GAME THREAD: GAME THREAD: NL: ATLANTA (31-23) at CHICAGO CUBS (22-30)

NL: ATLANTA at CHICAGO CUBS

<div class="pre">NL AT CHICAGO CUBS - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: B Wickman relieved R Soriano.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: ATLANTA 5
CHICAGO CUBS 3 BOTTOM, 9TH

DUE UP FOR CHICAGO CUBS: M Wuertz (.000, 0 HR, 0 RBI)</div>

 

NL: ATLANTA at CHICAGO CUBS

<div class="pre">NL AT CHICAGO CUBS - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: W Harris in left field.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: ATLANTA 5
CHICAGO CUBS 3 BOTTOM, 9TH

DUE UP FOR CHICAGO CUBS: M Wuertz (.000, 0 HR, 0 RBI)</div>

 

NL: ATLANTA at CHICAGO CUBS

<div class="pre">NL AT CHICAGO CUBS - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: D Ward hit for M Wuertz.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: ATLANTA 5
CHICAGO CUBS 3 BOTTOM, 9TH

DUE UP FOR CHICAGO CUBS: D Ward (.278, 0 HR, 5 RBI)</div>

 

NL: ATLANTA at CHICAGO CUBS

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

BATTERIES: ATL - CHUCK JAMES, TYLER YATES (7TH), RAFAEL SORIANO (8TH), BOB
WICKMAN (9TH) AND JARROD SALTALAMACCHIA

CHN - RICH HILL, WILL OHMAN (8TH), BOBBY HOWRY (8TH),
MIKE WUERTZ (9TH) AND KOYIE HILL

HOME RUNS: ATL - ANDRUW JONES (9) OFF MIKE WUERTZ IN THE 9TH, 0 ON

CHN - ALFONSO SORIANO (5) OFF CHUCK JAMES IN THE 5TH, 0 ON</div>

 

NL: ATLANTA at CHICAGO CUBS

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

BATTERIES: ATL - CHUCK JAMES, TYLER YATES (7TH), RAFAEL SORIANO (8TH), BOB
WICKMAN (9TH) AND JARROD SALTALAMACCHIA

CHN - RICH HILL, WILL OHMAN (8TH), BOBBY HOWRY (8TH),
MIKE WUERTZ (9TH) AND KOYIE HILL


WP - TYLER YATES (2-0)
LP - WILL OHMAN (0-3)
SAVE - BOB WICKMAN (9)

HOME RUNS: ATL - ANDRUW JONES (9) OFF MIKE WUERTZ IN THE 9TH, 0 ON

CHN - ALFONSO SORIANO (5) OFF CHUCK JAMES IN THE 5TH, 0 ON


TIME: 2:40 ATT: 40,290

PROBABLES: ATL - LANCE CORMIER (NR)
CHN - SEAN MARSHALL (0-2, 2.70)</div>

 

NL: ATLANTA at CHICAGO CUBS

<div class="pre">ATLANTA (5) VS CHICAGO CUBS (3) - FINAL

ATLANTA ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
M Prado 2b 3 1 0 0 1 1 1 .179
Y Escobar 3b 4 1 2 1 0 1 0 .500
E Renteria ss 4 1 2 1 0 0 2 .338
A Jones cf 4 1 1 2 0 0 1 .230
J Francoeur rf 4 0 0 0 0 3 1 .289
M Diaz lf 4 0 1 1 0 1 0 .339
B Wickman p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
J Saltalamacchia c 4 0 0 0 0 1 1 .278
S Thorman 1b 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 .230
C James p 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 .118
T Yates p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
a-C Woodward ph 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .235
R Soriano p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
W Harris lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .397

Totals 31 5 6 5 2 9 6

a-sacrificed to first for T Yates in the 8th.

BATTING: 2B - E Renteria (16, R Hill); M Diaz (5, R Hill); Y Escobar (1, W
Ohman). HR - A Jones (9, 9th inning off M Wuertz 0 on, 0 Out). S - C Woodward.
RBI - E Renteria (28), A Jones 2 (38), M Diaz (13), Y Escobar (1). 2-out RBI -
M Diaz, Y Escobar. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - E Renteria 1, J
Saltalamacchia 1. GIDP - E Renteria, A Jones. Team LOB - 2.

