CHICAGO -- Henderson Alvarezs scoreless streak came to an end, and the Miami Marlins didnt care one bit. They were just happy to hear the talented right-hander should be able to make his next start after a scary play at first base. Alvarez injured his left hip in the sixth, but Miami made the most of a wild afternoon for Pedro Strop in a 4-3 win over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday that averted a three-game series sweep. The Marlins trailed 3-2 before they pushed across two runs in the eighth. They loaded the bases with one out on a walk, a hit by pitch and a single from Casey McGehee. Christian Yelich then scored on Garrett Jones sacrifice fly and Giancarlo Stanton came home on a wild pitch from Strop (0-3). Steve Cishek then struck out two in a scoreless ninth that gave him 14 saves in 15 tries. The Cubs got six scoreless innings from Jake Arrieta, but came up just short in a bid for their first six-game winning streak since a seven-game run in 2011. "I think these guys should keep their heads up," Cubs manager Rick Renteria said. "Theyre very disappointed right now because we felt like we were on the cusp of being able to have a perfect homestand." Mike Dunn (5-3) got two outs for the win, but that was secondary for Miami after Alvarez went down. He began the day with a streak of 21 scoreless innings and is regarded as the Marlins best pitcher after Jose Fernandez was shelved by a season-ending elbow surgery. With one out in the sixth inning of a scoreless tie, Luis Valbuena grounded to Jones at first. Alvarez hustled over to cover the bag, but Jones toss was high. The pitcher reached to tap the base with his right foot but missed and landed awkwardly, straining his left hip. "He seems to be OK," manager Mike Redmond said. "Hes got enough time in between starts. He should be fine. Obviously well know better tomorrow or the next couple of days." After Miamis training staff and Redmond came out to see him, Alvarez threw one warm-up pitch to see if he could continue but quickly left the mound. He was charged with two runs, one earned, and seven hits. "At first I felt like I fell (and) I banged myself on ground. I just continued on, I got up, I felt I could continue to pitch," Alvarez said through a translator. "I went out there, I did what I could to pitch. At the end of the day it was a decision by the manager." Nate Schierholtz then greeted Dan Jennings with a two-run triple down the right-field line that gave the Cubs a 2-0 lead. Alvarez is considered day to day, a relief for the surprising Marlins (33-30). "I feel good," he said. "Thank God." Jones, who was charged with an error on the play, also was relieved that Alvarez was OK. He said he needed a couple pitches during his seventh-inning at-bat to refocus. "You never want to be the guy to make the mistake to lose a game," Jones said. "But that play, hes been our best pitcher, and to lose him on a play like that, it stinks." Luckily for Miami, it probably wont be without Alvarez for long. "We cant afford any injuries - especially to those pitchers. Weve already had that happen and we cant afford anybody else to get hurt," Redmond said. "Definitely concerned (when Alvarez left) but it looks like hes going to be fine so hopefully we got lucky there." NOTES: The Marlins have a couple off days coming up and the plan is to keep its rotation intact. That could change if RHP Nathan Eovaldis pregnant wife hasnt given birth by Wednesday. ... Marlins C Jarrod Saltalamacchia was eligible to come off the seven-day concussion disabled list but wasnt activated. Christian Jaros Senators Jersey . The Raptors have to get through the pesky New York Knicks Wednesday at Madison Square Garden and can lock up the third spot in the Eastern Conference with a win or a Chicago loss in Charlotte. Dylan DeMelo Senators Jersey . And former Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson certainly knows his pain. "Its pretty hard to coach there without allowing some of these things to kind of affect you," Wilson told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun in his ESPN. http://www.senatorssale.com/authentic-chris-tierney-senators-jersey/ . It will mark the 22nd time the tournament has been held in this country and fourth in Atlanta Canada but will make its first appearance ever in played Nova Scotia. Christian Jaros Jersey . "After consultation with the Team USA medical staff and officials, it was determined that he should return to Winnipeg as a precaution due to his previous injury history," Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said Wednesday in a statement. Thomas Chabot