Theo Epstein and his crew are looking to build for the future with the Cubs, and the first step may be trading away starter Ryan Dempster.
But Friday was a blast from the past for the Cubs president of baseball operations as Dempster shut down Epstein's former team, the Boston Red Sox en route to a 3-0 Cubs victory in front of 40,073 at Wrigley Field.
Dempster hurled seven shutout innings, allowing just four hits and two walks to a potent Red Sox lineup. The 35-year-old right-hander lowered his ERA to 2.11 and picked up his third straight victory after going winless in his first nine starts to begin the 2012 season.
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He even contributed with the bat, tripling down the right-field line in the second inning and later coming around to score on a David DeJesus single that put the Cubs up 3-0.
This came after the Cubs coaxed three walks in the first inning from Boston pitcher Dasiuke Matsuzaka. Catcher Steve Clevenger followed with a bloop double down the left-field line to bring home two runs.
James Russell pitched a scoreless eighth and Carlos Marmol returned to the closer's role -- if only for one day -- and pitched the ninth for his third save of the season.