The of the interest surrounding the Chicago Cubs focuses on tomorrow's trade deadline, but the team still has games to play. On Monday vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates, they're playing quite well. A three-run fourth inning and nine-run fifth has the Cubs up 13-2 as the two teams continue to battle at Wrigley Field.
The Cubs hit three homers in the fifth. Darwin Barney got the party started with a three-run shot to left-center. First baseman Anthony Rizzo would follow with another three-run homer. After the Cubs batted around, Starlin Castro capped things with a two-run shot to center. Castro also belted an RBI double to score Chicago's first run of the game in the bottom of the first inning.
Cubs starter Justin Germano has been pulled. He allowed four hits and two runs over five innings.
For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more comprehensive coverage of this series, head over to Cubs blog Bleed Cubbie Blue and PIttsburgh Pirates blog Bucs Dugout. And for more news and notes from around baseball, visit Baseball Nation.