FIELDING: E - T Yates (2, throw); M Prado (2, ground ball). Outfield assists
- J Francoeur (R Hill at 3rd base).


CHICAGO CUBS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
A Soriano lf 5 1 2 1 0 1 0 .291
R Theriot ss 5 1 1 0 0 1 1 .271
D Lee 1b 4 0 0 0 1 1 2 .354
A Ramirez 3b 3 0 2 0 1 0 1 .299
M DeRosa 2b 4 0 1 0 0 1 4 .252
A Pagan cf 3 0 1 0 1 0 1 .304
J Jones rf 3 0 0 0 1 2 4 .242
K Hill c 4 1 1 0 0 0 5 .167
R Hill p 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 .083
W Ohman p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
B Howry p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
M Wuertz p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
a-D Ward ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .270

Totals 35 3 9 2 4 6 18

a-flied out to center for M Wuertz in the 9th.

BATTING: 2B - R Hill (2, C James); A Pagan (3, R Soriano). HR - A Soriano (5,
5th inning off C James 0 on, 1 Out). RBI - A Soriano (13), R Hill (2). 2-out
RBI - R Hill. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - M DeRosa 1, K Hill 3.
Team LOB - 9.

FIELDING: E - R Hill (2, throw). DP: 2 (A Ramirez-M DeRosa-D Lee, R Theriot-M
DeRosa-D Lee).


----------------------------------------------------
ATLANTA - 000 300 011 -- 5
CHICAGO CUBS - 000 011 100 -- 3
----------------------------------------------------

ATLANTA ip h r er bb so hr era
C James 6 6 2 2 4 4 1 3.78
T Yates (W, 2-0; B, 1) 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 3.86
R Soriano (H, 9) 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 2.52
B Wickman (S, 9) 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 2.95

CHICAGO CUBS ip h r er bb so hr era
R Hill 7 4 3 1 1 6 0 2.89
W Ohman (L, 0-3) 2/3 1 1 1 1 0 0 5.27
B Howry 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 5.04
M Wuertz 1 1 1 1 0 3 1 3.37

Pitches-strikes: C James 102-65; T Yates 13-10; R Soriano 11-7; B Wickman
14-10; R Hill 97-66; W Ohman 13-8; B Howry 8-6; M Wuertz 14-11. Ground
balls-fly balls: C James 2-11; T Yates 1-2; R Soriano 1-0; B Wickman 1-1; R
Hill 7-8; W Ohman 1-1; B Howry 0-1; M Wuertz 0-0. Batters faced: C James 27; T
Yates 5; R Soriano 3; B Wickman 4; R Hill 25; W Ohman 4; B Howry 1; M Wuertz 4.


UMPIRES: HP--Bruce Froemming. 1B--James Hoye. 2B--Brian Runge. 3B--Mark
Wegner.
EJECTIONS: CHICAGO CUBS' Piniella by Wegner (8th).
T--2:40. Att--40,290.
Weather: 78 degrees, cloudy. Wind: 14 mph, out to
center.</div>

 

NL: ATLANTA at CHICAGO CUBS

<div class="pre">** CONFIRMED **
NL
ATLANTA 5
CHICAGO CUBS 3 FINAL</div>

 

NL: ATLANTA at CHICAGO CUBS

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATLANTA (5) AT CHICAGO CUBS (3) - HOW THEY SCORED
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ATLANTA 4TH: M Prado walked. Y Escobar sacrificed to pitcher, M Prado to
second, Y Escobar safe at first on throwing error by pitcher R Hill.
E Renteria doubled to left, M Prado scored, Y Escobar to third. A Jones grounded
out to first, Y Escobar scored, E Renteria to third. J Francoeur struck out
swinging. M Diaz doubled to deep center, E Renteria scored. J Saltalamacchia
popped out to first. (3 Runs, 2 Hits, 1 Error) ATLANTA 3, CHICAGO CUBS 0.

CHICAGO CUBS 5TH: R Hill bunt grounded out to third. A Soriano homered to
left. R Theriot flied out to right. D Lee walked. A Ramirez walked, D Lee to
second. M DeRosa struck out swinging. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 3,
CHICAGO CUBS 1.

CHICAGO CUBS 6TH: A Pagan lined out to third. J Jones flied out to left.
K Hill singled to left. R Hill doubled to deep center, K Hill scored, R Hill
out stretching at third. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 3, CHICAGO CUBS 2.

