GAME THREAD: NL: CHICAGO CUBS (44-42) at PITTSBURGH (39-48)

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at PITTSBURGH

<div class="pre">NL AT PITTSBURGH - PITCHING CHANGE
CHN: BOBBY HOWRY (5-4, 4.14) STARTING THE 8TH
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 2, PITTSBURGH 3

DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: F SANCHEZ (.294, 0-FOR-3)</div>

 

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at PITTSBURGH

<div class="pre">NL AT PITTSBURGH - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: B Howry relieved C Zambrano.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 2
PITTSBURGH 3 BOTTOM, 8TH

DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: F Sanchez (.294, 0-FOR-3)</div>

 

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at PITTSBURGH

<div class="pre">NL AT PITTSBURGH - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY JASON BAY SCORED FREDDY SANCHEZ AND ADAM LAROCHE.

SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, J BAY ON FIRST, X NADY ON THIRD, 0 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 2
PITTSBURGH 5 BOTTOM, 8TH

DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: J BAUTISTA (.257, 0-FOR-3)</div>

 

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at PITTSBURGH

<div class="pre">NL AT PITTSBURGH - SCORING UPDATE
SACRIFICE FLY BY JOSE BAUTISTA SCORED XAVIER NADY.
SITUATION: 3 RUNS IN, J BAY ON FIRST, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 2
PITTSBURGH 6 BOTTOM, 8TH

DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: R PAULINO (.235, 0-FOR-2, BB)</div>

 

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at PITTSBURGH

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

CURRENT PITCHERS: CHN - BOBBY HOWRY
PIT - SHAWN CHACON

DUE UP FOR CHICAGO CUBS: A RAMIREZ (.309, 1-FOR-3)
M DEROSA (.292, 2-FOR-3, RBI)
M FONTENOT (.359, 1-FOR-3)</div>

 

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at PITTSBURGH

<div class="pre">CHICAGO CUBS (2) VS PITTSBURGH (6) - END 8TH - IN PROGRESS

CHICAGO CUBS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
A Soriano lf 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 .309
R Theriot ss 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 .276
D Lee 1b 4 1 1 0 0 0 1 .330
A Ramirez 3b 3 1 1 0 0 0 2 .309
M DeRosa rf 3 0 2 1 0 0 0 .292
M Fontenot 2b 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 .359
A Pagan cf 2 0 0 1 0 0 1 .269
K Hill c 3 0 0 0 0 1 2 .148
C Zambrano p 3 0 0 0 0 1 2 .238
B Howry p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Totals 26 2 6 2 2 2 9

BATTING: 2B - M DeRosa (17, S Youman). S - R Theriot. SF - A Pagan. RBI - A
Pagan (13), M DeRosa (49). 2-out RBI - M DeRosa. Runners left in scoring
position, 2 out - C Zambrano 1, M Fontenot 1. GIDP - A Ramirez. Team LOB - 4.


BASERUNNING: CS - A Soriano (4, 3rd base by S Youman).

FIELDING: E - K Hill (1, throw). Outfield assists - M DeRosa (N McLouth at
2nd base).


PITTSBURGH ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
N McLouth cf 3 1 1 0 1 1 0 .241
F Sanchez 2b 4 1 1 0 0 0 1 .296
A LaRoche 1b 3 1 1 0 1 2 1 .239
X Nady rf 3 2 2 1 0 0 0 .291
J Bay lf 4 1 2 4 0 0 2 .254
J Bautista 3b 3 0 0 1 0 0 1 .257
R Paulino c 3 0 0 0 1 1 0 .234
J Wilson ss 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 .259
S Youman p 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 .250
S Chacon p 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .273

Totals 30 6 8 6 3 5 8

BATTING: HR - J Bay (13, 3rd inning off C Zambrano 1 on, 2 Out). SF - J
Bautista. RBI - X Nady (50), J Bay 4 (56), J Bautista (33). 2-out RBI - X Nady,
J Bay 2. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - J Wilson 1, J Bay 1. Team
LOB - 5.

BASERUNNING: SB - N McLouth (6, 2nd base off C Zambrano/K Hill).

FIELDING: DP: 1 (J Bautista-A LaRoche).


