>>Cubs Blank Cards

It took the Chicago Cubs 16 innings to score their first two runs of the 2015 season, but that was more than enough to record the initial win of the Joe Maddon era.

Starlin Castro's RBI single in the seventh inning snapped a scoreless deadlock and rewarded Jake Arrieta's outstanding performance on the mound in the Cubs' 2-0 triumph over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Castro's clutch hit was just the second allowed by Cardinals starter Lance Lynn's six-plus innings, and broke Chicago's 0-for-15 streak with runners in scoring position to begin the season.

Wednesday's finale of this abbreviated two-game series, shortened by extreme cold and wind chills that postponed Tuesday's scheduled matchup, featured excellent work from both starting pitchers.

Arrieta (1-0) limited the Cardinals to three hits and three walks while striking out seven over seven scoreless innings, while Lynn (0-1) had permitted only two baserunners before running into trouble in the seventh.

Lynn racked up nine strikeouts in the hard-luck defeat, with his error rendering one of his two runs surrendered unearned.

National League Scoreboard
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Atlanta 2, Miami 0
Washington 2, New York 1
Colorado 5, Milwaukee 4 (10 innings)
San Francisco 5, Arizona 2
Los Angeles 7, San Diego 4
Philadelphia 4, Boston 2
Cincinnati 5, Pittsburgh 4 (11 innings)

>>Cain's Homerun Lifts Royals Past Sox

In six major league seasons, Kansas City Royals outfielder Lorenzo Cain has averaged one home run every 20 games.

That number changes dramatically when he plays the Chicago White Sox.

Cain homered for the fifth time in 44 games against the White Sox, a two-run blast in the bottom of the eighth inning that lifted the Royals to a 7-5 win on Wednesday night.

Cain's no-doubt-about-it shot off Zach Putnam (0-1) cleared the bullpen behind left field and put the reigning American League champions in position to sweep the season-opening three-game series.

Cain finished with three hits and two runs scored and Eric Hosmer hit a three- run homer off White Sox starter Jose Quintana in Wednesday's win.

Tyler Flowers hit a three-run homer off Royals starter Danny Duffy, who went five-plus innings and was charged with five runs on eight hits. Avisail Garcia had three hits for Chicago.

Quintana, who is 0-6 in 13 career starts against the Royals, gave up five runs on nine hits and a walk in five innings. He hit two batters, including Cain in the first inning, after the White Sox plunked three in Monday's opener.

American League Scoreboard
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Detroit 11, Minnesota 0
New York 4, Toronto 3
Tampa Bay 2, Baltimore 0
Cleveland 2, Houston 0
LA Angels of Anaheim 5, Seattle 3
Oakland 10, Texas 0