CHICAGO -- Kris Bryant came to the plate in the eighth inning a triple shy of the cycle. The Cubs slugger was trying for a little more.My last at-bat I was thinking home run, Bryant said. There arent t many games you can hit three home runs.Bryant settled for an RBI single to cap a 5 for 5 day with two homers, a double and five RBI. He helped Chicago overcome a career-high seven walks by Jake Arrieta to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 9-6 Thursday for a four-game sweep.I dont feel like this t often, Bryant said, This was just one of those days when I was really locked in.Bryant tied Colorados Nolan Arenado for the NL lead with 30 home runs.And as the Cubs won for the 18th time in 21 games and improved the best record in the majors to 77-43, the only controversy in their jovial clubhouse is whether Bryant or teammate Anthony Rizzo is the better NL MVP candidate.Two days after a circus catch of a foul ball, Rizzo doubled twice off Zach Davies (9-6). Rizzo has driven in 86 runs and Bryant 78.(Rizzo) always jokes around me saying when Miguel Cabrera won the Triple Crown, Prince Fielder was hitting behind him, Bryant said. So he always tells me Im his Prince. I cant say enough about having him behind me.Chicagos ace welcomed Bryants big day with the wind blowing out. The Cubs led 5-0 when Arrieta (15-5) issued a pair of two-out walks in the fourth. Kirk Nieuwenhuis followed with a three-run homer.Hernan Perez hit a solo homer in the sixth off Arrieta, who allowed four runs and three hits in 5 2/3 innings.Aroldis Chapman worked the ninth for his seventh save with the Cubs.I put myself in a tough situation, Arrieta said. The first three (innings) were gd. It kind of got away from me there, but we had a big day out of the offense.Bryant singled and scored in the first, hit a two-run homer in the third and had an RBI double in the fourth off Davies. Bryant hit a solo homer off Blaine Boyer in the sixth and added an RBI single in the eighth off Corey Knebel for his second career five-hit game.Bryant, who hit 26 homers while winning the NL Rkie of the Year in 2015, had his third multihomer game of the season.Davies allowed a season-high seven earned runs and 10 hits in four innings.The Brewers got left fielder Ryan Braun back after he banged up his left knee and ankle chasing a foul ball Tuesday. But Braun went 0 for 5 and couldnt come up with Addison Russells fly that drifted to the wall and was ruled a single in Chicagos three-run third.Milwaukee was outscored 23-8 in the series and fell to 0-6 at Wrigley Field, while Bryant helped the Cubs move 34 games over .500 for the first time since Sept. 2008.Hes one of the best hitters in the game. He can hit any pitch, any mistake, Davies said. Youve got to be extremely focused on every pitch when he does to bat.TRAINERS RMBrewers: RHP Chase Anderson (quadriceps) was scheduled to play catch, two days after leaving in the first inning when he was hit by a line drive. If hes healthy, well be able to use Chase out of the bullpen for a couple days this weekend and hell start at some point next week, manager Craig Counsell said.Cubs: Manager Joe Maddon said theyll decide in the next couple of days if RHP John Lackey (shoulder) will make his next scheduled start Tuesday.CONTRERAS MOVES UPWillson Contreras caught Arrieta for the first time. The 24-year-old rkie has moved ahead of struggling veteran Miguel Montero.Contreras hit an RBI double in the third and picked off Ramon Flores at first in the fifth. He also had two passed balls.CUBS TORMENTEROf Nieuwenhuis 11 homers, five have come against the Cubs. The center fielder also doubled and scored in the eighth.UP NEXTBrewers: LHP Brent Suter will be recalled from Triple-A Colorado Springs and make his major league debut Friday night at Seattle against LHP Wade LeBlanc (2-0, 4.68 ERA).Cubs: RHP Kyle Hendricks (11-7, 2.19) starts Friday night at Colorado to begin a nine-game trip against the Rockies and LHP Tyler Anderson (4-4, 3.42). Chicago plays 18 of its next 25 on the road.kiesshop.com/Mateen-Cleaves-City-Edition-Jersey/" target="_blank">Mateen Cleaves Pistons Jersey . Most important, perhaps, it went off without a hitch. 