Cubs 5, Pirates 0
PITTSBURGH -- Jake Arrieta pitched seven innings of a four-hitter and Anthony Rizzo tied a career high with four hits as the Chicago Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-0 on Tuesday night for their sixth straight win.
Arrieta (12-6) allowed just two singles -- by center fielder Andrew McCutchen in the fourth inning and left fielder Starling Marte in the seventh -- while striking out five and walking three.
Right-handed relievers Tommy Hunter and Justin Grimm completed the shutout as the Cubs (58-47) matched their longest winning streak of the season from May 11-16 and moved 11 games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2008 season.
In his last nine starts, Arrieta is 6-1 with a 1.38 ERA. The right-hander improved to 5-1 in his career against the Pirates.
Rizzo doubled and scored in both the third and fifth innings as the first baseman led the Cubs' 14-hit attack with the fourth four-hit game of his career.
Left fielder Chris Denorfia had three hits while shortstop Starlin Castro doubled in Rizzo twice and right fielder Jorge Soler drove in the first and last runs with a bases-loaded walk in the first inning off J.A. Happ (4-7) and a single in the sixth.
Chicago drew within three games of the National League wild card-leading Pirates (61-44), who remained 5 1/2 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central.
Happ had a rocky Pirates' debut, giving up four runs and eight hits n 4 1/3 innings with two walks and six strikeouts. The left-hander was acquired from Seattle last Friday in a trade and was 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA in his last four starts with the Mariners.
Marte had two hits.
Happ ran into trouble early and walked Cubs right fielder Jorge Soler with the bases loaded and one out in the first inning to force in the game's first run.
The Cubs made it 3-0 in the third when first baseman Anthony Rizzo hit a double and scored on Castro's double before catcher David Ross capped the inning with an RBI single.
Rizzo doubled again with one out in the fifth inning then scored when Castro greeted reliever Jared Hughes with his second double.
NOTES: Cubs LHP Tsuyoshi Wada was activated from the 15-day disabled list Tuesday and optioned him to Triple-A Iowa. Wada had been out since June 23 with left deltoid inflammation and was on a rehab assignment with Iowa. ... Rookie C Kyle Schwarber was not in the starting lineup for a second straight day as the Cubs again faced a left-handed starter. ... RHP Dan Haren (7-7, 3.42 ERA) will make his Cubs' debut Wednesday night when he faces Pittsburgh LHP Jeff Locke (6-6, 4.21 ERA) in the finale of a series shortened to two games by rain. Haren was acquired from the Miami Marlins on Friday in a trade.