CHICAGO CUBS 7TH: T Yates relieved C James. A Soriano grounded out to
second. R Theriot singled to right. D Lee flied out to left. R Theriot safe
at second on throwing error by pitcher T Yates. A Ramirez safe at first on
error by second baseman M Prado, R Theriot scored. M DeRosa popped out to
second. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 2 Errors) ATLANTA 3, CHICAGO CUBS 3.

ATLANTA 8TH: W Ohman relieved R Hill. S Thorman walked. C Woodward hit for
T Yates. C Woodward sacrificed to first, S Thorman to second. M Prado fouled
out to first. Y Escobar doubled to left, S Thorman scored. B Howry relieved
W Ohman. E Renteria flied out to center. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 4,
CHICAGO CUBS 3.

ATLANTA 9TH: M Wuertz relieved B Howry. A Jones homered to left.
J Francoeur struck out swinging. M Diaz struck out swinging. J Saltalamacchia
struck out swinging. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 5, CHICAGO CUBS 3.</div>

 

NL: ATLANTA at CHICAGO CUBS

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATLANTA (5) AT CHICAGO CUBS (3) - EVENT LOG
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Atlanta Starting Lineups -- M Prado 2B, Y Escobar 3B, E Renteria SS, A Jones CF,
J Francoeur RF, M Diaz LF, J Saltalamacchia C, S Thorman 1B, C James LHP.

Chicago Cubs Starting Lineups -- A Soriano LF, R Theriot SS, D Lee 1B,
A Ramirez 3B, M DeRosa 2B, A Pagan CF, J Jones RF, K Hill C, R Hill LHP.

Umpires -- Bruce Froemming (HP), James Hoye (1B), Brian Runge (2B), Mark Wegner (3B).

Gametime Weather: 78 degrees, Cloudy, wind out to center at 14 mph.


ATLANTA 1ST: M Prado struck out swinging. Y Escobar singled to right.
E Renteria grounded into double play, third to second to first, Y Escobar out at
second.(0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 0, CHICAGO CUBS 0.

CHICAGO CUBS 1ST: A Soriano struck out swinging. R Theriot flied out to
center. D Lee lined out to left. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 0,
CHICAGO CUBS 0.

ATLANTA 2ND: A Jones flied out to left. J Francoeur grounded out to
shortstop. M Diaz lined out to pitcher. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 0,
CHICAGO CUBS 0.

CHICAGO CUBS 2ND: A Ramirez singled to center. M DeRosa flied out to left.
A Pagan flied out to right. J Jones walked, A Ramirez to second. K Hill
grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, J Jones out at second. (0 Runs,
1 Hit, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 0, CHICAGO CUBS 0.

ATLANTA 3RD: J Saltalamacchia flied out to right. S Thorman popped out to
shortstop. C James struck out looking. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 0,
CHICAGO CUBS 0.

CHICAGO CUBS 3RD: R Hill flied out to center. A Soriano flied out to
center. R Theriot flied out to center. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 0,
CHICAGO CUBS 0.

ATLANTA 4TH: M Prado walked. Y Escobar sacrificed to pitcher, M Prado to
second, Y Escobar safe at first on throwing error by pitcher R Hill.
E Renteria doubled to left, M Prado scored, Y Escobar to third. A Jones grounded
out to first, Y Escobar scored, E Renteria to third. J Francoeur struck out
swinging. M Diaz doubled to deep center, E Renteria scored. J Saltalamacchia
popped out to first. (3 Runs, 2 Hits, 1 Error) ATLANTA 3, CHICAGO CUBS 0.

CHICAGO CUBS 4TH: D Lee struck out swinging. A Ramirez singled to center.
M DeRosa singled to right, A Ramirez to second. A Pagan walked, A Ramirez to
third, M DeRosa to second. J Jones struck out looking. K Hill flied out to
left. (0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 3, CHICAGO CUBS 0.

ATLANTA 5TH: S Thorman flied out to right. C James struck out looking.
M Prado flied out to right. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 3, CHICAGO CUBS 0.

CHICAGO CUBS 5TH: R Hill bunt grounded out to third. A Soriano homered to
left. R Theriot flied out to right. D Lee walked. A Ramirez walked, D Lee to
second. M DeRosa struck out swinging. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 3,
CHICAGO CUBS 1.

