GAME THREAD: GAME THREAD: NL: COLORADO (38-38) at CHICAGO CUBS (36-39)

NL: COLORADO at CHICAGO CUBS

<div class="pre">COLORADO (4) VS CHICAGO CUBS (8) - END 8TH - IN PROGRESS

COLORADO ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
W Taveras cf 3 0 2 0 1 1 0 .310
T Tulowitzki ss 4 0 1 0 0 2 3 .276
M Holliday lf 3 0 0 0 1 2 1 .350
T Helton 1b 3 1 0 0 1 1 3 .322
G Atkins 3b 3 1 1 0 1 0 0 .247
R Spilborghs rf 3 1 1 0 1 0 0 .292
C Iannetta c 4 0 0 0 0 1 1 .204
J Carroll 2b 3 1 2 3 0 0 1 .193
R Lopez p 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .071
T Buchholz p 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .133
J Affeldt p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
L Hawkins p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Totals 28 4 7 3 5 8 9

BATTING: 2B - J Carroll (4, T Lilly); W Taveras (8, M Wuertz). HR - J Carroll
(1, 6th inning off T Lilly 0 on, 2 Out). S - R Lopez. RBI - J Carroll 3 (7).
2-out RBI - J Carroll. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - J Carroll 1, T
Helton 2, T Tulowitzki 1. GIDP - C Iannetta. Team LOB - 6.

FIELDING: DP: 2 (J Carroll-T Tulowitzki-T Helton, T Tulowitzki-J Carroll-T
Helton).


CHICAGO CUBS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
A Soriano lf 5 2 2 0 0 0 3 .309
M Fontenot ss 4 1 1 1 1 0 1 .388
D Lee 1b 4 0 1 0 0 1 2 .349
A Ramirez 3b 4 1 1 1 0 0 3 .297
C Floyd rf 1 2 1 2 2 0 0 .310
a-A Pagan ph-rf 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .286
M DeRosa 2b 3 1 1 1 1 1 0 .275
K Hill c 4 1 1 2 0 0 4 .222
F Pie cf 4 0 1 1 0 0 0 .227
T Lilly p 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 .125
M Wuertz p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
b-D Ward ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .326

Totals 34 8 11 8 4 3 13

a-struck out looking for C Floyd in the 7th; b-singled to left for M Wuertz in
the 8th.

BATTING: 2B - A Ramirez (10, R Lopez); A Soriano (22, R Lopez); M Fontenot (7,
R Lopez); K Hill (2, R Lopez). HR - C Floyd (4, 1st inning off R Lopez 1 on, 2
Out). RBI - A Ramirez (42), C Floyd 2 (27), M Fontenot (12), M DeRosa (37), K
Hill 2 (5), F Pie (18). 2-out RBI - A Ramirez, C Floyd 2, M DeRosa, K Hill 2, F
Pie. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - A Soriano 1, K Hill 2. GIDP - A
Ramirez, K Hill. Team LOB - 6.

BASERUNNING: SB - A Soriano (10, 2nd base off R Lopez/C Iannetta), M Fontenot
(2, 2nd base off R Lopez/C Iannetta).

FIELDING: Outfield assists - A Soriano (T Tulowitzki at 2nd base). DP: 1 (A
Ramirez-D Lee).


----------------------------------------------------
COLORADO - 010 201 00 -- 4
CHICAGO CUBS - 301 040 00 -- 8
----------------------------------------------------

COLORADO ip h r er bb so hr era
R Lopez 4 2/3 9 8 8 4 1 1 4.09
T Buchholz 1 1/3 1 0 0 0 0 0 4.76
J Affeldt 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 2.67
L Hawkins 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 3.66

CHICAGO CUBS ip h r er bb so hr era
T Lilly 6 6 4 4 5 5 1 4.03
M Wuertz 2 1 0 0 0 3 0 3.12

WP - M Wuertz, J Affeldt. IBB - C Floyd 2 (by R Lopez). Pitches-strikes: R
Lopez 88-49; T Buchholz 14-9; J Affeldt 12-7; L Hawkins 10-8; T Lilly 113-70; M
Wuertz 26-21. Ground balls-fly balls: R Lopez 7-6; T Buchholz 3-1; J Affeldt
2-0; L Hawkins 2-1; T Lilly 7-5; M Wuertz 0-3. Batters faced: R Lopez 27; T
Buchholz 4; J Affeldt 3; L Hawkins 4; T Lilly 27; M Wuertz 7.

