Right-hander Zach Davies was rolling in his Chicago Cubs debut, tossing up zeroes and being economical with his pitches.
Davies threw 5⅔ scoreless innings before the Pittsburgh Pirates finally got to him. However, the Cubs offense built an early three-run lead and the bullpen held on for a 4-3 win Sunday at Wrigley Field.
The Pirates’ greatest threat came in the eighth against left-hander Rex Brothers. Colin Moran’s one-out double put runners on second and third, and the next batter, Phillip Evans, made it a one-run game on a sharply hit grounder to right.
Five pitches later, Brothers escaped with the lead intact, inducing an inning-ending double play to strand the tying run on third.
Davies earned his first win as a Cub with an efficient performance that picked up where he left off in spring training. He rolled through the first five innings with ease, getting eight swings and misses with his curveball.
The Pirates finally got to him in the sixth. Davies’ day ended after he allowed a single, a two-run homer, another single and a walk — all with two outs.
Kris Bryant put together a good at-bat in the first, connecting for an RBI single after he got ahead 3-1 against Pirates starter Mitch Keller. Ian Happ hit his first home run of the season, and timely hitting helped the Cubs build a lead that the bullpen avoided squandering.
