PITTSBURGH (Sports Network) - Neil Walker's two-run home run in the eighth inning, the first of his career, gave the Pittsburgh Pirates a 3-2 win over the Chicago Cubs in the second contest of a three-game set.
Garrett Jones also homered for the Pirates, who have won the first two games of this series after dropping their previous five contests.
Jeff Karstens lasted six innings in the start and was charged with two runs on six hits with three walks and three strikeouts. Joel Hanrahan (2-1) got the win for throwing a perfect eighth.
Xavier Nady went 4-for-4 with a two-run home run for the Cubs, who have dropped four of their last five. Ted Lilly (1-5) lost his fifth straight decision as he was charged with three runs on six hits with four walks and six strikeouts over 7 2/3 innings.
Trailing by a run in the eighth, the Pirates took the lead. With one out, Andrew McCutchen drew a walk to put the tying run on base and Walker followed by clubbing an 0-1 pitch over the fence in left for a 3-2 lead.
Octavio Dotel worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his 12th save of the season.
The Cubs struck in the third inning to take the lead. Kosuke Fukudome led off with a triple, and after Starlin Castro flied out, Nady clubbed a 2-1 pitch over the left field wall for his third home run of the season.
Pittsburgh got a run back in the fourth when Jones led off the frame by drilling a 2-0 pitch just over the wall in right.
With two outs in the Pirates fifth, McCutchen walked and quickly swiped second to get into scoring position, but Walker struck out to end the inning.
Lilly retired the Pirates in order in the sixth and got Ronny Cedeno to ground into a double play in the seventh after giving up a single to Andy LaRoche.
Jones leads the Pirates with seven home runs on the season...The Pirates have homered in a season-high four consecutive games...Lilly has not won a game since April 24 at Milwaukee, a span of seven starts. He is 4-4 in 15 career games -- 13 starts -- against Pittsburgh...The Pirates have won nine of their last 10 games against the Cubs...The Cubs left eight men on base.