Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Marlon Byrd went 3-for-4 and drove in two to help Carlos Silva stay undefeated, as the Chicago Cubs topped the Pittsburgh Pirates, 6-1, in a makeup game at PNC Park.
Magnificent Mystery Carlos Silva Moves To 8-0 As Cubs Thump Pirates
Silva (8-0) allowed one run on four hits and a walk in seven innings, and struck out five, in picking up the victory for a sixth consecutive start. He became the first Cubs starter to begin a season 8-0 since Ken Holtzman began 1967 with a 9-0 mark.
Ryan Theriot added two hits and scored four times for Chicago, which was making up the finale of a three-game series that was originally scheduled for June 2. Pittsburgh had won the first two games of the set.
Dana Eveland (0-1) allowed three runs in five innings to take the loss for the Pirates, who completed a homestand at 3-3 with the makeup.
Theriot's speed helped Chicago build its advantage. He began the game with a double, stole third and scored on Jeff Baker's sacrifice fly. In the third, Theriot was on first after flying into a fielder's choice, then came around on Baker's double.
The Cubs took a 3-0 lead in the next inning after Byrd was hit by a pitch. Two batters later, Geovany Soto doubled to plate Byrd.
Byrd hit an RBI single in the seventh to make it 4-0, as Silva held the Pirates in check. Pittsburgh's best chance over the first six innings came in the fifth, when Bobby Crosby doubled with one out. He advanced to third on Ronny Cedeno's two-out infield single, and Silva walked Akinori Iwamura to load the bases. However, Andrew McCutchen flied out to end the threat.
The Pirates did get on the scoreboard in the seventh, which Lastings Milledge began with a double. He ran to third on a groundout and came home on Jason Jaramillo's sacrifice fly.
Pittsburgh threatened again in the eighth, when McCutchen hit a one-out triple off Jeff Stevens. But Sean Marshall came in to pitch and retired the next two batters, keeping the Cubs' lead at 4-1.
Run-scoring singles from Derrek Lee and Byrd in the ninth gave the Cubs more cushion on the way to victory.
Silva became the first starter to begin his Cubs career 8-0 since King Cole in 1910...The victory is the Cubs’ second against the Pirates this season (2-7)...Theriot’s four runs scored are a career high.
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