GAME THREAD: GAME THREAD: NL: CHICAGO CUBS (74-71) at HOUSTON (63-82)

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">NL AT HOUSTON - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: D Sarfate relieved T Miller.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 6
HOUSTON 2 TOP, 9TH

DUE UP FOR CHICAGO CUBS: M Fontenot (.292, 2-FOR-4)</div>

 

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">NL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
CHICAGO CUBS 4 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 6 11 0
HOUSTON 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 8 2 (BOT 9)

CURRENT PITCHERS: CHN - CARLOS MARMOL
HOU - DENNIS SARFATE

DUE UP FOR HOUSTON: L SCOTT (.261, 2-FOR-3)
M LORETTA (.281, 1-FOR-2, BB, HR, RBI)
H QUINTERO (.204, 0 HR, 1 RBI)</div>

 

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">CHICAGO CUBS (6) VS HOUSTON (2) - MID 9TH - IN PROGRESS

CHICAGO CUBS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
A Soriano lf 5 1 1 1 0 1 6 .289
M Fontenot 2b 5 1 2 0 0 0 2 .291
C Floyd rf 3 2 1 1 1 0 1 .290
F Pie cf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .211
A Ramirez 3b 5 1 1 3 0 0 0 .315
D Ward 1b 4 1 2 1 0 0 1 .340
J Kendall c 4 0 1 0 0 0 1 .287
J Jones cf-rf 4 0 2 0 0 0 1 .276
R Theriot ss 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 .272
S Trachsel p 2 0 0 0 0 1 3 .200
a-C Monroe ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .241
S Eyre p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
K Wood p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
b-M Murton ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 .268
C Marmol p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Totals 38 6 11 6 2 3 16

a-singled to left for S Trachsel in the 6th; b-struck out swinging for K Wood
in the 8th.

BATTING: 2B - M Fontenot (12, W Williams). HR - A Soriano (25, 1st inning off W
Williams 0 on, 0 Out), A Ramirez (23, 1st inning off W Williams 2 on, 0 Out), D
Ward (3, 5th inning off W Williams 0 on, 2 Out), C Floyd (7, 7th inning off W
Williams 0 on, 0 Out). RBI - A Soriano (54), A Ramirez 3 (89), D Ward (16), C
Floyd (42). 2-out RBI - D Ward. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - D
Ward 1, A Soriano 2, M Fontenot 1. GIDP - A Soriano. Team LOB - 7.

FIELDING: DP: 3 (M Fontenot-R Theriot-D Ward, M Fontenot-R Theriot, M
Fontenot-D Ward).


HOUSTON ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
H Pence cf 4 0 2 0 0 1 1 .328
C Biggio 2b 3 0 1 0 0 1 1 .253
L Berkman 1b 3 0 0 0 1 1 3 .275
C Lee lf 4 1 1 1 0 1 3 .295
M Lamb 3b 4 0 0 0 0 2 2 .288
L Scott rf 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 .261
M Loretta ss 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 .281
E Munson c 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 .231
a-C Ransom ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .111
H Quintero c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .204
W Williams p 2 0 1 0 0 1 1 .102
b-C Burke ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .226
T Miller p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
D Sarfate p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Totals 28 2 8 2 3 8 15

a-grounded to second for E Munson in the 6th; b-flied out to center for W
Williams in the 7th.

BATTING: 2B - H Pence (29, S Trachsel). 3B - L Scott (5, S Trachsel). HR - C
Lee (28, 4th inning off S Trachsel 0 on, 0 Out), M Loretta (4, 4th inning off S
Trachsel 0 on, 2 Out). S - C Biggio. RBI - C Lee (106), M Loretta (37). 2-out
RBI - M Loretta. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - C Lee 1, M Lamb 1.
GIDP - E Munson, C Ransom. Team LOB - 6.

FIELDING: E - L Berkman (12, throw); M Lamb (11, ground ball). DP: 1 (M
Loretta-C Biggio-L Berkman).


