Miami win at home.

The Marlins have won three straight games for the first time this season, and 5 of 6. The Phillies lost their third consecutive game.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

RAYS 3, TIGERS 2: C.J. Cron and Brad Miller homered in the ninth inning and Tampa Bay held on at Detroit.

With the game scoreless, Detroit closer Shane Greene (1-2) walked Denard Span to start the ninth. Cron followed by hitting a 2-0 fastball into the right-center field seats for his seventh homer of the season. After Matt Duffy popped out, Brad Miller homered into the left-field bullpens to make it 3-0 and end Greene’s night.

INDIANS 7, RANGERS 5: Jose Ramirez’s RBI double broke an eighth-inning tie and Cleveland rallied at home.

Texas scored twice in the top of the eighth to go ahead 4-3, but the Indians quickly regained the lead by scoring four times against Chris Martin (0-1).

NOTES

RANGERS: Left-handed starter Martin Perez was placed on the 10-day disabled list because of right elbow discomfort.

Perez had arthroscopic surgery on his non-throwing elbow in December. He broke a bone in a fall after being spooked by a bull on his ranch in Venezuela.

DODGERS: Shortstop Corey Seager will undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the remainder of the season.

The team said Seager was going on the 10-day disabled list with a right ulnar collateral ligament sprain.

ROCKIES: Colorado placed second baseman DJ LeMahieu on the 10-day disabled list with a right hamstring strain and activated outfielder Carlos Gonzalez from the DL.

LeMahieu got hurt when he doubled in the third inning of Friday night’s 1-0 victory at Miami.

PIRATES: Rookie Nick Kingham’s nearly perfect debut earned him at least one more start in the majors.

Kingham took a perfect game into the seventh inning of his first big league start, retiring the first 20 batters in Pittsburgh’s 5-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday.

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