Cubs’ Rick Sutcliffe Returns as a Winner, 3-2

PITTSBURGH —  Rick Sutcliffe pitched six innings for his first victory since Oct. 1, 1989, in a matchup of former Cy Young Award winners and Doug Drabek lost his third in a row as the Chicago Cubs defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2 Thursday night.

Mark Grace and George Bell drove in runs in the Cubs’ two-run sixth inning and Doug Dascenzo’s grounder drove in the tie-breaking run an inning later as the Cubs stopped a seven-game losing streak in Pittsburgh.

Sutcliffe (1-0), who made only two spring-training appearances against major-league opponents, was 0-2 and pitched in only five games last season after undergoing surgery on his right shoulder. He gave up two runs and four hits, walked two and struck out two for his first victory since beating St. Louis in his final 1989 regular-season start.

Paul Assenmacher got the last three outs for his first save. Sutcliffe, Heath Slocumb and Assenmacher combined to retire 16 consecutive Pirates.

Drabek, is 0-3 for the first time in his career and has a 6.19 earned run average.