Z Homers,pitches Cubs to 14-2 rout of Bucs(finally!)

Carlos Zambrano and the Cubs’ offense made Mike Quade’s managerial debut at Wrigley Field relatively easy. Zambrano allowed one unearned run in 5 1/3 innings and hit a two-run homer to lead the Cubs to a 14-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night.Aramis Ramirez was 2 for 3 with four RBI to help Quade win his first game at Wrigley Field as manager.The Cubs scored seven times on seven hits in the fourth and were 7 for 7 to start the inning. They brought 11 batters to the plate to knock out Pirates starter Paul Maholm (7-13).Starlin Castro had three hits and the Cubs improved to 5-2 since Quade took over for Lou Piniella on Aug. 23.Zambrano (6-6) allowed four hits, struck out seven and pitched around four walks. He left after throwing 112 pitches.Zambrano is 3-0 in five starts since being reinserted into the rotation following a June suspension. He left the team for three days following his last start to travel to his native Venezuela, where his 11-year-old nephew is critically ill with an infection.The Pirates have lost four straight games and are 10 games behind their 2009 pace, in which they finished 62-99.Maholm only lasted 3 1/3 innings and allowed eight runs on nine hits. Pittsburgh’s only runs came on an RBI double by Pedro Alvarez and RBI groundout by Ryan Doumit. Maholm had been 3-0 with a 2.25 ERA in three starts against the Cubs this season.Zambrano’s two-run home run in the fifth gave the Cubs a 11-0 lead. It was Zambrano’s 21st career home run, extending the club record for most home runs as a pitcher. It was his first home run since Aug. 25, 2009.Ramirez drove in two more runs on a double down the left-field line.

NOTES—The Cubs honored 2010 Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Andre Dawson in a pregame ceremony. … At .313 Castro has the fifth best batting average in the NL. … The Cubs started a nine-game, 10-day homestand.