----------------------------------------------------
CHICAGO CUBS - 010 001 00 -- 2
PITTSBURGH - 003 000 03 -- 6
----------------------------------------------------

CHICAGO CUBS ip h r er bb so hr era
C Zambrano 7 4 3 3 3 5 1 4.03
B Howry 1 4 3 3 0 0 0 4.68

PITTSBURGH ip h r er bb so hr era
S Youman 6 6 2 2 2 1 0 3.00
S Chacon 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 3.59

HBP - X Nady (by C Zambrano). Pitches-strikes: C Zambrano 122-70; B Howry
20-15; S Youman 91-53; S Chacon 19-13. Ground balls-fly balls: C Zambrano 4-11;
B Howry 2-1; S Youman 8-8; S Chacon 0-5. Batters faced: C Zambrano 28; B Howry
7; S Youman 24; S Chacon 6.

UMPIRES: HP--Adrian Johnson. 1B--Dan Iassogna. 2B--Wally Bell. 3B--Ron Kulpa.

Weather: 85 degrees, sunny. Wind: 9 mph, out to left.</div>

 

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at PITTSBURGH

<div class="pre">NL AT PITTSBURGH - PITCHING CHANGE
PIT: MATT CAPPS (4-4, 2.42) STARTING THE 9TH
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 2, PITTSBURGH 6

DUE UP FOR CHCUBS: A RAMIREZ (.309, 1-FOR-3)</div>

 

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at PITTSBURGH

<div class="pre">NL AT PITTSBURGH - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: M Capps relieved S Chacon.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 2
PITTSBURGH 6 TOP, 9TH

DUE UP FOR CHICAGO CUBS: A Ramirez (.309, 1-FOR-3)</div>

 

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at PITTSBURGH

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

BATTERIES: CHN - CARLOS ZAMBRANO, BOBBY HOWRY (8TH) AND KOYIE HILL

PIT - SHANE YOUMAN, SHAWN CHACON (7TH), MATT CAPPS
(9TH) AND RONNY PAULINO

HOME RUNS: CHN - NONE

PIT - JASON BAY (13) OFF CARLOS ZAMBRANO IN THE 3RD, 1 ON</div>

 

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at PITTSBURGH

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

BATTERIES: CHN - CARLOS ZAMBRANO, BOBBY HOWRY (8TH) AND KOYIE HILL

PIT - SHANE YOUMAN, SHAWN CHACON (7TH), MATT CAPPS
(9TH) AND RONNY PAULINO


WP - SHANE YOUMAN (2-0)
LP - CARLOS ZAMBRANO (10-7)
SAVE - NONE

HOME RUNS: CHN - NONE

PIT - JASON BAY (13) OFF CARLOS ZAMBRANO IN THE 3RD, 1 ON


TIME: 2:23 ATT: 22,470

PROBABLES: PIT - IAN SNELL (7-5, 2.93)

PROBABLES: HOU - JASON JENNINGS (1-4, 4.07)
CHN - CARLOS ZAMBRANO (10-7, 4.03)</div>

 

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at PITTSBURGH

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

CHICAGO CUBS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
A Soriano lf 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 .309
R Theriot ss 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 .276
D Lee 1b 4 1 1 0 0 0 1 .330
A Ramirez 3b 4 1 2 0 0 0 2 .312
M DeRosa rf 4 0 2 1 0 1 1 .291
M Fontenot 2b 4 0 1 0 0 0 2 .356
A Pagan cf 3 0 0 1 0 0 2 .267
K Hill c 3 0 0 0 0 1 2 .148
C Zambrano p 3 0 0 0 0 1 2 .238
B Howry p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Totals 30 2 7 2 2 3 12

BATTING: 2B - M DeRosa (17, S Youman); A Ramirez (14, M Capps). S - R Theriot.
SF - A Pagan. RBI - A Pagan (13), M DeRosa (49). 2-out RBI - M DeRosa. Runners
left in scoring position, 2 out - C Zambrano 1, M Fontenot 1, A Pagan 1. GIDP -
A Ramirez. Team LOB - 5.

BASERUNNING: CS - A Soriano (4, 3rd base by S Youman).

FIELDING: E - K Hill (1, throw). Outfield assists - M DeRosa (N McLouth at
2nd base).


