Cubs begin with 8 straight hits, beat Pirates 9-4

Aramis Ramirez, Geovany Soto and Kosuke Fukudome had two-run hits in a record-tying first inning and the Cubs handed the hapless Pittsburgh Pirates their 11th loss in 12 games, 9-4 on Tuesday night. Chicago tied a major league record with eight consecutive hits to start the game. No team had done so in 19 years, when the New York Yankees did it against the Baltimore Orioles on Sept. 25, 1990.