CHICAGO -- John Lackey and Aroldis Chapman outperformed Chris Sale in his return from a jersey-trashing suspension.The Cubs did just enough against the White Sox ace in his six innings and rode their own pitching to a 3-1 victory Thursday night in Chicagos rivalry series.Chapman earned his first save for the Cubs since being acquired from the Yankees, leaving the crowd buzzing by consistently throwing 102 mph.It was fun to be in the dugout and check that out, Lackey said of Chapmans sizzling fastballs. Its definitely something you want to tune in to see for sure.Sale faced dozens of reporters after the game, heaping praise on his teammates, sidestepping questions about the jersey-tearing and expressing gratitude to be back.It felt like I was out on an island, really, Sale said of his suspension.Sale (14-4) served a five-day ban for tearing up 1976-style uniforms he didnt want to wear before his previous scheduled start. He had command issues, but worked out of trouble while allowing two runs and six hits.Lackey (8-7) allowed one run in six innings for his first win since June 8. Chapman, in his second appearance since being acquired from the Yankees, struck out two and consistently hit 102 mph in his first save for his new team.It makes me feel proud when I go out there and the fans are cheering, Chapman said through catcher Miguel Montero, who served as his translator.Kris Bryant, who homered against Sale in the All-Star Game, hit an RBI double off the center field wall in the first inning off Sale.Ben Zobrist added an RBI single in the third and doubled and scored in the eighth as the Cubs earned a split of the four-game series and spoiled Sales night.The lefty was scratched from his start Saturday, sent home and then suspended for cutting up a number of collared throwback jerseys the team was supposed to wear for the game. Sale said they were uncomfortable and became enraged when the team wouldnt switch them out, feeling the team was putting marketing over winning.Were here to win games and from this point forward I think thats our main focus, Sale said. I hope it is, too.The incident provided plenty of fodder for heckling Cubs fans at Wrigley Field. The Cubs tweeted out their lineup before the game with the line Throwback Thursday, anyone?Several teammates hugged a smiling Sale when he arrived in the clubhouse before the game.I knew who they were before this, but I found out who they really are and what theyre about, he said.Sale, pitching for the first time since July 18, didnt seem fazed by the controversy in his 111-pitch outing. He also improved to 2 for 16 at the plate when his slow grounder up the middle hit second base and bounded away for a single.The White Sox scored in the first when Melky Cabrera doubled and Tim Anderson ran through third base coach Joe McEwings stop sign, stopped, then continued home and beat an offline throw.Tyler Saladino doubled off former closer Hector Rondon in the eighth. But Chapman came in with two outs and struck out Cabrera on a 102 mph fastball.Big moment there, Cubs manager Joe Maddon said.Chapman struck out Todd Frazier and got two groundouts in the ninth as the crowd buzzed as the radar gun reading flashed on the scoreboard.After a rough introductory news conference when he struggled to answer questions about a previous domestic violence case, Chapman said he was ecstatic about the environment.TRAINERS ROOMWhite Sox: Manager Robin Ventura said he hopes LHP Carlos Rodon (wrist) will be able to start Sunday at Minnesota.Cubs: With OF Jorge Soler (hamstring) close to returning, the team will have a difficult roster decision. Going back and forth on a lot of different thoughts and ideas, Maddon said.HEYWARD SITSJason Heyward, who signed a $184 million contract with the Cubs in the offseason, didnt start as Maddon went with a righty-heavy lineup vs. Sale. Heyward, hampered by a sore wrist, is hitting .229 with four homers and has a .315 slugging percentage.Man, I dont know that anybody could handle it better than the way he has, Maddon said of his struggles. I really believe were due for a nice run out of him shortly.UP NEXTWhite Sox: DH Justin Morneau, who won the AL MVP with the Twins in 2006, returns to Minnesota on Friday. LHP Jose Quintana (8-8, 2.97 ERA) faces Twins RHP Ricky Nolasco (4-8, 5.40).Cubs: LHP Jon Lester (10-4, 3.09 ERA) starts Friday at Wrigley Field to begin a three-game interleague series with Seattle and RHP Hisashi Iwakuma (11-6, 3.96). Wholesale Custom Diamondbacks