TAMPA, Fla. (Interstat) — The Chicago Cubs pounded out 16 hits and cruised to a 9-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night at George Steinbrenner Field. Javier Assad earned the win for the Cubs, allowing two runs over seven innings.

Chicago built a 5-0 lead by the sixth inning, scoring twice in both the second and third. Moisés Ballesteros capped the offensive outburst with a two-run homer in the ninth. Tampa Bay’s only runs came in the eighth on an RBI double by Jonathan Aranda and a run-scoring single by Ryan Vilade. Rays starter Mason Englert took the loss.

Both teams moved to 5-6. The announced attendance was 21,377 for the game, which lasted 2 hours, 47 minutes.