UMPIRES: HP--Dale Scott. 1B--Dan Iassogna. 2B--Adam Dowdy. 3B--Ron Kulpa.

Weather: 78 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 5 mph, right to left.</div>

 

NL: COLORADO at CHICAGO CUBS

<div class="pre">NL AT CHICAGO CUBS - PITCHING CHANGE
CHN: CARLOS MARMOL (2-0, 0.93) STARTING THE 9TH
CURRENT SCORE: COLORADO 4, CHICAGO CUBS 8

DUE UP FOR COLORADO: J CARROLL (.193, 2-FOR-3, HR, 3 RBI)</div>

 

NL: COLORADO at CHICAGO CUBS

<div class="pre">NL AT CHICAGO CUBS - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: C Marmol relieved M Wuertz.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: COLORADO 4
CHICAGO CUBS 8 TOP, 9TH

DUE UP FOR COLORADO: J Carroll (.193, 2-FOR-3, HR, 3 RBI)</div>

 

NL: COLORADO at CHICAGO CUBS

<div class="pre">NL AT CHICAGO CUBS - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: C Sullivan hit for L Hawkins.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, J CARROLL ON SECOND, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: COLORADO 4
CHICAGO CUBS 8 TOP, 9TH

DUE UP FOR COLORADO: C Sullivan (.333, 0 HR, 0 RBI)</div>

 

NL: COLORADO at CHICAGO CUBS

<div class="pre">NL AT CHICAGO CUBS - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY CORY SULLIVAN SCORED JAMEY CARROLL.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, C SULLIVAN ON FIRST, 0 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: COLORADO 5
CHICAGO CUBS 8 TOP, 9TH

DUE UP FOR COLORADO: W TAVERAS (.310, 2-FOR-3, BB)</div>

 

NL: COLORADO at CHICAGO CUBS

<div class="pre">NL AT CHICAGO CUBS - PITCHING CHANGE
CHN: WILL OHMAN (0-4, 4.43) IN THE 9TH
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, W TAVERAS ON FIRST, C SULLIVAN ON SECOND, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: COLORADO 5, CHICAGO CUBS 8

DUE UP FOR COLORADO: T HELTON (.322, 0-FOR-3)</div>

 

NL: COLORADO at CHICAGO CUBS

<div class="pre">NL AT CHICAGO CUBS - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: W Ohman relieved C Marmol.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, W TAVERAS ON FIRST, C SULLIVAN ON SECOND, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: COLORADO 5
CHICAGO CUBS 8 TOP, 9TH

DUE UP FOR COLORADO: T Helton (.322, 0-FOR-3)</div>

 

NL: COLORADO at CHICAGO CUBS

<div class="pre">NL FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
COLORADO 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 0 1 5 10 0
CHICAGO CUBS 3 0 1 0 4 0 0 0 x 8 11 0 (FINAL)

BATTERIES: COL - RODRIGO LOPEZ, TAYLOR BUCHHOLZ (5TH), JEREMY AFFELDT (7TH),
LATROY HAWKINS (8TH) AND CHRIS IANNETTA

CHN - TED LILLY, MIKE WUERTZ (7TH), CARLOS MARMOL
(9TH), WILL OHMAN (9TH) AND KOYIE HILL

HOME RUNS: COL - JAMEY CARROLL (1) OFF TED LILLY IN THE 6TH, 0 ON

CHN - CLIFF FLOYD (4) OFF RODRIGO LOPEZ IN THE 1ST, 1 ON</div>

 

NL: COLORADO at CHICAGO CUBS

<div class="pre">NL FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
COLORADO 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 0 1 5 10 0
CHICAGO CUBS 3 0 1 0 4 0 0 0 x 8 11 0 (FINAL)