Jersey . -- Canadas Milos Raonic defeated Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France on Saturday to advance to the third round of the BNP Paribas Open.MINNEAPOLIS -- After three straight 100-loss seasons, the Houston Astros lineup is suddenly filled with sluggers who can change a game with one swing. Chris Carter and Jon Singleton hit their first career grand slams to power Houston to a 14-5 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Sunday. Carters slam in the seventh inning sailed over the limestone overhang in right field and gave Houston a 9-3 lead. Singleton lined a fastball off Glen Perkins over the right-field wall that made it 14-5 in the ninth. Dexter Fowler and George Springer also homered for the Astros. Houston has now hit 69 homers this season, well on pace to surpass last seasons total of 148, third-worst in the American League. "It puts more strain on the opposing pitchers," Astros manager Bo Porter said. "They feel like, I cant make a mistake here, I cant make a mistake here. That can drain on a staff." The only other time two Astros players hit grand slams in the same game was July 30, 1969, at New York when Denis Menke and Jimmy Wynn both hit slams in an 11-run ninth inning against the Mets. Houston players are also sensing a different vibe now that the lineup is filled with more power. "Its been fun. We like playing off of each other," Singleton said. "Thats definitely a bonus. When one person does well, it carries over and its contagious." Darin Downs (1-0) got the last eight outs as the third reliever to follow starter Colin McHugh, who fanned six and allowed one run over 4 1/3 innings. He walked five and was removed after throwing 101 pitches. Trevor Plouffe and Josh Willingham hit RBI singles as Minnesota made it 5-3 in the fifth, but couldnt get any closer before Carter and Singleton powered the game away. Houston batted around in the fourth inning, scoring three runs after Samuel Deduno (2-4) loaded the bases with nobody out by walking two batters and hitting another. The Astros have won seven of eight on the road and 11 of their last 15 overall as they try to snap a three-year streak of losing 100 games. It was the third time in club history Minnesota allowed two grand slams in the same game. The last time it happened was April 22, 1988, in Cleveland. "They got us today," Perkins said. "I think they swing hard in case they hit it, and they hit them today.dddddddddddd Theyre not as bad as people think they are. Gotta give credit to them the way they swing the bat and pitch the ball pretty well." The Twins also officially signed free-agent designated hitter/first-baseman Kendrys Morales on Sunday to bolster their inconsistent offence. But if Minnesota -- now three games under .500 -- wants to remain in the playoff race, its going to need better starting pitching. Deduno walked four and hit two while allowing five runs in three innings on Sunday, raising his ERA to 4.45. As a group, Minnesotas starters are 19-25 with a 4.97 ERA. "Not a good day pitching today. Used a lot of innings out there," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "We still have three games to go (before the next off day), so well get through it. Thats the way it is. They killed it at the end." McHugh struck out four batters in a row during one stretch and extended his scoreless innings streak to a career-high 16 2/3 before Eduardo Nunez homered in the fourth. Springer, named American League rookie of the month after hitting 10 home runs in May, led off the eighth by hitting his second homer in three games. "Its nice to have other guys in the lineup who do the same thing and have more protection where guys cant just pitch around me or pitch around another guy," said Carter, who led Houston with 29 homers last season. "Theres another guy behind him always. Its good for all of us." NOTES: To make room on the roster for Morales, Minnesota released Jason Kubel, who appeared in 798 games over parts of eight seasons with the Twins, but was hitting .224 this year and just .158 since April. ... The Astros recalled LHP Rudy Owens to pitch out of the bullpen and sent Paul Clemens back to Triple-A Oklahoma City for the sixth time this season. ... The Twins unveiled a new bronze statue on the Target Plaza before the game: team mascot T.C. Bear. ... Jonathan Villar singled three times for Houston. ... Ricky Nolasco (4-5, 5.65 ERA) starts for the Twins against Torontos R.A. Dickey (6-4, 4.25 ERA) on Monday. ... Houstons Jarred Cosart (4-5, 4.16 ERA) faces Josh Collmenter (4-2, 3.63 ERA) to kick off a two-game series in Arizona on Monday. ' ' '