PITTSBURGH ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
N McLouth cf 3 1 1 0 1 1 0 .241
F Sanchez 2b 4 1 1 0 0 0 1 .296
A LaRoche 1b 3 1 1 0 1 2 1 .239
X Nady rf 3 2 2 1 0 0 0 .291
J Bay lf 4 1 2 4 0 0 2 .254
J Bautista 3b 3 0 0 1 0 0 1 .257
R Paulino c 3 0 0 0 1 1 0 .234
J Wilson ss 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 .259
S Youman p 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 .250
S Chacon p 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .273
M Capps p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000

Totals 30 6 8 6 3 5 8

BATTING: HR - J Bay (13, 3rd inning off C Zambrano 1 on, 2 Out). SF - J
Bautista. RBI - X Nady (50), J Bay 4 (56), J Bautista (33). 2-out RBI - X Nady,
J Bay 2. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - J Wilson 1, J Bay 1. Team
LOB - 5.

BASERUNNING: SB - N McLouth (6, 2nd base off C Zambrano/K Hill).

FIELDING: DP: 1 (J Bautista-A LaRoche).


----------------------------------------------------
CHICAGO CUBS - 010 001 000 -- 2
PITTSBURGH - 003 000 03x -- 6
----------------------------------------------------

CHICAGO CUBS ip h r er bb so hr era
C Zambrano (L, 10-7) 7 4 3 3 3 5 1 4.03
B Howry 1 4 3 3 0 0 0 4.68

PITTSBURGH ip h r er bb so hr era
S Youman (W, 2-0) 6 6 2 2 2 1 0 3.00
S Chacon (H, 5) 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 3.59
M Capps 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 2.37

HBP - X Nady (by C Zambrano). Pitches-strikes: C Zambrano 122-70; B Howry
20-15; S Youman 91-53; S Chacon 19-13; M Capps 11-8. Ground balls-fly balls: C
Zambrano 4-11; B Howry 2-1; S Youman 8-8; S Chacon 0-5; M Capps 0-2. Batters
faced: C Zambrano 28; B Howry 7; S Youman 24; S Chacon 6; M Capps 4.

UMPIRES: HP--Adrian Johnson. 1B--Dan Iassogna. 2B--Wally Bell. 3B--Ron Kulpa.

T--2:23. Att--22,470.
Weather: 85 degrees, sunny. Wind: 9 mph, out to left.</div>

 

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at PITTSBURGH

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

 

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at PITTSBURGH

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

CHICAGO CUBS 2ND: A Ramirez singled to right. M DeRosa singled to left,
A Ramirez to second. M Fontenot reached on bunt single to third, A Ramirez to
third, M DeRosa to second. A Pagan hit sacrifice fly to right, A Ramirez
scored, M DeRosa to third. K Hill flied out to center. C Zambrano grounded
out to second. (1 Run, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 1, PITTSBURGH 0.

PITTSBURGH 3RD: N McLouth walked. F Sanchez flied out to left. N McLouth
stole second, N McLouth safe at third on throwing error by catcher K Hill.
A LaRoche struck out looking. X Nady singled to center, N McLouth scored. J Bay
homered to center, X Nady scored. J Bautista flied out to right. (3 Runs,
2 Hits, 1 Error) CHICAGO CUBS 1, PITTSBURGH 3.

CHICAGO CUBS 6TH: R Theriot walked. D Lee reached on infield single to
shortstop, R Theriot to second. A Ramirez grounded into double play, third to
first, R Theriot out at third, D Lee to second. M DeRosa doubled to deep right,
D Lee scored. M Fontenot grounded out to second. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors)
CHICAGO CUBS 2, PITTSBURGH 3.

