Cubs keep rolling, take down Pirates in opener

PITTSBURGH -- Addison Russell set a career high with four hits, Jason Heyward homered for the third time in four games and drove in four runs as the Chicago Cubs jumped on the Pittsburgh Pirates early in a 14-3 victory on Monday night.

Ben Zobrist added three RBI for Chicago as the defending World Series champions won for the fifth time in six games. Anthony Rizzo had three hits to extend his hitting streak to 13 games. Kyle Schwarber, Kris Bryant and Miguel Montero all had two hits apiece for the Cubs.

Chicago scored four runs with two outs in the first inning off Chad Kuhl (1-2) and added five more in the second to give Brett Anderson (2-0) all the breathing room he would need.

Anderson struggled at times with his command, walking 6 in 6 innings while striking out 3 and allowed 3 runs, 1 earned.

Rookie Jose Osuna had three of Pittsburgh's seven hits and drove in a run. Kuhl lasted just 1 2/3 innings, giving up nine runs as his ERA ballooned from 2.60 to 6.63 in less than an hour.

The Cubs are starting to get it going after a sluggish start, averaging 8.8 runs during their recent surge to first in the NL Central. It has helped take some of the pressure off a pitching staff that is struggling to get any sort of consistency from its starters.

At cold and wet PNC Park, it didn't matter.

Kuhl, who pitched well while never allowing more than two runs during his first three starts, ran into trouble quickly. He retired the first two batters he faced when everything fell apart. Anthony Rizzo and Zobrist walked and Russell brought Rizzo home with a single to right. Heyward then took a Kuhl offering and sent it into the seats in right-center field to make it 4-0.

Things got no better for Kuhl or the Pirates in the second. With All-Star center fielder Starling Marte serving a drug suspension until July, the Pirates have been forced to shuffle their defense, moving Andrew McCutchen back to center field and platooning in right.

The initial results have been less than promising. Four of Chicago's five hits in the second went to right, with three runs scoring when Osuna couldn't handle a fly ball by Zobrist to the wall. Even Anderson managed an RBI on a single up the middle.

By the time Kuhl left the mound with two outs in the second in favor of reliever Trevor Williams, the Pirates trailed by eight and their three-game sweep of the Cubs at Wrigley Field earlier this month felt like a distant memory.

BREWERS 11, REDS 7 Eric Thames homered twice to raise his major league-leading total to 10, Hernan Perez added a three-run shot, Matt Garza pitched for the first time this season and Milwaukee beat Cincinnati. Seven of Thames' 10 major-league leading home runs have come off the Reds' hurlers, including five in the four-game series in mid-April at Cincinnati.

ROCKIES 8, NATIONALS 4 Charlie Blackmon hit a two-run home run in the seventh inning, Colorado's bullpen threw three-plus scoreless innings and the Rockies beat Washington, ending the Nationals' seven-game winning streak.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

WHITE SOX 12, ROYALS 1 Matt Davidson had two hits and three RBI in an eight-run sixth, Chicago's highest-scoring inning in five years, and the White Sox routed Kansas City. Miguel Gonzalez (3-0) lowered his ERA to 2.00, allowing an unearned run and two hits in eight innings. Davidson set a career-high with three hits and tied his best with four RBIs. Melky Cabrera, Todd Frazier and Tyler Saladino drove in two runs each for the White Sox, who outhit the Royals 15-2. Kansas City has lost five consecutive and scored a major league-low 47 runs.

TWINS 3, RANGERS 2 Brian Dozier hit a bases-clearing double and Minnesota beat Texas, ending the Rangers' AL-best four-game winning streak. Dozier's two-out double in the fifth came after Martin Perez (1-3) walked the bases loaded, giving free passes to the three of the bottom four batters in the Twins lineup. Dozier had only three RBI his first 17 games this season.

ORIOLES 6, RAYS 3 Adam Jones hit a tiebreaking, two-run home run in the seventh inning, Hyun Soo Kim and Jonathan Schoop also went deep, and Baltimore topped Tampa Bay. All three home runs were off Chris Archer (2-1), who gave up 5 runs, 6 hits and 5 walks in 6 2/3 innings. The right-hander didn't allow a long ball in his previous four starts this season.

Sports on 04/25/2017

Upcoming Events