Charlie Morton, Pirates' power key 6-2 win

Charlie Morton struck out seven batters and the Pirates had seven extra-base hits in a 6-2 win over the Cubs Monday.

In the second, Pedro Alvarez led off with a single, and Starling Marte (who had three hits, including two doubles, in a welcome breakout game) doubled down the line left to bring him home. The Pirates tacked on two more runs the following inning when Travis Snider hit a ground-rule double and Andrew McCutchen followed with an impressive opposite-field homer.

In the fifth, Snider and McCutchen struck again, as the former hit a two-out single and McCutchen brought him home with a double, again to the opposite field.

The Cubs scored their only run against Morton with a Starlin Castro double in the sixth. After Mark Melancon relieved Morton in the eighth, the Pirates broke the game open, as Ike Davis led off the bottom of the inning with a solo homer and Alvarez and Marte followed with back-to-back doubles. Castro hit a solo homer off Jared Hughes in the ninth, but the Pirates were already way out ahead.