BATTERIES: COL - RODRIGO LOPEZ, TAYLOR BUCHHOLZ (5TH), JEREMY AFFELDT (7TH),
LATROY HAWKINS (8TH) AND CHRIS IANNETTA

CHN - TED LILLY, MIKE WUERTZ (7TH), CARLOS MARMOL
(9TH), WILL OHMAN (9TH) AND KOYIE HILL


WP - TED LILLY (6-4)
LP - RODRIGO LOPEZ (4-1)
SAVE - WILL OHMAN (1)

HOME RUNS: COL - JAMEY CARROLL (1) OFF TED LILLY IN THE 6TH, 0 ON

CHN - CLIFF FLOYD (4) OFF RODRIGO LOPEZ IN THE 1ST, 1 ON


TIME: 2:56 ATT: 40,121

PROBABLES: COL - JASON HIRSH (3-6, 5.06)
CHN - CARLOS ZAMBRANO (8-6, 4.27)</div>

 

NL: COLORADO at CHICAGO CUBS

<div class="pre">COLORADO (5) VS CHICAGO CUBS (8) - FINAL

COLORADO ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
W Taveras cf 4 0 3 0 1 1 0 .313
T Tulowitzki ss 5 0 1 0 0 3 5 .275
M Holliday lf 4 0 0 0 1 3 3 .349
T Helton 1b 4 1 0 0 1 1 5 .321
G Atkins 3b 3 1 1 0 1 0 0 .247
R Spilborghs rf 3 1 1 0 1 0 0 .292
C Iannetta c 4 0 0 0 0 1 1 .204
J Carroll 2b 4 2 3 3 0 0 1 .200
R Lopez p 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .071
T Buchholz p 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .133
J Affeldt p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
L Hawkins p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
a-C Sullivan ph 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 .500

Totals 34 5 10 4 5 10 15

a-singled to center for L Hawkins in the 9th.

BATTING: 2B - J Carroll 2 (5, C Marmol, T Lilly); W Taveras (8, M Wuertz). HR -
J Carroll (1, 6th inning off T Lilly 0 on, 2 Out). S - R Lopez. RBI - J Carroll
3 (7), C Sullivan (1). 2-out RBI - J Carroll. Runners left in scoring position,
2 out - J Carroll 1, T Helton 3, T Tulowitzki 1. GIDP - C Iannetta. Team LOB -
8.

FIELDING: DP: 2 (J Carroll-T Tulowitzki-T Helton, T Tulowitzki-J Carroll-T
Helton).


CHICAGO CUBS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
A Soriano lf 5 2 2 0 0 0 3 .309
M Fontenot ss 4 1 1 1 1 0 1 .388
D Lee 1b 4 0 1 0 0 1 2 .349
A Ramirez 3b 4 1 1 1 0 0 3 .297
C Floyd rf 1 2 1 2 2 0 0 .310
a-A Pagan ph-rf 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .286
M DeRosa 2b 3 1 1 1 1 1 0 .275
K Hill c 4 1 1 2 0 0 4 .222
F Pie cf 4 0 1 1 0 0 0 .227
T Lilly p 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 .125
M Wuertz p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
b-D Ward ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .326
C Marmol p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
W Ohman p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Totals 34 8 11 8 4 3 13

a-struck out looking for C Floyd in the 7th; b-singled to left for M Wuertz in
the 8th.

BATTING: 2B - A Ramirez (10, R Lopez); A Soriano (22, R Lopez); M Fontenot (7,
R Lopez); K Hill (2, R Lopez). HR - C Floyd (4, 1st inning off R Lopez 1 on, 2
Out). RBI - A Ramirez (42), C Floyd 2 (27), M Fontenot (12), M DeRosa (37), K
Hill 2 (5), F Pie (18). 2-out RBI - A Ramirez, C Floyd 2, M DeRosa, K Hill 2, F
Pie. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - A Soriano 1, K Hill 2. GIDP - A
Ramirez, K Hill. Team LOB - 6.

BASERUNNING: SB - A Soriano (10, 2nd base off R Lopez/C Iannetta), M Fontenot
(2, 2nd base off R Lopez/C Iannetta).

FIELDING: Outfield assists - A Soriano (T Tulowitzki at 2nd base). DP: 1 (A
Ramirez-D Lee).


