Final
Zambrano goes 5-plus, homers as Cubs rout Pirates
Aug 31, 2010 - 4:27 AMVideo
Carlos Zambrano allowed one unearned run in 5 1-3 innings and hit a two-run homer to lead the Chicago Cubs to a 14-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night.
Aramis Ramirez was 2 for 3 with four RBIs to help Quade win his first game at Wrigley Field as manager.
The Cubs scored seven times on seven hits in the fourth and were 7 for 7 to start the inning. They brought 11 batters to the plate to knock out Pirates starter Paul Maholm (7-13).
"Pick your guy, wow. Zambrano settles down, takes care of business early in the game, put a few runs on the board and everybody is happy. That's a formula we would like to see, we would like to see every evening," said Quade.
Rookie Starlin Castro had three hits and the Cubs improved to 5-2 since Quade took over for Lou Piniella on Aug. 23.
"I feel great, I'm happy with the response we're getting," Quade said. "Everything is headed in the right direction."
Zambrano (6-6) allowed four hits, struck out seven and pitched around four walks. He left after throwing 112 pitches.
Zambrano is 3-0 in five starts since being reinserted into the rotation following a June suspension. He left the team for three days following his last start to travel to his native Venezuela, where his 11-year-old nephew is critically ill with an infection.
"I try not to worry about that, I try not to think about that, but he is still in intensive care, he is still breathing by machine and I called my brother before the game and he said if he continues, probably by Wednesday or Thursday they will take him off and let him breathe by himself," Zambrano said.
The Pirates have lost four straight games and are 10 games behind their 2009 pace, in which they finished 62-99.
Maholm only lasted 3 1-3 innings and allowed eight runs on nine hits. Pittsburgh's only runs came on an RBI double by Pedro Alvarez and RBI groundout by Ryan Doumit.
"Not being able to get ahead, not throwing my sinker if I can," Maholm said. "It goes back to failure to do that and establish down and away, not missing over the middle, and getting into bad counts. I know what it is, I need to fix it. It's going to be fixed next time and this is the most frustrating thing to have one or two good ones then these games keep coming around. It's just frustrating."
Maholm had been 3-0 with a 2.25 ERA in three starts against the Cubs this season.
Zambrano's two-run home run in the fifth gave the Cubs a 11-0 lead. It was Zambrano's 21st career home run, extending the club record for most home runs as a pitcher. It was his first home run since Aug. 25, 2009.
Ramirez drove in two more runs on a double down the left-field line.
Notes: The Cubs honored 2010 Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Andre Dawson in a pregame ceremony. ... At .313 Castro has the fifth best batting average in the NL. ... The Cubs started a nine-game, 10-day homestand.
- Cubs 14, Pirates 2 - FINAL
PITTSBURGH ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
A McCutchen cf 3 0 1 0 2 2 1 .274
J Tabata lf 5 0 0 0 0 1 4 .306
N Walker 2b 4 2 1 0 0 1 2 .297
G Jones 1b 4 0 2 0 0 1 1 .247
P Alvarez 3b 4 0 1 1 0 2 4 .234
R Doumit c 2 0 0 1 2 0 1 .253
L Milledg
Aug 30 11:18 PM - NL
AT CHICAGO CUBS - SCORING UPDATE
FORCE OUT BY RYAN DOUMIT SCORED NEIL WALKER
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, R DOUMIT ON FIRST, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 2
CHICAGO CUBS 14 TOP,8TH
DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: L MILLEDGE (.272, 0-FOR-3)
Pirates 2, Cubs 14 Top 8, 0 OutsAug 30 11:00 PM - NL
AT CHICAGO CUBS - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY DARWIN BARNEY SCORED MICAH HOFFPAUIR
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, D BARNEY ON SECOND, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 1
CHICAGO CUBS 14 BOTTOM,7TH
DUE UP FOR CHICAGO CUBS: A SORIANO (.259, 1-FOR-3, BB, RBI)
Pirates 1, Cubs 14 Bot 7, 0 OutsAug 30 10:46 PM - NL
AT CHICAGO CUBS - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY PEDRO ALVAREZ SCORED NEIL WALKER
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, P ALVAREZ ON SECOND, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 1
CHICAGO CUBS 13 TOP,6TH
DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: R DOUMIT (.254, 0-FOR-1, BB)
Pirates 1, Cubs 13 Top 6, 0 OutsAug 30 10:11 PM - NL
AT CHICAGO CUBS - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY ARAMIS RAMIREZ SCORED STARLIN CASTRO AND JEFF
BAKER
SITUATION: 4 RUNS IN, A RAMIREZ ON SECOND, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 0
CHICAGO CUBS 13 BOTTOM,5TH
DUE UP FOR CHICAGO CUBS: X NADY (.252, 1-FOR-3, RBI)
Pirates 0, Cubs 13 Bot 5, 0 OutsAug 30 9:57 PM - NL
AT CHICAGO CUBS - SCORING UPDATE
TWO-RUN HOME RUN BY CARLOS ZAMBRANO (1) TO LEFT WITH 0 OUT
IN THE 5TH OFF BRIAN BURRES SCORED KOYIE HILL.