Shirts . Robinson finished with 17 points, all but two in the second half, and Lawson had 14 after halftime and finished with a game-high 11 assists as the Nuggets handed Dallas its first home loss in eight games this season. J.J. Hickson led Denver with 22, and Kenneth Faried added 10 points and 10 rebounds. Custom Diamondbacks T-shirts .Y. -- Leading 3-0 with only 11:25 left, the Colorado Avalanche committed a seemingly meaningless penalty to give the New York Islanders a power play. http://www.customdiamondbacksjersey.com/ . It was just business as usual for the Thunder at home. Durant scored 32 points and the Thunder beat the Bulls 107-95 on Thursday night for their eighth straight win. Diamondbacks Jerseys China . -- The goal posts lying flat on the field, Arizonas fans lingered on the field, congregating around the locker room entrance nearly 30 minutes after rushing out of the stands. Cheap Custom Diamondbacks Jersey . Only three players drafted by NHL clubs were included on the Czech selection camp roster on Wednesday. Those players were Dallas Stars 2012 first-rounder Radek Faksa, Winnipeg Jets 2013 fourth-rounder Jan Kostalek and Phoenix Coyotes 2012 seventh-rounder Marek Langhamer. The last time the Chicago Cubs won 100 games, Franklin Roosevelt was president, the U.S. had 48 states and night baseball was just arriving in the major leagues.That was 1935, when the Cubs went 100-54 before losing to Detroit in the World Series. This years team is on pace to reach that milestone and exceed it. Chicagos victory Sunday improved its record to 88-48, and the Cubs lead second-place St. Louis by 16 + games in the NL Central.Chicagos march toward a division title seems like a mere formality now, and the Nationals and Rangers also have sizeable leads in their divisions. Cleveland has won six in a row to take a 5 +-game advantage in the AL Central.For all the other teams chasing postseason spots, the final month of the regular season should be full of highs and lows. Division titles in the AL East and NL West are still very much up for grabs, and there are several teams in the hunt for wild cards in both leagues.Here are a few things to watch over the last few weeks of the regular season:L.A. STORYThe Dodgers are in good shape to make the postseason one way or another -- they lead the NL West by three games, with a wild card a potential safety net. This should be an eventful stretch run in Los Angeles, thanks to Clayton Kershaws return, Vin Scullys impending retirement and a division race with the rival Giants that could go down the wire.Kershaw is set to pitch Friday at Miami after spending over two months on the disabled list with a herniated disk.LAST HURRAHDavid Ortiz is heading into retirement with a flourish. His OPS of 1.033 is the third-highest of his career.These next few weeks will determine if hell have one more chance to leave his mark on the postseason. The Red SSox are a game out of first place in the AL East, and they hold the first wild card in the American League.ddddddddddddBut Boston is only two games ahead of Baltimore and Detroit, who are tied for the second wild card.IMMEDIATE IMPACTThe New York Yankees traded away some of their key players before the deadline and were expected to fade from the playoff picture in the AL. Instead, rookie Gary Sanchez went on a tear, hitting .389 with 11 home runs in August. The Yankees are only 3 + games out of the second wild card.Sanchez is one of several rookies who could make a difference for teams fighting for postseason spots. Others include Michael Fulmer of Detroit, Aledmys Diaz of St. Louis and Yoan Moncada of Boston.PATCHWORKThe New York Mets entered the season with an embarrassment of riches on the mound and have had their depth severely tested by injuries. Matt Harvey is out the for the season, and Jacob deGrom and Steven Matz are both sidelined now, leaving the likes of Seth Lugo, Robert Gsellman and Rafael Montero making crucial starts for the defending National League champions.Still, the Mets have won 11 of their last 15 and trail St. Louis by one game for the second wild card.BALTIMORE BASHERSThe Orioles could end up with the major league leader in home runs for a fourth straight season. Mark Trumbo is setting the pace at the moment with 41, and nobody else has more than 36.Chris Davis (2015 and 2013) and Nelson Cruz (2014) were the other Orioles who have led the big leagues in homers during this stretch.---Follow Noah Trister at www.Twitter.com/noahtrister ' ' '