----------------------------------------------------
CHICAGO CUBS - 400 010 100 -- 6
HOUSTON - 000 200 00 -- 2
----------------------------------------------------

CHICAGO CUBS ip h r er bb so hr era
S Trachsel 5 7 2 2 3 4 2 7.62
S Eyre 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 4.53
K Wood 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 5.17
C Marmol 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 1.34

HOUSTON ip h r er bb so hr era
W Williams 7 11 6 6 2 2 4 5.04
T Miller 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 4.67
D Sarfate 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00

IBB - R Theriot (by W Williams). Pitches-strikes: S Trachsel 88-47; S Eyre
9-8; K Wood 15-12; C Marmol 12-9; W Williams 109-71; T Miller 11-7; D Sarfate
13-9. Ground balls-fly balls: S Trachsel 6-4; S Eyre 2-0; K Wood 0-2; C Marmol
0-1; W Williams 6-13; T Miller 2-0; D Sarfate 1-2. Batters faced: S Trachsel
23; S Eyre 3; K Wood 3; C Marmol 3; W Williams 34; T Miller 3; D Sarfate 3.

UMPIRES: HP--Jeff Kellogg. 1B--Eric Cooper. 2B--Andy Fletcher. 3B--Mike
Reilly.

Weather: INDOORS.</div>

 

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">NL AT HOUSTON - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: J Anderson hit for H Quintero.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 6
HOUSTON 2 BOTTOM, 9TH

DUE UP FOR HOUSTON: J Anderson (.000, 0 HR, 0 RBI)</div>

 

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">NL AT HOUSTON - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: O Palmeiro hit for D Sarfate.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, J ANDERSON ON FIRST, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 6
HOUSTON 2 BOTTOM, 9TH

DUE UP FOR HOUSTON: O Palmeiro (.240, 0 HR, 6 RBI)</div>

 

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">NL FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
CHICAGO CUBS 4 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 6 11 0
HOUSTON 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 8 2 (FINAL)

BATTERIES: CHN - STEVE TRACHSEL, SCOTT EYRE (6TH), KERRY WOOD (7TH), CARLOS
MARMOL (8TH) AND JASON KENDALL

HOU - WOODY WILLIAMS, TREVER MILLER (8TH), DENNIS
SARFATE (9TH) AND ERIC MUNSON, HUMBERTO QUINTERO (7TH)

HOME RUNS: CHN - ALFONSO SORIANO (25) OFF WOODY WILLIAMS IN THE 1ST, 0 ON
ARAMIS RAMIREZ (23) OFF WOODY WILLIAMS IN THE 1ST, 2 ON
DARYLE WARD (3) OFF WOODY WILLIAMS IN THE 5TH, 0 ON
CLIFF FLOYD (7) OFF WOODY WILLIAMS IN THE 7TH, 0 ON

HOU - CARLOS LEE (28) OFF STEVE TRACHSEL IN THE 4TH, 0 ON
MARK LORETTA (4) OFF STEVE TRACHSEL IN THE 4TH, 0 ON</div>

 

Trachsel solid as Cubs take over NL Central lead

<h3>CHICAGO CUBS 6, HOUSTON 2</h3>By Andrew Ferraro
PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer


HOUSTON (Ticker) -- Steve Trachsel won for just the second timein over three months to help the Chicago Cubs move back intofirst place.


Trachsel pitched five efficient innings and the Cubs belted fourhome runs to defeat the Houston Astros, 6-2, and reclaim thelead in the National League Central Division.


Winning for the first time since June 8, Trachsel (1-2) had hisbest start since joining the Cubs at the August 31 tradingdeadline. The veteran righthander allowed just two runs - bothon solo home runs - on seven hits while walking three andstriking out four.


Trachsel registered his first win in a Cubs' uniform since 1999- the last of the seven seasons he spent with the club.

Aramis Ramirez hit a three-run homer in the first inning andDaryle Ward, Cliff Floyd and Alfonso Soriano also homered as theCubs (75-71) moved one-half game ahead of the idle MilwaukeeBrewers (74-71) in the NL Central.


Trachsel (1-2) was at his best with runners on base, working inand out of trouble throughout the game. Houston (63-82) leftrunners in scoring position in three of the five innings, butTrachsel did not allow runs in any of those innings.

The Astros have lost two straight and nine of 11 overall sincewinning three in a row from August 29-31.


The Cubs got four runs before Houston starter Woody Williams(8-15) got an out, touching up the veteran for four runs on fivehits to start the contest.


Soriano led off with a long homer before Mike Fontenot and Floydsingled and walked, respectively. Ramirez gave the Cubs allthe runs they would need with a three-run shot to left.

For Soriano, it was his eighth leadoff homer of the season.

Williams settled down after the shaky first inning, retiring 11in a row at one point, before Ward hit his third homer of theseason with two outs in the fifth.