ATLANTA 6TH: Y Escobar struck out swinging. E Renteria singled to center.
A Jones grounded into double play, shortstop to second to first, E Renteria out
at second.(0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 3, CHICAGO CUBS 1.

CHICAGO CUBS 6TH: A Pagan lined out to third. J Jones flied out to left.
K Hill singled to left. R Hill doubled to deep center, K Hill scored, R Hill
out stretching at third. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 3, CHICAGO CUBS 2.

ATLANTA 7TH: J Francoeur struck out swinging. M Diaz flied out to left.
J Saltalamacchia grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 3,
CHICAGO CUBS 2.

CHICAGO CUBS 7TH: T Yates relieved C James. A Soriano grounded out to
second. R Theriot singled to right. D Lee flied out to left. R Theriot safe
at second on throwing error by pitcher T Yates. A Ramirez safe at first on
error by second baseman M Prado, R Theriot scored. M DeRosa popped out to
second. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 2 Errors) ATLANTA 3, CHICAGO CUBS 3.

ATLANTA 8TH: W Ohman relieved R Hill. S Thorman walked. C Woodward hit for
T Yates. C Woodward sacrificed to first, S Thorman to second. M Prado fouled
out to first. Y Escobar doubled to left, S Thorman scored. B Howry relieved
W Ohman. E Renteria flied out to center. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 4,
CHICAGO CUBS 3.

CHICAGO CUBS 8TH: R Soriano relieved T Yates. A Pagan doubled to deep
right. A Pagan out at third on runner's fielder's choice. Chicago Cubs's
Manager L Piniella ejected by M Wegner. J Jones struck out looking. K Hill
grounded out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 4, CHICAGO CUBS 3.

ATLANTA 9TH: M Wuertz relieved B Howry. A Jones homered to left.
J Francoeur struck out swinging. M Diaz struck out swinging. J Saltalamacchia
struck out swinging. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 5, CHICAGO CUBS 3.

CHICAGO CUBS 9TH: B Wickman relieved R Soriano. W Harris in left field.
D Ward hit for M Wuertz. D Ward flied out to center. A Soriano singled to left.
R Theriot struck out swinging. D Lee grounded into fielder's choice to third,
A Soriano out at second. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 5, CHICAGO CUBS 3.</div>

 

Piniella ejected after tantrum as Cubs lose again

<h3>ATLANTA 5, CHICAGO CUBS 3</h3>CHICAGO (Ticker) -- It got ugly again for the Chicago Cubs onSaturday as Lou Piniella was ejected following a tantrum duringa 5-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves, their sixth straight setback.

One day after a dugout fight between pitcher Carlos Zambrano andcatcher Michael Barrett overshadowed a loss to the Braves,Piniella - who blasted his players for unprofessionalism -displayed some himself.

Piniella was ejected in the eighth inning. Fans in thebleachers at Wrigley Field responded by throwing debris on tothe field. The game was delayed, and the Braves were pulled offthe diamond while the warning track area was cleaned.

Piniella was ejected for the first time as Chicago manager afterthrowing his cap on the ground and kicking it while arguing aclose play at third base, where Angel Pagan was thrown out withthe Cubs trailing, 4-3.

Atlanta scored the go-ahead run in the eighth when rookie YunelEscobar doubled off reliever Will Ohman (0-3), plating ScottThorman. Escobar also collected the first hit of his majorleague career in the opening inning when he singled off Cubsstarter Rich Hill.

The Braves opened a 3-0 lead in the fourth on RBI doubles fromEdgar Renteria and Matt Diaz.

Alfonso Soriano got the Cubs on the board in the fifth when hesmacked his fifth homer. It was his first home run since May11, and all of his blasts have been solo shots.

The Cubs got within 3-2 on an RBI double by starting pitcherRich Hill. Chicago tied the score in the seventh when RyanTheriot singled and later scored as third baseman Martin Pradomisplayed a grounder by Aramis Ramirez.

In the ninth, Andruw Jones hit the first pitch he saw from Cubsreliever Michael Wuertz over the left field fence for his ninthhomer, giving the Braves an insurance run.

Atlanta's Chuck James turned in his second consecutive solidstart, allowing two earned runs, six hits and four walks in sixinnings with four strikeouts.