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 0, CHICAGO CUBS 11
DUE UP FOR CHICAGO CUBS: J BAKER (.246, 2-FOR-3, 2 RBI)
Pirates 0, Cubs 11 Bot 5, 0 OutsAug 30 9:51 PM - NL
AT CHICAGO CUBS - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY XAVIER NADY SCORED ARAMIS RAMIREZ
SITUATION: 7 RUNS IN, X NADY ON SECOND, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 0
CHICAGO CUBS 9 BOTTOM,4TH
DUE UP FOR CHICAGO CUBS: A SORIANO (.260, 1-FOR-1, BB, RBI)
Pirates 0, Cubs 9 Bot 4, 0 OutsAug 30 9:34 PM - NL
AT CHICAGO CUBS - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY ARAMIS RAMIREZ SCORED MARLON BYRD AND STARLIN
CASTRO
SITUATION: 6 RUNS IN, A RAMIREZ ON FIRST, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 0
CHICAGO CUBS 8 BOTTOM,4TH
DUE UP FOR CHICAGO CUBS: X NADY (.249, 0-FOR-2)
Pirates 0, Cubs 8 Bot 4, 0 OutsAug 30 9:32 PM - NL
AT CHICAGO CUBS - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY MARLON BYRD SCORED JEFF BAKER
SITUATION: 4 RUNS IN, M BYRD ON SECOND, S CASTRO ON THIRD, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 0
CHICAGO CUBS 6 BOTTOM,4TH
DUE UP FOR CHICAGO CUBS: A RAMIREZ (.239, 0-FOR-1, HBP)
Pirates 0, Cubs 6 Bot 4, 0 OutsAug 30 9:30 PM - NL
AT CHICAGO CUBS - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY JEFF BAKER SCORED KOYIE HILL AND TYLER COLVIN
SITUATION: 3 RUNS IN, J BAKER ON SECOND, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 0
CHICAGO CUBS 5 BOTTOM,4TH
DUE UP FOR CHICAGO CUBS: S CASTRO (.310, 1-FOR-2)
Pirates 0, Cubs 5 Bot 4, 0 OutsAug 30 9:26 PM - NL
AT CHICAGO CUBS - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY KOYIE HILL SCORED ALFONSO SORIANO
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, K HILL ON FIRST, T COLVIN ON SECOND, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 0
CHICAGO CUBS 3 BOTTOM,4TH
DUE UP FOR CHICAGO CUBS: C ZAMBRANO (.200, 0-FOR-1)
Pirates 0, Cubs 3 Bot 4, 0 OutsAug 30 9:22 PM - NL
AT CHICAGO CUBS - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY ALFONSO SORIANO SCORED MARLON BYRD
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, A SORIANO ON SECOND, A RAMIREZ ON THIRD, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 0
CHICAGO CUBS 2 BOTTOM,1ST
DUE UP FOR CHICAGO CUBS: T COLVIN (.259, 19 HR, 49 RBI)
Pirates 0, Cubs 2 Bot 1, 0 OutsAug 30 8:34 PM - NL
AT CHICAGO CUBS - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY MARLON BYRD SCORED STARLIN CASTRO
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, M BYRD ON FIRST, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 0
CHICAGO CUBS 1 BOTTOM,1ST
DUE UP FOR CHICAGO CUBS: A RAMIREZ (.240, 20 HR, 65 RBI)
Pirates 0, Cubs 1 Bot 1, 0 OutsAug 30 8:27 PM
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