----------------------------------------------------
COLORADO - 010 201 001 -- 5
CHICAGO CUBS - 301 040 00x -- 8
----------------------------------------------------

COLORADO ip h r er bb so hr era
R Lopez (L, 4-1) 4 2/3 9 8 8 4 1 1 4.09
T Buchholz 1 1/3 1 0 0 0 0 0 4.76
J Affeldt 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 2.67
L Hawkins 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 3.66

CHICAGO CUBS ip h r er bb so hr era
T Lilly (W, 6-4) 6 6 4 4 5 5 1 4.03
M Wuertz 2 1 0 0 0 3 0 3.12
C Marmol 2/3 3 1 1 0 2 0 1.35
W Ohman (S, 1) 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 4.37

WP - M Wuertz, J Affeldt. IBB - C Floyd 2 (by R Lopez). Pitches-strikes: R
Lopez 88-49; T Buchholz 14-9; J Affeldt 12-7; L Hawkins 10-8; T Lilly 113-70; M
Wuertz 26-21; C Marmol 23-14; W Ohman 2-2. Ground balls-fly balls: R Lopez 7-6;
T Buchholz 3-1; J Affeldt 2-0; L Hawkins 2-1; T Lilly 7-5; M Wuertz 0-3; C
Marmol 0-0; W Ohman 0-1. Batters faced: R Lopez 27; T Buchholz 4; J Affeldt 3;
L Hawkins 4; T Lilly 27; M Wuertz 7; C Marmol 5; W Ohman 1.

UMPIRES: HP--Dale Scott. 1B--Dan Iassogna. 2B--Adam Dowdy. 3B--Ron Kulpa.

T--2:56. Att--40,121.
Weather: 78 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 5 mph, right
to left.</div>

 

NL: COLORADO at CHICAGO CUBS

<div class="pre">** CONFIRMED **
NL
COLORADO 5
CHICAGO CUBS 8 FINAL</div>

 

Soriano leads Cubs to fifth straight win, defeat Rockies

<h3>CHICAGO CUBS 8, COLORADO 5</h3>CHICAGO (Ticker) -- Following his heroics the previous night,Alfonso Soriano was the initiator for the Chicago Cubs.

Soriano had two hits and scored twice and Cliff Floyd hit atwo-run homer as the Cubs posted an 8-5 victory over theColorado Rockies on Monday.

Ted Lilly pitched six solid innings and Koyie Hill drove in twofor Chicago, which matched its season-high of five straightwins.

Colorado (38-39) dropped its season-high fifth consecutive gameto fall one game under .500. It's the Rockies' longest skidsince losing six in a row from August 18-24.

Soriano, who won Monday's game vs. Colorado with a two-runsingle in the ninth in a 10-9 victory, ignited the Cubs offenseearly in this game.

The 31-year-old Dominican, who signed a seven-year, $136 milliondollar contract in the offseason, led off the first with asingle off Rodrigo Lopez before stealing second base. Aftertaking third on a groundout, Soriano was plated by a two-outdouble by Aramis Ramirez. Floyd then belted a two-run homerinto the right field seats to give the Cubs a 3-0 lead.

With Chicago leading, 3-1, in the third, Soriano led off with adouble and scored on a double by rookie Mike Fontenot to make it4-1.

After Colorado cut the lead to 4-3 on a two-run double byGarrett Atkins in the fourth, the Cubs put the game out of reachin the bottom of the fifth. A two-run double by Hillsurrounded by RBI singles by Mark DeRosa and Felix Pie gaveChicago an 8-3 lead.

That was enough support for Lilly (6-4), who allowed four runs,six hits and five walks.

Cubs reliever Michael Wuertz pitched two innings and CarlosMarmol worked two-thirds of the ninth before Will Ohman came onto record his first save of the season and fourth of his career.

Lopez (4-1) surrendered eight runs, nine hits and four walks in4 2/3 innings to suffer his first loss in 2007.

Willy Taveras had three hits as did Jamey Carroll, who alsohomered for the Rockies, who have been tagged for 43 runs duringtheir slide.

