New-look Pirates earn unlikely win

Pittsburgh ended Chicago’s five-game winning streak.

CHICAGO (AP) — Two of their best players got traded. Their opponent was on a roll.

This looked like a bad time for the new-look Pirates to visit Wrigley Field.

Instead, Pittsburgh made a strong showing in a 3-0 victory that ended the Chicago Cubs’ five-game winning streak Friday behind a strong performance from Jeff Karstens.

Coming off a four-game sweep at Milwaukee that boosted their lead in the NL Central to five games, the Cubs stumbled against a team that just traded outfielders Jason Bay and Xavier Nady.

Karstens (1-0), acquired in last week’s deal that sent Nady to the New York Yankees, pitched six impressive innings in his first start of the season.

“They haven’t seen me and I haven’t seen them so they really had no idea how I was going to attack them,” said Karstens, who gave up five hits. “I know we threw a lot of off-speed stuff. They’re a really good fastball hitting team and sometimes that’s what you got to do to win.”

Andy LaRoche, obtained from the Dodgers in the Manny Ramirez deal Thursday that moved Bay to Boston, singled and scored a run.

Right fielder Brandon Moss, who came from Boston in the Bay trade, started one of Pittsburgh’s four double plays. The victory moved the Pirates out of last place.

“It was nice energy to see those guys,” manager John Russell said. “You can tell they’re excited to be here and also they have an idea of what they’re doing.”

Jason Michaels hit an RBI single during a two-run second, then hit a solo homer off Jason Marquis (6-7) in the sixth.

Jack Wilson added three hits and drove in the Pirates’ other run. He just missed a homer after Michaels connected, winding up with a double when his drive to left hit the basket above the ivy and bounced onto the field.

That was enough for Karstens in his 10th career start. He was one of four players the Pirates got when they traded Nady and reliever Damaso Marte to the Yankees.

Denny Bautista, Sean Burnett and John Grabow combined for three hitless innings of relief. Grabow got his first save of the season.

While Karstens contained the Cubs, Marquis fell to 0-4 in six starts since beating the crosstown White Sox on June 21. He gave up RBI singles to Michaels and Wilson in the second.