Ward's blast gave the Cubs a much-needed insurance run after theAstros hit a pair of solo shots in the fourth to get within4-2. Carlos Lee led off the inning with a 356-foot shot andMark Loretta hit his second homer in as many nights two outslater.


Floyd capped off the scoring with a solo shot in the seventh. Hewent 5-for-10 with two homers and a triple in the three-gameseries.


Williams left after seven innings, giving up six earned runs on11 hits, while walking and striking out two each. The four homeruns allowed was a season high for Williams, and the most sinceallowing three against Texas on May 20.

 

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">NL FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
CHICAGO CUBS 4 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 6 11 0
HOUSTON 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 8 2 (FINAL)

BATTERIES: CHN - STEVE TRACHSEL, SCOTT EYRE (6TH), KERRY WOOD (7TH), CARLOS
MARMOL (8TH) AND JASON KENDALL

HOU - WOODY WILLIAMS, TREVER MILLER (8TH), DENNIS
SARFATE (9TH) AND ERIC MUNSON, HUMBERTO QUINTERO (7TH)


WP - STEVE TRACHSEL (1-2)
LP - WOODY WILLIAMS (8-15)
SAVE - NONE

HOME RUNS: CHN - ALFONSO SORIANO (25) OFF WOODY WILLIAMS IN THE 1ST, 0 ON
ARAMIS RAMIREZ (23) OFF WOODY WILLIAMS IN THE 1ST, 2 ON
DARYLE WARD (3) OFF WOODY WILLIAMS IN THE 5TH, 0 ON
CLIFF FLOYD (7) OFF WOODY WILLIAMS IN THE 7TH, 0 ON

HOU - CARLOS LEE (28) OFF STEVE TRACHSEL IN THE 4TH, 0 ON
MARK LORETTA (4) OFF STEVE TRACHSEL IN THE 4TH, 0 ON


TIME: 2:37 ATT: 34,234

PROBABLES: PIT - IAN SNELL (9-12, 4.00)
HOU - ROY OSWALT (14-7, 3.41)

PROBABLES: CHN - CARLOS ZAMBRANO (15-12, 4.26)
STL - ADAM WAINWRIGHT (13-10, 3.75)</div>

 

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">CHICAGO CUBS (6) VS HOUSTON (2) - FINAL

CHICAGO CUBS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
A Soriano lf 5 1 1 1 0 1 6 .289
M Fontenot 2b 5 1 2 0 0 0 2 .291
C Floyd rf 3 2 1 1 1 0 1 .290
F Pie cf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .211
A Ramirez 3b 5 1 1 3 0 0 0 .315
D Ward 1b 4 1 2 1 0 0 1 .340
J Kendall c 4 0 1 0 0 0 1 .287
J Jones cf-rf 4 0 2 0 0 0 1 .276
R Theriot ss 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 .272
S Trachsel p 2 0 0 0 0 1 3 .200
a-C Monroe ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .241
S Eyre p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
K Wood p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
b-M Murton ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 .268
C Marmol p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Totals 38 6 11 6 2 3 16

a-singled to left for S Trachsel in the 6th; b-struck out swinging for K Wood
in the 8th.

BATTING: 2B - M Fontenot (12, W Williams). HR - A Soriano (25, 1st inning off W
Williams 0 on, 0 Out), A Ramirez (23, 1st inning off W Williams 2 on, 0 Out), D
Ward (3, 5th inning off W Williams 0 on, 2 Out), C Floyd (7, 7th inning off W
Williams 0 on, 0 Out). RBI - A Soriano (54), A Ramirez 3 (89), D Ward (16), C
Floyd (42). 2-out RBI - D Ward. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - D
Ward 1, A Soriano 2, M Fontenot 1. GIDP - A Soriano. Team LOB - 7.

FIELDING: DP: 3 (M Fontenot-R Theriot-D Ward, M Fontenot-R Theriot, M
Fontenot-D Ward).


HOUSTON ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
H Pence cf 4 0 2 0 0 1 1 .328
C Biggio 2b 3 0 1 0 0 1 1 .253
L Berkman 1b 3 0 0 0 1 1 3 .275
C Lee lf 4 1 1 1 0 1 3 .295
M Lamb 3b 4 0 0 0 0 2 2 .288
L Scott rf 4 0 2 0 0 0 0 .260
M Loretta ss 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 .281
E Munson c 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 .231
a-C Ransom ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .111
H Quintero c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .204
c-J Anderson ph 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .000
W Williams p 2 0 1 0 0 1 1 .102
b-C Burke ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .226
T Miller p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
D Sarfate p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
d-O Palmeiro ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 .237

Totals 31 2 8 2 4 9 16

a-grounded to second for E Munson in the 6th; b-flied out to center for W
Williams in the 7th; c-walked for H Quintero in the 9th; d-struck out
swinging for D Sarfate in the 9th.