 

NL: COLORADO at CHICAGO CUBS

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COLORADO (5) AT CHICAGO CUBS (8) - HOW THEY SCORED
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CHICAGO CUBS 1ST: A Soriano singled to left. A Soriano stole second.
M Fontenot grounded out to third, A Soriano to third. D Lee popped out to
second. A Ramirez struck out swinging. A Soriano singled to left. D Lee
popped out to second. A Ramirez doubled to deep left, A Soriano scored.
C Floyd homered to right, A Ramirez scored. M DeRosa grounded out to shortstop.
(3 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) COLORADO 0, CHICAGO CUBS 3.

COLORADO 2ND: T Helton walked. G Atkins singled to right, T Helton to
second. R Spilborghs walked, T Helton to third, G Atkins to second.
C Iannetta grounded into double play, third to first, T Helton scored, G Atkins
out at third, R Spilborghs to second. J Carroll grounded out to second. (1 Run,
1 Hit, 0 Errors) COLORADO 1, CHICAGO CUBS 3.

CHICAGO CUBS 3RD: A Soriano doubled to right. M Fontenot doubled to deep
center, A Soriano scored. D Lee lined out to right, M Fontenot to third.
A Ramirez popped out to shortstop. C Floyd intentionally walked. M DeRosa
walked, C Floyd to second. K Hill flied out to center. (1 Run, 2 Hits,
0 Errors) COLORADO 1, CHICAGO CUBS 4.

COLORADO 4TH: G Atkins walked. R Spilborghs singled to right, G Atkins to
second. C Iannetta flied out to center, G Atkins to third, R Spilborghs to
second. J Carroll doubled to deep left, G Atkins and R Spilborghs scored.
R Lopez sacrificed to pitcher, J Carroll to third. W Taveras walked.
T Tulowitzki flied out to right. (2 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) COLORADO 3,
CHICAGO CUBS 4.

CHICAGO CUBS 5TH: M Fontenot walked. D Lee struck out looking, M Fontenot
stole second. A Ramirez flied out to right. C Floyd intentionally walked.
M DeRosa singled to center, M Fontenot scored, C Floyd to second. K Hill doubled
to deep left center, C Floyd and M DeRosa scored. F Pie singled to shallow
left, K Hill scored. T Lilly reached on infield single to second, F Pie to
second. T Buchholz relieved R Lopez. A Soriano grounded into fielder's choice
to third, T Lilly out at second. (4 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors) COLORADO 3,
CHICAGO CUBS 8.

COLORADO 6TH: R Spilborghs grounded out to third. C Iannetta grounded out
to pitcher. J Carroll homered to left. T Buchholz popped out to shortstop.
(1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) COLORADO 4, CHICAGO CUBS 8.

COLORADO 9TH: C Marmol relieved M Wuertz. J Carroll doubled to deep right
center. C Sullivan hit for L Hawkins. C Sullivan singled to center, J Carroll
scored. W Taveras reached on bunt single to catcher, C Sullivan to second.
T Tulowitzki struck out looking. M Holliday struck out swinging. W Ohman
relieved C Marmol. T Helton popped out to shortstop. (1 Run, 3 Hits, 0 Errors)
COLORADO 5, CHICAGO CUBS 8.</div>

 

NL: COLORADO at CHICAGO CUBS

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COLORADO (5) AT CHICAGO CUBS (8) - EVENT LOG
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Colorado Starting Lineups -- W Taveras CF, T Tulowitzki SS, M Holliday LF,
T Helton 1B, G Atkins 3B, R Spilborghs RF, C Iannetta C, J Carroll 2B,
R Lopez RHP.

Chicago Cubs Starting Lineups -- A Soriano LF, M Fontenot SS, D Lee 1B,
A Ramirez 3B, C Floyd RF, M DeRosa 2B, K Hill C, F Pie CF, T Lilly LHP.

Umpires -- Dale Scott (HP), Dan Iassogna (1B), Adam Dowdy (2B), Ron Kulpa (3B).


Gametime Weather: 78 degrees, Partly Cloudy, wind right to left at 5 mph.


COLORADO 1ST: W Taveras struck out swinging. T Tulowitzki struck out
looking. M Holliday grounded out to third. W Taveras struck out swinging.
T Tulowitzki struck out looking. M Holliday grounded out to third. (0 Runs,
0 Hits, 0 Errors) COLORADO 0, CHICAGO CUBS 0.

