Cubs snap Pirates’ win streak

Associated Press

Chicago

First, Brad Brach escaped a tough situation. Then Brandon Kintzler, Randy Rosario and Pedro Strop finished the job.

Chicago’s beleaguered bullpen stepped up after Jon Lester departed with left hamstring tightness, leading the Cubs over the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-0 in their home opener on Monday.

Chicago’s bullpen had an 8.37 ERA on an opening 2-7 trip. But the bullpen threw four scoreless innings Sunday at Milwaukee, and the form carried over into the matchup with the Pirates.

Brach (1-0) came in after Lester was removed with two on and no outs in the third. He got Starling Marte to bounce into a double play, then struck out Francisco Cervelli.

Brach worked the fourth, and Kintzler and Rosario each pitched two innings. Strop closed it out on a picturesque day at Wrigley Field.

Lester got hurt when he scored from second on Ben Zobrist’s two-run single in Chicago’s six-run second. The veteran left-hander is scheduled for an MRI on Tuesday.

Pittsburgh had won four in a row, but the Pirates made four errors, including three by shortstop Kevin Newman in the second.

“We need to play better defense,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “There were a couple of different sequences there, maybe, with execution of pitches didn’t help and defensively we had outs to put away and we didn’t do it, and the inning got away from us.”

Newman’s first error allowed Daniel Descalso to reach after Jameson Taillon (0-2) retired the first two batters. He committed two more errors on a Kyle Schwarber grounder, and Anthony Rizzo scampered home to give the Cubs a 6-0 lead.

In between the fielding trouble for Newman, Lester, Zobrist, Rizzo and Javier Baez each came up with big hits. Rizzo’s run-scoring single went off Taillon’s head, but he stayed in the game.

“I’m fine. I’m unlucky I got hit and lucky I seem to be OK coming out of it,” said Taillon, who was charged with six unearned runs and four hits in two innings.

Newman said it was a humbling experience.

“A couple of days ago was the greatest day I’ve ever had on the field. Today was quite the opposite,” he said.

WORTH NOTING

Taillon had allowed just five unearned runs in 4412/3 innings coming into the day.

UP NEXT

Following an off day, right-handers Jordan Lyles and Yu Darvish get the ball when the series resumes Wednesday night. Lyles (0-0, 0.00 ERA) made his Pittsburgh debut Thursday against Cincinnati and pitched five innings in the Pirates’ 2-0 victory. Darvish (0-1, 8.10 ERA) struggled in his first two starts of the year, issuing 11 walks in just 62/3 innings.