BATTING: 2B - H Pence (29, S Trachsel). 3B - L Scott (5, S Trachsel). HR - C
Lee (28, 4th inning off S Trachsel 0 on, 0 Out), M Loretta (4, 4th inning off S
Trachsel 0 on, 2 Out). S - C Biggio. RBI - C Lee (106), M Loretta (37). 2-out
RBI - M Loretta. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - C Lee 1, M Lamb 1.
GIDP - E Munson, C Ransom. Team LOB - 7.

FIELDING: E - L Berkman (12, throw); M Lamb (11, ground ball). DP: 1 (M
Loretta-C Biggio-L Berkman).


----------------------------------------------------
CHICAGO CUBS - 400 010 100 -- 6
HOUSTON - 000 200 000 -- 2
----------------------------------------------------

CHICAGO CUBS ip h r er bb so hr era
S Trachsel (W, 1-2) 5 7 2 2 3 4 2 7.62
S Eyre (H, 5) 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 4.53
K Wood 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 5.17
C Marmol 2 0 0 0 1 3 0 1.31

HOUSTON ip h r er bb so hr era
W Williams (L, 8-15) 7 11 6 6 2 2 4 5.04
T Miller 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 4.67
D Sarfate 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00

IBB - R Theriot (by W Williams). Pitches-strikes: S Trachsel 88-47; S Eyre
9-8; K Wood 15-12; C Marmol 25-17; W Williams 109-71; T Miller 11-7; D Sarfate
13-9. Ground balls-fly balls: S Trachsel 6-4; S Eyre 2-0; K Wood 0-2; C Marmol
1-2; W Williams 6-13; T Miller 2-0; D Sarfate 1-2. Batters faced: S Trachsel
23; S Eyre 3; K Wood 3; C Marmol 7; W Williams 34; T Miller 3; D Sarfate 3.

UMPIRES: HP--Jeff Kellogg. 1B--Eric Cooper. 2B--Andy Fletcher. 3B--Mike
Reilly.

T--2:37. Att--34,234.
Weather: INDOORS</div>

 

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">** CONFIRMED **
NL
CHICAGO CUBS 6
HOUSTON 2 FINAL</div>

 

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CHICAGO CUBS (6) AT HOUSTON (2) - EVENT LOG
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chicago Cubs Starting Lineups -- A Soriano LF, M Fontenot 2B, C Floyd RF,
A Ramirez 3B, D Ward 1B, J Kendall C, J Jones CF, R Theriot SS, S Trachsel RHP.

Houston Starting Lineups -- H Pence CF, C Biggio 2B, L Berkman 1B, C Lee LF,
M Lamb 3B, L Scott RF, M Loretta SS, E Munson C, W Williams RHP.

Umpires -- Jeff Kellogg (HP), Eric Cooper (1B), Andy Fletcher (2B), Mike Reilly (3B).

Gametime Weather: INDOORS.


CHICAGO CUBS 1ST: A Soriano homered to left. M Fontenot reached on infield
single to third. C Floyd walked, M Fontenot to second. A Ramirez homered to
left, M Fontenot and C Floyd scored. D Ward grounded out to second. J Kendall
singled to left. J Jones reached on infield single to first, J Kendall to
third, J Jones to second on throwing error by first baseman L Berkman.
R Theriot intentionally walked. S Trachsel struck out swinging. A Soriano flied
out to center. (4 Runs, 5 Hits, 1 Error) CHICAGO CUBS 4, HOUSTON 0.

HOUSTON 1ST: H Pence doubled to right center. C Biggio sacrificed to
first, H Pence to third. L Berkman popped out to shortstop. C Lee popped out
to third. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 4, HOUSTON 0.

CHICAGO CUBS 2ND: M Fontenot doubled to left. C Floyd popped out to
shortstop. A Ramirez grounded out to second, M Fontenot to third. D Ward
popped out to second. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 4, HOUSTON 0.

