Cubs 4, Pirates 0

[April 28, 2015]  CHICAGO -- In a middling career with five different teams over 11 seasons, Jason Hammel has had few outings where his command has been as been strong as the quality he displayed on Monday night at Wrigley Field.

The Chicago Cubs right-hander allowed no walks, struck out seven and scattered just four hits through eight shutout innings in a 4-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Hammel (2-1) has allowed only one walk in four starts this season.

"He just kept hammering the strike zone, getting the first hitter out, gave up very few hits," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "He was in control of the game.

"We had a breakthrough inning (a three-run third) that set up the entire game and Jason took advantage of that."

First baseman Anthony Rizzo went 2-for-3 with two RBIs while rookie second baseman Addison Russell was 1-for-3 and scored a run in his Wrigley Field debut.

Rookie third baseman Kris Bryant went 2-for-4 with two RBIs while right fielder Jorge Soler and center fielder Dexter Fowler also had two hits apiece.

Pirates starter Vance Worley (2-2) worked six innings and allowed four runs on nine hits. He walked one and struck out three.

Hammel tried to talk Maddon into pitching the ninth inning and claim his first complete game since 2012.

"'I can't let you do that, we're going to clean it up of you,'" Hammel said Maddon told him. "That was it. I tried. It wasn't going to happen."

Hammel has now pitched 25 1/3 innings and has watched his ERA drop to 3.55 from 5.19.

"He was aggressive (and) attacked the zone," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "First pitch strikes, hitters retired on three pitches or less, (an) aggressive down, good sinker with some steam behind it. The curveball came to play in the second inning and stayed with him throughout."

The victory was the Cubs' third straight while the Pirates saw a five-game winning streak snapped as the teams opened a three-game series.

Righthander Pedro Strop made his 11th appearance of the season as he pitched a one-two-three ninth with one strikeout.

The Cubs hit Worley for three runs on three straight hits with two outs in the third inning.

Fowler walked, reached third on a hit-and-run as Soler singled to right and scored on Rizzo's double to center.

"We started a two-out rally and good things happen," Rizzo said. "That's what good teams do."

Bryant's RBI hit to right-center brought home Soler and Rizzo for a 3-0 lead.

The Pirates' first threat came in the fifth, with runners on second and third with two outs. But Hamel got third baseman Josh Harrison to strike out and end the inning.

The Cubs made it 4-0 as Russell beat out an infield hit to lead off the fifth in his Wrigley Field debut and later scored on Rizzo's single to right-center.

Still, Hurdle wasn't displeased with Worley's efforts.

"All in all, it's not a bad outing by any means," Hurdle said. "He got dented in the third, we weren't able to score and he still gave us six strong and competed."

NOTES: The Pirates entered Monday with a five-game April winning streak, their first since 2007. A win would have given them six straight April wins for the first time since 2002. ... Last week, Pittsburgh RHP Mark Melancon had saves on three consecutive days for the first time in his career. He has 54 saves with the Pirates. ... Pittsburgh pitchers came into the week second in the National League in ERA (2.91) and strikeouts (168). ... Pittsburgh RF Greg Polanco was pulled from the lineup an hour before the game with a sore groin. Andrew Lambo substituted and batted second. ... The Pirates will send LHP Jeff Locke (2-0, 3.32 ERA) against Cubs LHP Travis Wood (1-1, 3.24 ERA) on Tuesday. ... INF Javier Baez, Chicago's top infielder prospect, is back with the Cubs' organization after a nearly three-week bereavement leave following the death of his sister, Noely. He's working out in Arizona to regain form before a likely return to Triple-A Iowa. ... In a 5-2 win at Cincinnati on Sunday, the Cubs became the last major league club to give up an unearned run this season. In 2014, the Cubs led the National League with 71 unearned runs. ... 1B Anthony Rizzo has been hit by six pitches in April, setting a Cubs record for most hit-by-pitches in the month.

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