The Chicago Cubs, led by first baseman Anthony Rizzo, defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-3 on Tuesday night.
Rizzo smacked two doubles and one home run and drove in three runs. His homer came in the first inning and gave the Cubs a 2-0 lead. Pirates’ outfielder Andrew McCutchen tied the game up in the third with a two-run jack of his own.
The Cubs took the lead the when second baseman Darwin Barney hit an RBI double. In the bottom of the inning, the Pirates knotted the game up again.
Chicago pinch hitter Luis Valbuena gave the Cubbies a two-run lead with a double to deep right-center.
In the seventh, Rizzo struck again, with an RBI double. Shortstop Starlin Castro drove him in with an RBI base hit. Rizzo scored three runs in the game.
Cubs’ starter Travis Wood got the win, going 6 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on nine hits. Reliever Casey Sadler suffered the loss for Pittsburgh.
This game was the Major League debut for Pirates’ right fielder Gregory Polanco. He batted second in the line-up and went 1-for-5.
“I felt great [to walk into the ballpark]”, Polanco said on MLB.com. “I’ve been waiting all my life; I made it, so it made me feel proud of myself.”
The Cubs and Pirates have split the first two games of the four-game series. Game three is slated for Wednesday night.