CHICAGO CUBS 1ST: A Soriano singled to left. A Soriano stole second.
M Fontenot grounded out to third, A Soriano to third. D Lee popped out to
second. A Ramirez struck out swinging. A Soriano singled to left. D Lee
popped out to second. A Ramirez doubled to deep left, A Soriano scored.
C Floyd homered to right, A Ramirez scored. M DeRosa grounded out to shortstop.
(3 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) COLORADO 0, CHICAGO CUBS 3.

COLORADO 2ND: T Helton walked. G Atkins singled to right, T Helton to
second. R Spilborghs walked, T Helton to third, G Atkins to second.
C Iannetta grounded into double play, third to first, T Helton scored, G Atkins
out at third, R Spilborghs to second. J Carroll grounded out to second. (1 Run,
1 Hit, 0 Errors) COLORADO 1, CHICAGO CUBS 3.

CHICAGO CUBS 2ND: K Hill flied out to right. F Pie grounded out to first.
T Lilly grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) COLORADO 1,
CHICAGO CUBS 3.

COLORADO 3RD: R Lopez struck out swinging. W Taveras reached on bunt
single to third. T Tulowitzki singled to deep left, W Taveras to third,
T Tulowitzki out stretching at second. M Holliday walked. T Helton struck out
swinging. (0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) COLORADO 1, CHICAGO CUBS 3.

CHICAGO CUBS 3RD: A Soriano doubled to right. M Fontenot doubled to deep
center, A Soriano scored. D Lee lined out to right, M Fontenot to third.
A Ramirez popped out to shortstop. C Floyd intentionally walked. M DeRosa
walked, C Floyd to second. K Hill flied out to center. (1 Run, 2 Hits,
0 Errors) COLORADO 1, CHICAGO CUBS 4.

COLORADO 4TH: G Atkins walked. R Spilborghs singled to right, G Atkins to
second. C Iannetta flied out to center, G Atkins to third, R Spilborghs to
second. J Carroll doubled to deep left, G Atkins and R Spilborghs scored.
R Lopez sacrificed to pitcher, J Carroll to third. W Taveras walked.
T Tulowitzki flied out to right. (2 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) COLORADO 3,
CHICAGO CUBS 4.

CHICAGO CUBS 4TH: F Pie grounded out to first. T Lilly grounded out to
pitcher. A Soriano grounded out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
COLORADO 3, CHICAGO CUBS 4.

COLORADO 5TH: M Holliday struck out swinging. T Helton lined out to
center. G Atkins flied out to left. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) COLORADO 3,
CHICAGO CUBS 4.

CHICAGO CUBS 5TH: M Fontenot walked. D Lee struck out looking, M Fontenot
stole second. A Ramirez flied out to right. C Floyd intentionally walked.
M DeRosa singled to center, M Fontenot scored, C Floyd to second. K Hill doubled
to deep left center, C Floyd and M DeRosa scored. F Pie singled to shallow
left, K Hill scored. T Lilly reached on infield single to second, F Pie to
second. T Buchholz relieved R Lopez. A Soriano grounded into fielder's choice
to third, T Lilly out at second. (4 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors) COLORADO 3,
CHICAGO CUBS 8.

COLORADO 6TH: R Spilborghs grounded out to third. C Iannetta grounded out
to pitcher. J Carroll homered to left. T Buchholz popped out to shortstop.
(1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) COLORADO 4, CHICAGO CUBS 8.

CHICAGO CUBS 6TH: M Fontenot lined out to left. D Lee singled to left.
A Ramirez grounded into double play, second to shortstop to first, D Lee out at
second.(0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) COLORADO 4, CHICAGO CUBS 8.

COLORADO 7TH: M Wuertz relieved T Lilly. W Taveras doubled to deep center.
T Tulowitzki struck out swinging. M Holliday struck out swinging. W Taveras
to third on wild pitch by M Wuertz. T Helton popped out to first. (0 Runs,
1 Hit, 0 Errors) COLORADO 4, CHICAGO CUBS 8.

