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Castro, Cubs double up Pirates

Jul 10, 2011 - 5:55 AM Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Starlin Castro had three hits and was among five different Cubs who knocked in runs Saturday for a 6-3 win over the Pirates to even their three-game series.

Kosuke Fukudome, Carlos Pena, Marlon Byrd and Alfonso Soriano also had an RBI and Chicago banged out 14 hits to back five good-enough innings from starter Ryan Dempster.

The Cubs improved to 3-6 in their last nine games and avenged a loss in the series opener on Friday, when Pittsburgh's Michael McKenry belted a go-ahead, three-run homer in the eighth inning for a 7-4 victory.

Chicago manager Mike Quade pinch-hit for Dempster (6-6) in the sixth inning, leading to a shouting match in the dugout.

Still, the 34-year-old right-hander earned his first win in five starts (1-1) after giving up three runs on seven hits and three walks. He struck out four.

"[Dempster is] interested in trying to win a game for the team, and that's the guy I want," Quade said. "I had a decision to make. He wants to keep pitching and I have to take into account what I saw and what I have available."

The Cubs scored in each of the first four innings against Pirates starter Kevin Correia (11-7).

In the first, Byrd pulled an infield single past third baseman Josh Harrison to score Fukudome, who had led off the game with a walk and gone to third on Castro's double. Castro scored on a wild pitch to make it 2-0.

The Pirates put their first three batters on base in the bottom of the first when Alex Presley doubled and Chase d'Arnaud and Neil Walker hit singles. But Presley was thrown out at home trying to score on d'Arnaud's hit to Fukudome in right and Dempster escaped further trouble.

Fukudome hit an RBI single in the second to score Darwin Barney from second base and Soriano drove in Carlos Pena with a base hit in the third.

Presley tripled to lead off the bottom of the third and scored on Walker's ground out to pull the Pirates within 4-1.

But the Cubs pushed their lead to 5-1 and knocked Correia from the game in the fourth. Barney hit a leadoff single and went to third on Dempster's sacrifice bunt and Fukudome's ground out. He scored on Castro's single, which chased Correia for Chris Leroux.

Correia gave up nine hits and a walk while striking out two and had a three- game personal winning streak snapped.

"I just got off to a rough start," Correia said. "It was the third time I've faced this lineup in the first half ... They had a little more experience with what you're going to throw at them."

The Pirates tried to claw back in the fourth after Garrett Jones led off with a walk and went to third on Michael McKenry's double. Matt Diaz knocked both runners in with an opposite-field double down the line in right, making it 5-3.

But Pittsburgh only had four more baserunners the rest of the game and the Cubs added an insurance run in the ninth on Pena's sacrifice fly, which scored Fukudome for the second time.

Carlos Marmol pitched the bottom of the ninth for his 19th save of the season.

Game Notes

Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen went 0-for-3 with a walk but was added to the NL All-Star roster as a replacement for injured Brewers star Ryan Braun...Despite his own record, the Cubs are 4-1 in Dempster's last five outings...The Pirates (46-43) are still assured their first winning record at the All-Star break since 1992.