HOUSTON 2ND: M Lamb struck out swinging. L Scott tripled to deep left
center. M Loretta walked. E Munson grounded into double play, second to
shortstop to first, M Loretta out at second.(0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 4, HOUSTON 0.

CHICAGO CUBS 3RD: J Kendall flied out to center. J Jones grounded out to
first. R Theriot flied out to center. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 4,
HOUSTON 0.

HOUSTON 3RD: W Williams singled to left. H Pence struck out swinging.
C Biggio singled to center, W Williams to second. L Berkman lined into double
play, second to shortstop, W Williams doubled off second.(0 Runs, 2 Hits,
0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 4, HOUSTON 0.

CHICAGO CUBS 4TH: S Trachsel flied out to center. A Soriano flied out to
center. M Fontenot grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 4, HOUSTON 0.

HOUSTON 4TH: C Lee homered to left. M Lamb grounded out to second.
L Scott grounded out to pitcher. M Loretta homered to left. E Munson walked.
W Williams struck out swinging. (2 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 4,
HOUSTON 2.

CHICAGO CUBS 5TH: C Floyd grounded out to second. A Ramirez flied out to
right. D Ward homered to right. J Kendall flied out to right. (1 Run, 1 Hit,
0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 5, HOUSTON 2.

HOUSTON 5TH: H Pence singled to center. C Biggio flied out to center.
L Berkman walked, H Pence to second. C Lee struck out swinging. M Lamb grounded
out to pitcher. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 5, HOUSTON 2.

CHICAGO CUBS 6TH: J Jones singled to left. R Theriot grounded out to
second, J Jones to second. C Monroe hit for S Trachsel. C Monroe singled to
left, J Jones to third. A Soriano struck out swinging. M Fontenot popped out
to shortstop. (0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 5, HOUSTON 2.

HOUSTON 6TH: S Eyre relieved S Trachsel. L Scott singled to center.
M Loretta struck out looking. C Ransom hit for E Munson. C Ransom grounded into
double play, second to first, L Scott out at second.(0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors)
CHICAGO CUBS 5, HOUSTON 2.

CHICAGO CUBS 7TH: H Quintero catching. C Floyd homered to right. A Ramirez
flied out to right. D Ward singled to center. J Kendall flied out to left.
J Jones fouled out to catcher. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 6, HOUSTON 2.

HOUSTON 7TH: F Pie in center field. J Jones in right field. C Burke hit for
W Williams. K Wood relieved S Eyre. C Burke flied out to center. H Pence flied
out to right. C Biggio struck out looking. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 6, HOUSTON 2.

CHICAGO CUBS 8TH: T Miller relieved W Williams. R Theriot safe at first on
error by third baseman M Lamb. M Murton hit for K Wood. M Murton struck out
swinging. A Soriano grounded into double play, shortstop to second to first,
R Theriot out at second.(0 Runs, 0 Hits, 1 Error) CHICAGO CUBS 6, HOUSTON 2.

HOUSTON 8TH: C Marmol relieved K Wood. L Berkman struck out swinging.
C Lee flied out to center. M Lamb struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits,
0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 6, HOUSTON 2.

CHICAGO CUBS 9TH: D Sarfate relieved T Miller. M Fontenot popped out to
shortstop. F Pie flied out to right. A Ramirez grounded out to shortstop.
(0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 6, HOUSTON 2.

HOUSTON 9TH: L Scott flied out to right. M Loretta grounded out to first.
J Anderson hit for H Quintero. J Anderson walked. O Palmeiro hit for
D Sarfate. O Palmeiro struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
CHICAGO CUBS 6, HOUSTON 2.</div>

 

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CHICAGO CUBS (6) AT HOUSTON (2) - HOW THEY SCORED
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CHICAGO CUBS 1ST: A Soriano homered to left. M Fontenot reached on infield
single to third. C Floyd walked, M Fontenot to second. A Ramirez homered to
left, M Fontenot and C Floyd scored. D Ward grounded out to second. J Kendall
singled to left. J Jones reached on infield single to first, J Kendall to
third, J Jones to second on throwing error by first baseman L Berkman.
R Theriot intentionally walked. S Trachsel struck out swinging. A Soriano flied
out to center. (4 Runs, 5 Hits, 1 Error) CHICAGO CUBS 4, HOUSTON 0.