CHICAGO CUBS 7TH: J Affeldt relieved T Buchholz. A Pagan hit for C Floyd.
A Pagan struck out looking. M DeRosa struck out swinging, M DeRosa safe at first
on wild pitch by J Affeldt. K Hill grounded into double play, shortstop to
second to first, M DeRosa out at second.(0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) COLORADO 4,
CHICAGO CUBS 8.

COLORADO 8TH: A Pagan in right field. G Atkins flied out to right.
R Spilborghs flied out to center. C Iannetta struck out looking. (0 Runs,
0 Hits, 0 Errors) COLORADO 4, CHICAGO CUBS 8.

CHICAGO CUBS 8TH: L Hawkins relieved J Affeldt. F Pie lined out to third.
D Ward hit for M Wuertz. D Ward singled to left. A Soriano grounded into
fielder's choice to third, D Ward out at second. M Fontenot grounded out to
third. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) COLORADO 4, CHICAGO CUBS 8.

COLORADO 9TH: C Marmol relieved M Wuertz. J Carroll doubled to deep right
center. C Sullivan hit for L Hawkins. C Sullivan singled to center, J Carroll
scored. W Taveras reached on bunt single to catcher, C Sullivan to second.
T Tulowitzki struck out looking. M Holliday struck out swinging. W Ohman
relieved C Marmol. T Helton popped out to shortstop. (1 Run, 3 Hits, 0 Errors)
COLORADO 5, CHICAGO CUBS 8.</div>

 

Soriano leads Cubs to fifth straight win, defeat Rockies

<h3>CHICAGO CUBS 8, COLORADO 5</h3>CHICAGO (Ticker) -- Following his heroics the previous night,Alfonso Soriano was the initiator for the Chicago Cubs.

Soriano had two hits and scored twice and Cliff Floyd hit atwo-run homer as the Cubs posted an 8-5 victory over theColorado Rockies on Monday.

Ted Lilly pitched six solid innings and Koyie Hill drove in twofor Chicago, which matched its season-high of five straightwins.

"Were getting there, were starting to play good baseball," Cubsmanager Lou Piniella said. "We knew we would start hitting theball sooner or later. As a team we are starting to gel."

Colorado (38-39) dropped its season-high fifth consecutive gameto fall one game under .500. It's the Rockies' longest skidsince losing six in a row from August 18-24.

"We came up a little bit short tonight," Rockies manager ClintHurdle said. "We had some chances but we didn't get it done."

Soriano, who won Monday's game vs. Colorado with a two-runsingle in the ninth in a 10-9 victory, ignited the Cubs offenseearly in this game.

The 31-year-old Dominican, who signed a seven-year, $136 milliondollar contract in the offseason, led off the first with asingle off Rodrigo Lopez before stealing second base.

"I feel I am very locked in with my swing right now," Sorianosaid.

After taking third on a groundout, Soriano was plated by atwo-out double by Aramis Ramirez. Floyd then belted a two-runhomer into the right field seats to give the Cubs a 3-0 lead.

"Things are coming together for us right now," Floyd said. "Iam hoping that good fortune sticks around for a while, and thatwe continue to play well as a team."

With Chicago leading, 3-1, in the third, Soriano led off with adouble and scored on a double by rookie Mike Fontenot to make it4-1.

After Colorado cut the lead to 4-3 on a two-run double byGarrett Atkins in the fourth, the Cubs put the game out of reachin the bottom of the fifth. A two-run double by Hillsurrounded by RBI singles by Mark DeRosa and Felix Pie gaveChicago an 8-3 lead.

That was enough support for Lilly (6-4), who allowed four runs,six hits and five walks.

"The guys have been putting up some big numbers for me," Lillysaid. "Earlier in the year when I was pitching well and gettingbeat, that wasn't the case. Thing have a way of evening out."

Cubs reliever Michael Wuertz pitched two innings and CarlosMarmol worked two-thirds of the ninth before Will Ohman came onto record his first save of the season and fourth of his career.

Lopez (4-1) surrendered eight runs, nine hits and four walks in4 2/3 innings to suffer his first loss in 2007.

"I left some pitches up, especially to Ramirez and Floyd in thefirst inning," Lopez said. "I could have pitched better."

Willy Taveras had three hits as did Jamey Carroll, who alsohomered for the Rockies, who have been tagged for 43 runs duringtheir slide.