Baseball: Cubs shut out Pirates in home turf to secure first win

Jose Quintana struck out 11 batters in seven scoreless innings, and the Chicago Cubs held on for a 2-0 win over the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday night. Quintana (1-1) notched his 13th career start with double-digit strikeouts. He scattered four hits and walked one as Chicago earned its first series victory of the season.

Pittsburgh failed to cross the plate for the second time in three games. Adam Frazier led the Pirates with two hits. Daniel Descalso and Victor Caratini each drove in one run apiece for the Cubs.

The game was delayed by rain for more than an hour in the top of the eighth inning. The Cubs knew that inclement weather was in the forecast and moved up the game's start time by 30 minutes to try to beat the storms. Not long before the delay, the Cubs snapped a scoreless tie in the seventh. Jason Heyward reached second base on a pop-up to shallow left field. Third baseman Jung Ho Kang chased after the ball but dropped it after colliding with shortstop Erik Gonzalez near the left-field line.

Descalso singled to left-center field in the next at-bat, and Heyward came around from second base to score on a head-first slide. The sequence marked the end of the night for Pirates starter Joe Musgrove (1-1), who was replaced by left-hander Francisco Liriano after 87 pitches. Liriano promptly surrendered an opposite-field double to Caratini that drove in Descalso and made it 2-0.

Cubs reliever Pedro Strop pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his first save of the season. Cubs manager Joe Maddon was ejected in the bottom of the fifth for arguing a called strike called against Caratini. Home-plate umpire Mike Estabrook ejected Maddon, who lingered to argue before eventually leaving the field. The ejection was Maddon's first of the season and the 50th of his managerial career.

Pirates right fielder Melky Cabrera provided a defensive highlight when he robbed Kris Bryant of an extra-base hit in the fourth. The 34-year-old held on to the ball as he tumbled to the ground near the right-field corner. Pittsburgh's trainer checked on Cabrera, who stayed in the game. 

(With inputs from agencies.)