CHICAGO - Pedro Alvarez stepped to the plate ready to strike in a big spot.

Once again, he delivered.

Alvarez hit a three-run home run to cap a five-run seventh inning and Jason Grilli retired Emilio Bonifacio on a bases-loaded grounder to end the game, giving the Pittsburgh Pirates a 5-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Thursday.

The Pirates trailed 4-0 heading into the seventh, but two big drives changed things.

Pinch hitter Travis Snider cut the deficit in half with a two-run home run off Brian Schlitter. Alvarez put Pittsburgh ahead with his three-run shot on the first pitch from James Russell (0-1), his third homer in two games and fifth this season.

“Just trying to be ready from pitch No. 1, ready to compete and sometimes that first pitch is the best one you see and just trying to be ready to hit as soon as I step in the box,” Alvarez said.

Chicago threatened in the bottom of the ninth before Grilli retired Bonifacio on a grounder to first. Pittsburgh took two of three at Wrigley Field.

That gave the Pirates their third series victory - the most for them to start the season since the 1992 team took its first six.

Gerrit Cole (2-0) struck out 10 in six innings. He also allowed four runs, three of them earned.

Tony Watson worked a perfect seventh. Mark Melancon retired the side in the eighth before things got tense against Grilli in the ninth.

Chicago’s Travis Wood (Bryant) sailed through 6-plus innings, allowing 4 hits, striking out 9 and walking 3. He left to cheers with a four-run lead after Neil Walker led off the seventh with a double.

NATIONALS 7, MARLINS 1 Stephen Strasburg struck out 12 in 6 2/3 innings on a day Washington needed to rest its relievers, and Jayson Werth and Ian Desmond hit home runs, leading Washington past visiting Miami for a three-game sweep. Strasburg (1-1) retired 14 in a row during one stretch and allowed only three hits.

BREWERS 6, PHILLIES 2 Carlos Gomez had three hits with an RBI and hot-hitting host Milwaukee extended its winning streak to six games with a victory over Philadelphia. The Brewers’ battered the Phillies with 25 runs and 38 hits in the three-game sweep. Milwaukee has batted .320 and has outscored opponents 42-18 during the streak.

METS 6, BRAVES 4 Eric Young Jr. got three hits, stole three bases and scored four times as visiting New York overcame Justin Upton’s two home runs to beat Atlanta. The Mets broke a 4-all tie in the seventh. Luis Avilan (1-1) gave up a leadoff single to Daniel Murphy, who scored on a two-out single by Juan Lagares off Gus Schlosser. Murphy drove in three runs with three hits.

AMERICAN LEAGUE ATHLETICS 6, TWINS 1 Dan Straily gave up three hits in seven innings and Sam Fuld hit a rare home run to help Oakland complete a three-gamesweep of host Minnesota. Straily (1-1) gave up one run and struck out five. The Athletics have gone nine consecutive games to start the season without their starter allowing more than three runs. YANKEES 4, RED SOX 1 Jacoby Ellsbury singled in a run off old roommate Clay Buchholz in his first game against Boston, Michael Pineda won while pitching with some noticeable substance on his hand, and host New York beat Boston in the first of 19 games between the rivals this season. Pineda (1-1) took a two-hit shutout into the seventh. He pitched the first four innings with a dark substance on the lower palm of his pitching hand, but it was gone by the fifth.

ASTROS 6, BLUE JAYS 4 Robbie Grossman and Jonathan Villar homered off R.A. Dickey and visiting Houston avoided a three-game sweep, beating Toronto. Dallas Keuchel (Arkansas Razorbacks) pitched seven strong innings for the Astros. Keuchel (1-1) allowed one run and five hits, walked two and struck out six.

WHITE SOX 7, INDIANS 3 Rookie Jose Abreu connected for his second multi-home run game in three days and host Chicago ended a 14-game losing streak against Cleveland. Abreu hit tape-measure drives in the second and fifth innings and drove in three runs.

Thursday’s games NATIONAL LEAGUE Pittsburgh 5, Chicago Cubs 4 Washington 7, Miami 1 Milwaukee 6, Philadelphia 2 NY Mets 6, Atlanta 4 Arizona at San Francisco, (n) AMERICAN LEAGUE Oakland 6, Minnesota 1 NY Yankees 4, Boston 1 Houston 6, Toronto 4 Chicago White Sox 7, Cleveland 3

Sports, Pages 22 on 04/11/2014