CHICAGO (AP) – Jason Bay’s three-run homer lifted the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 5-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday and put Greg Maddux in jeopardy of finishing with a losing record for the first time in 18 years.

Maddux, scheduled to start the season finale Oct. 2 at Houston, has not finished below .500 since 1987, when he was 6-14 for the Cubs. Maddux (13-14) pitched a complete game, allowing five runs and eight hits, but lost for the third time in four starts.

Bay, whose homer in the fifth gave the Pirates a 4-3 lead, had two hits. Freddy Sanchez extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a double and a single.

Rookie Zach Duke (7-2) allowed three runs – one earned – in eight innings and snapped a two-game losing streak since returning from the disabled list with a sprained ankle. He helped himself at the plate with two singles.

Salomon Torres pitched a scoreless ninth for his second save.

Nomar Garciaparra went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer for the Cubs.

With the Cubs ahead 3-1, Duke and Sanchez led off the fifth with singles. After Jack Wilson struck out, Bay homered to left-center on a 1-1 pitch to give the Pirates a 4-3 lead – his 32nd home run of the season and 23rd on the road.

The Pirates Nate McLouth added a solo shot in the eighth – his third homer.

With the game tied 1-1, Cubs rookie Ryan Theriot reached on a throwing error by shortstop Wilson leading off the third and moved to second on Neifi Perez’s single. After Derrek Lee grounded into a double play, Garciaparra pulled a 3-2 pitch out to left to give the Cubs a 3-1 lead.

It was his ninth homer of the season – each coming since Garciaparra was activated from the disabled list Aug. 5. Batting .157 in 51 at-bats when he tore a muscle in his left groin, free-agent-to-be Garciaparra is 50-for-159 since his return.

Duke did not allow a runner past second after that homer.

The Pirates scored a run in the first inning.

Freddy Sanchez led off the game with a bloop double to right that extended his hitting streak to 13 games and scored from third on Jason Bay’s one-out single. But with runners on second and third and two out, a sliding Matt Murton caught Nate McLouth’s sinking line drive to left.

With runners on second and third and one out in the second, Patterson tied it with an RBI single but was caught trying to steal second with Maddux batting. Maddux grounded to short.

Notes: Wednesday’s game is the home finale for the Cubs and the Pirates’ final road game. The Cubs play a four-game series at Houston, while the Pirates – after a day off – close with three at home against Milwaukee. … With Cubs 2B Todd Walker nursing a strained right knee, Ryan Theriot started his first major-league game and batted leadoff. Theriot, called up from Double-A West Tenn. on Sept. 12, was 1-for-4 in six games before Tuesday.

AP-ES-09-27-05 2229EDT


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