HOUSTON 4TH: C Lee homered to left. M Lamb grounded out to second.
L Scott grounded out to pitcher. M Loretta homered to left. E Munson walked.
W Williams struck out swinging. (2 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 4,
HOUSTON 2.

CHICAGO CUBS 5TH: C Floyd grounded out to second. A Ramirez flied out to
right. D Ward homered to right. J Kendall flied out to right. (1 Run, 1 Hit,
0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 5, HOUSTON 2.

CHICAGO CUBS 7TH: H Quintero catching. C Floyd homered to right. A Ramirez
flied out to right. D Ward singled to center. J Kendall flied out to left.
J Jones fouled out to catcher. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 6, HOUSTON 2.</div>

 

Trachsel solid as Cubs take over NL Central lead

<h3>CHICAGO CUBS 6, HOUSTON 2</h3>By Andrew Ferraro
PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer


HOUSTON (Ticker) - Steve Trachsel won for just the second timein over three months to help the Chicago Cubs move back intofirst place.


Trachsel pitched five efficient innings and the Cubs belted fourhome runs to defeat the Houston Astros, 6-2, and reclaim thelead in the National League Central Division.


Winning for the first time since June 8, Trachsel (1-2) had hisbest start since joining the Cubs at the August 31 tradingdeadline. The veteran righthander allowed just two runs - bothon solo home runs - on seven hits while walking three andstriking out four.


Trachsel registered his first win in a Cubs' uniform since 1999- the last of the seven seasons he spent with the club.

"I felt really strong coming out of the bullpen," Trachsel said."I was kind of glad, for more reasons than one, that we scoredfour runs in the first. It took me awhile to calm down, to getthe adrenaline level to calm down a little bit, so I had alittle bit of control when I went out there."


Aramis Ramirez hit a three-run homer in the first inning andDaryle Ward, Cliff Floyd and Alfonso Soriano also homered as theCubs (75-71) moved one-half game ahead of the idle MilwaukeeBrewers (74-71) in the NL Central.


Trachsel (1-2) was at his best with runners on base, working inand out of trouble throughout the game. Houston (63-82) leftrunners in scoring position in three of the five innings, butTrachsel did not allow runs in any of those innings.

The Cubs then got four innings of scoreless relief from theirbullpen, which allowed just one hit.


"We thought if we got five or six innings out of him, we'd bepleased," said Cubs manager Lou Piniella about Trachsel. "As itwas, he gave us five. Scotty (Eyre) came in and really threwthe ball well. So did Woody (Kerry Wood). Then (Carlos) Marmolfinished it up in the last two. We're not complaining."

The Astros have lost two straight and nine of 11 overall sincewinning three in a row from August 29-31.


The Cubs got four runs before Houston starter Woody Williams(8-15) got an out, touching up the veteran for four runs on fivehits to start the contest.


Soriano led off with a long homer before Mike Fontenot and Floydsingled and walked, respectively. Ramirez gave the Cubs allthe runs they would need with a three-run shot to left.

For Soriano, it was his eighth leadoff homer of the season.

"When you give your starting pitcher a four-run lead in thefirst inning, it's great to feel," Ramirez said. "He just needsto go out and throw strikes and make the guys hit the ball.Good things happen."


Williams settled down after the shaky first inning, retiring 11in a row at one point, before Ward hit his third homer of theseason with two outs in the fifth.


Ward's blast gave the Cubs a much-needed insurance run after theAstros hit a pair of solo shots in the fourth to get within4-2. Carlos Lee led off the inning with a 356-foot shot andMark Loretta hit his second homer in as many nights two outslater.


Floyd capped off the scoring with a solo shot in the seventh. Hewent 5-for-10 with two homers and a triple in the three-gameseries.


Williams left after seven innings, giving up six earned runs on11 hits, while walking and striking out two each. The four homeruns allowed was a season high for Williams, and the most sinceallowing three against Texas on May 20.


"It seemed like I made a lot of mistakes over the plate,"Williams said. "It's just a frustrating thing, the firstinning. We had a lot of chances to come back. We kept fightingand getting close, but basically without me out there today, wemight have had a better chance."


The Astros are now a season-high 20 games under .500, but thatdoesn't mean there isn't anything for which to play.

"Everyone has pride in here and everyone is playing for, welleveryone has different motivations," Loretta said. "When youare playing a team that is in the playoff race, you'd like tohave an impact. In baseball, you can lax off on things likerunning, but you're always going to pitch as good as you can andtry to hit as good as you can."