Tyler Yates (2-0) allowed an unearned run in the seventh but gotthe win. rafael Soriano worked the eighth and Bob Wickmanpitched the ninth for his ninth save.

Hill allowed one earned run and four hits and struck out six inseven innings.

 

Piniella ejected after tantrum as Cubs lose again

<h3>ATLANTA 5, CHICAGO CUBS 3</h3>CHICAGO (Ticker) -- It got ugly again for the Chicago Cubs onSaturday as Lou Piniella was ejected following a tantrum duringa 5-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves, their sixth straight setback.

One day after a dugout fight between pitcher Carlos Zambrano andcatcher Michael Barrett overshadowed a loss to the Braves,Piniella - who blasted his players for unprofessionalism -displayed some himself.

Piniella was ejected in the eighth inning. Fans in thebleachers at Wrigley Field responded by throwing debris on tothe field. The game was delayed, and the Braves were pulled offthe diamond while the warning track area was cleaned.

"We didn't want to take our pitcher (Tyler Yates) off the mound,but you have no choice," Braves manager Bobby Cox said. "He wasgiven extra time to warm up, but I think he only threw threepitches, which turned out to be enough since he punched the nextguy out."

Piniella was ejected for the first time as Chicago manager afterthrowing his cap on the ground and kicking it while arguing aclose play at third base, where Angel Pagan was thrown out withthe Cubs trailing, 4-3.

"I think it was time (to get thrown out), but I really did thinkour guy was safe," Piniella said. "After looking at the replayI know he was out. I was going to get thrown out no matterwhat, out, safe it didn't matter. As I said, it was time."

Piniella denied making contact with third base umpire MarkWegner, although replays showed that he bumped the second-yeararbiter.

"He made physical contact with the third base umpire," crewchief Bruce Froemming told a pool reporter. "He made physicalcontact with his foot, and he kicked dirt on (Wegner) severaltimes, and the rest was show-and-tell.

"The whole world saw what he did. It was a terrible display ofdisrespect and (the MLB office in) New York will be calledimmediately, and we'll take it from there."

During the prolonged argument, Froemming tried to stand betweenthe manager and Wegner and put his hands on Piniella's shouldersseveral times.

"We were trying to get him away to save him some problems,"Froemming said. "And he just wouldn't stop."

Atlanta scored the go-ahead run in the eighth, when rookie YunelEscobar doubled off reliever Will Ohman (0-3), plating ScottThorman. Escobar also collected the first hit of his majorleague career in the opening inning when he singled off Cubsstarter Rich Hill.

"I am very proud to help the team in that situation," Escobarsaid through an interpreter. "I didn't feel any pressure to getmy first hit, but it was nice to get it out of the way."

The Braves opened a 3-0 lead in the fourth on RBI doubles fromEdgar Renteria and Matt Diaz.

Alfonso Soriano got the Cubs on the board in the fifth when hesmacked his fifth homer. It was his first home run since May11, and all of his blasts have been solo shots.

"The last couple of days I have been feeling very good at theplate," Soriano said. "Right now I am seeing the ball good and Ithink I have my swing back too."

The Cubs got within 3-2 on an RBI double by Hill, who was taggedout trying for a triple. Chicago tied the score in the seventhwhen Ryan Theriot singled and later scored as third basemanMartin Prado misplayed a grounder by Aramis Ramirez.

"It's fun getting dirty when you play the game," Hill said. "Butit all comes down to winning in the end, if that run cost usthe game it was stupid."

In the ninth, Andruw Jones hit the first pitch he saw from Cubsreliever Michael Wuertz over the left field fence for his ninthhomer, giving the Braves an insurance run.

"Anytime you get an extra run when you only have a one run leadit's huge," Jones said." That way the bullpen doesn't have to beto perfect."

Atlanta's Chuck James turned in his second consecutive solidstart, allowing two earned runs, six hits and four walks in sixinnings with four strikeouts.

"After batting practice our guys warned me to keep the ball downwith the wind blowing out," James said. " I went out and triedto keep the ball down and pound the strike zone."

Yates (2-0) allowed an unearned run in the seventh but got thewin. Rafael Soriano worked the eighth and Bob Wickman pitchedthe ninth for his ninth save.

Hill allowed one earned run and four hits and struck out six inseven innings.

"We are going through a lot right now," Hill said. "We are justtrying to battle through it, good teams always fight their waythrough times like this and get back to the top."