PITTSBURGH, June 1 (UPI) -- Neal Walker's first major-league homer, a two-run shot in the eighth, lifted the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 3-2 win over the Chicago Cubs Tuesday.
With the Pirates trailing 2-1 entering the eighth, Cubs starter Ted Lilly (1-5) issued a one-out walk to Andrew McCutchen and then gave up the blast to Walker, a Pittsburgh native and former first-round draft pick who chose an opportune moment to deliver his initial big-league round-tripper.
Joel Hanrahan (2-1) picked up the win after tossing a scoreless eighth and Octavio Dotel notched his 12th save with a perfect ninth, boosting the Pirates to 7-1 against the Cubs this year.
Pittsburgh starter Jeff Karstens allowed a pair of runs on six hits over six innings.
Xavier Nady went 4-for-4 with a homer, double and two singles in Chicago's loss, their fourth in five games.
