Cubs 6, Angels 1
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Jon Lester followed teammate Jake Arrieta's brilliant performance one night earlier with one of his own, pitching seven strong innings to lead the Chicago Cubs to a 6-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium.
Arrieta blanked the Angels on two hits through seven innings on Monday, and Lester responded with seven innings himself, holding the Angels to one run on four hits. Lester struck out four and did not walk a batter.
Like Arrieta, Lester also got support from the Cubs offense, which made the most its nine hits. Dexter Fowler singled and hit a two-run homer, Anthony Rizzo hit a two-run homer, Matt Szczur singled and hit a solo homer and Ben Zobrist and David Ross each had two hits.
Angels starter Andrew Heaney went six innings, and five of them were scoreless. But the Cubs put together five hits in a four-run third inning that set the tone of the game.
Heaney gave up four runs on seven hits in all, striking out seven and walking none.
About the only good news for the Angels was that they weren't shut out again, scoring their first run of the season in the sixth inning when Yunel Escobar doubled and scored on a single by Craig Gentry.
Mike Trout went 0-for-4 with a strikeout and is now 0-for-8 with three strikeouts through two games. Albert Pujols went 0-for-4 and is now 0-for-7 overall.
The Cubs left town with a two-game sweep of the season-opening series, outscoring the Angels 15-1.
Both Lester and Heaney kept the bats quiet in the first two innings, although Heaney had to be treated for a bloody nose after his first pitch of the second inning.
The Cubs offense drew first blood in the third inning, erupting for four runs on five hits. Matt Szczur, starting in left field in place of Kyle Schwarber, homered to lead off the inning.
David Ross doubled, went to third on Dexter Fowler's infield single and scored when Jason Heyward grounded into a force play. One out later, Anthony Rizzo crushed a pitch from Heaney, hitting it over the fence in center field for a two-run homer and 4-0 Cubs lead.
Lester, like fellow hurler Jake Arrieta the night before, breezed through the early innings. The Angels' only scoring threat early came when the Nos. 8 and 9 hitters, Carlos Perez and Johnny Giavotella, had consecutive singles with one out in the third.
However, Lester retired the next two batters on infield grounders.
NOTES: Angels RHP Jered Weaver threw about 65 pitches during a simulated game Tuesday afternoon at Angel Stadium and came out of it feeling good. Weaver, bothered most of spring by a sore neck, is expected to start Sunday's game against the Texas Rangers. ... Monday was a good day for Cubs reserve OF Matt Szczur, who was a two-sport standout at Villanova, where he played both football (receiver, running back and Wildcat quarterback) and baseball. He watched from the top step of the dugout when the stadium scoreboard showed Villanova's game-winning shot in the NCAA basketball tournament, then came off the bench and hit a three-run double in the ninth inning. Szczur (pronounced "Cesar") was in the starting lineup Tuesday in place of LF Kyle Schwarber. ... The Angels also flip-flopped left fielders for the game, Craig Gentry getting the start after Daniel Nava started Monday.