By John Perrotto
The Pirates pitching hasn't provided many reasons for optimism this season. Their 5.22 ERA ranks 29th among the 30 major-league clubs, ahead of only the Arizona Diamondbacks (5.38).
However, rookie right-hander Brad Lincoln offered a ray of hope on Wednesday afternoon as he pitched seven strong innings in combining with Joel Hanrahan and Octavio Dotel on a shutout as the Pirates beat the Cubs 2-0 at Chicago.
Lincoln allowed just four hits while walking one and striking out six for his first major-league victory in his fifth start.
Lincoln pitched his gem on the strength of an outstanding curveball. He threw 25 of his 36 hooks for strikes (69 percent) and the Cubs went just 1-for-10 (.100) against the pitch.
Lincoln won on a day when his fastball command wasn't good.
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