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Its the second straight game Bell has scored in extra time for Kelowna, which beat the Brandon Wheat Kings 6-5 on Friday, and he now has four game-winning goals on the season.LSU began Southeastern Conference play and in the third game of the season for the Tigers, finally lked like the team projected by some to end the season in the playoff picture.The Tigers (2-1, 1-0 SEC) beat Mississippi State 23-20 in their conference opener last week in Tiger Stadium as Danny Etling stabilized the quarterback position in his first start, Leonard Fournette returned from injury to have a 100-yard rushing game, the defense was dominant at times, and the special teams were solid.No. 18 LSU plays its first SEC road game against Auburn (1-2, 0-1) at 6 p.m. ET Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, and LSU coach Les Miles is lking for improvement in every phase of the game.It wasnt perfect in any way, Tigers coach Les Miles said of his teams win over the Bulldogs. But we got a real gd start in conference play.Etling, a junior transfer from Purdue who earned the start with a solid but unspectacular performance in relief of Brandon Harris in a win over Jacksonville State a week earlier, completed 19 of 30 passes for 215 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions against Mississippi State.He extended plays, ad-libbed and did things he was supposed to do, Miles said. He made plays with his feet.On third-down plays, Etling was 6-of-9 passing for 96 yards and the touchdown.As for Fournette, after resting a sore ankle a week earlier, he carried 28 times for 147 yards and two touchdowns against the Bulldogs, but he fumbled twice and lost one, the first time he had lost a fumble in 414 carries.Miles, who has been known to immediately bench others runners in the wake of even one fumble, is more forgiving with Fournette.Hes one of the most ball-secure runners that Ive ever had, Miles said. Im sure hell continue to be. It will just be a little refresher course there.The defense had six sacks and helped the Tigers to a 23-6 fourth-quarter lead before Fournettes fumble and an onside kick recovery helped the Bulldogs score two touchdowns in a 40-second stretch.Weve got to finish out games, LSU safety Jamal Adams said. Weve got to finish stronger. Weeve got to put a nail in them.ddddddddddddIf LSU has managed to turn things in the right direction after losing its opener 16-14 at Wisconsin, Auburn is still searching for answers after dropping its second game in three outings, all at home, this time 29-16 to Texas A&M.With only the one win over an overmatched Arkansas State team, coach Gus Malzahns team lks to have issues getting consistent play from its offense, especially at quarterback.Sophomore Sean White has not performed all that badly -- he has completed 63.4 percent of his passes with just one interception in 71 attempts -- but his 45 completions have produced only 510 yards, an average of 170 a game.After starting the game against Texas A&M last week by completing his first six attempts, he bogged down and completed only 12 of his last 21 throws.When he couldnt get the offense moving against the Aggies, Malzahn turned to junior college transfer John Franklin III in the fourth quarter. Franklin had two drives end with Auburn giving up the ball on downs, but he did get his team into the end zone for a late touchdown.We felt like we needed a shot in the arm, so we gave John Franklin a chance and he did a gd job moving the ftball, Malzahn said. I thought he did some gd things.He created some things for us when the protection broke down and made a couple of gd throws. Hes still learning the offense, but I think he gave us a spark.Still, White will get the start against LSU with Franklin, who has rushed for 117 yards on 13 carries but passed for just 34 yards, waiting on the bench. Senior Jeremy Johnson, who gained back his starting job last year when White was hurt, hasnt played since the opener this season.Malzahn acknowledges his team has to find a way to get more consistent.The inconsistency on offense was the key to the game, he said, lking back on the loss to the Aggies. We have to find a way to get better. We just werent consistent enough to win the game. ' ' '