PITTSBURGH 8TH: B Howry relieved C Zambrano. F Sanchez singled to right.
A LaRoche singled to center, F Sanchez to second. X Nady singled to left,
F Sanchez to third, A LaRoche to second. J Bay singled to left center, F Sanchez
and A LaRoche scored, X Nady to third. J Bautista hit sacrifice fly to right,
X Nady scored. R Paulino grounded out to third, J Bay to second. J Wilson
grounded out to shortstop. (3 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 2,
PITTSBURGH 6.</div>

 

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at PITTSBURGH

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

BATTERIES: CHN - CARLOS ZAMBRANO, BOBBY HOWRY (8TH) AND KOYIE HILL

PIT - SHANE YOUMAN, SHAWN CHACON (7TH), MATT CAPPS
(9TH) AND RONNY PAULINO


WP - SHANE YOUMAN (2-0)
LP - CARLOS ZAMBRANO (10-7)
SAVE - NONE

HOME RUNS: CHN - NONE

PIT - JASON BAY (13) OFF CARLOS ZAMBRANO IN THE 3RD, 1 ON


TIME: 2:23 ATT: 22,470

PROBABLES: PIT - IAN SNELL (7-5, 2.93)
ATL - UNDECIDED

PROBABLES: HOU - JASON JENNINGS (1-4, 4.07)
CHN - CARLOS ZAMBRANO (10-7, 4.03)</div>

 

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at PITTSBURGH

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

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

Pittsburgh Starting Lineups -- N McLouth CF, F Sanchez 2B, A LaRoche 1B, X Nady RF,
J Bay LF, J Bautista 3B, R Paulino C, J Wilson SS, S Youman LHP.

Umpires -- Adrian Johnson (HP), Dan Iassogna (1B), Wally Bell (2B), Ron Kulpa (3B).

Gametime Weather: 85 degrees, Sunny, wind out to left at 9 mph.


CHICAGO CUBS 1ST: A Soriano singled to center. R Theriot sacrificed to
pitcher, A Soriano to second. A Soriano caught stealing third, pitcher to
third to second to shortstop. D Lee lined out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 1 Hit,
0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 0, PITTSBURGH 0.

PITTSBURGH 1ST: N McLouth flied out to center. F Sanchez flied out to
left. A LaRoche walked. X Nady hit by pitch, A LaRoche to second. J Bay
fouled out to catcher. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 0, PITTSBURGH 0.

CHICAGO CUBS 2ND: A Ramirez singled to right. M DeRosa singled to left,
A Ramirez to second. M Fontenot reached on bunt single to third, A Ramirez to
third, M DeRosa to second. A Pagan hit sacrifice fly to right, A Ramirez
scored, M DeRosa to third. K Hill flied out to center. C Zambrano grounded
out to second. (1 Run, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 1, PITTSBURGH 0.

PITTSBURGH 2ND: J Bautista flied out to right. R Paulino walked. J Wilson
grounded into fielder's choice to first, R Paulino out at second. S Youman
flied out to left. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 1, PITTSBURGH 0.

CHICAGO CUBS 3RD: A Soriano grounded out to third. R Theriot walked.
D Lee flied out to right. A Ramirez lined out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 0 Hits,
0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 1, PITTSBURGH 0.

PITTSBURGH 3RD: N McLouth walked. F Sanchez flied out to left. N McLouth
stole second, N McLouth safe at third on throwing error by catcher K Hill.
A LaRoche struck out looking. X Nady singled to center, N McLouth scored. J Bay
homered to center, X Nady scored. J Bautista flied out to right. (3 Runs,
2 Hits, 1 Error) CHICAGO CUBS 1, PITTSBURGH 3.

CHICAGO CUBS 4TH: M DeRosa grounded out to shortstop. M Fontenot flied out
to center. A Pagan flied out to center. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
CHICAGO CUBS 1, PITTSBURGH 3.

PITTSBURGH 4TH: R Paulino flied out to center. J Wilson flied out to left.
S Youman singled to center. N McLouth singled to deep right, S Youman to
third, N McLouth out stretching at second. (0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors)
CHICAGO CUBS 1, PITTSBURGH 3.

CHICAGO CUBS 5TH: K Hill flied out to center. C Zambrano struck out
swinging. A Soriano grounded out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
CHICAGO CUBS 1, PITTSBURGH 3.

PITTSBURGH 5TH: F Sanchez grounded out to third. A LaRoche struck out
swinging. X Nady popped out to second. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
CHICAGO CUBS 1, PITTSBURGH 3.

CHICAGO CUBS 6TH: R Theriot walked. D Lee reached on infield single to
shortstop, R Theriot to second. A Ramirez grounded into double play, third to
first, R Theriot out at third, D Lee to second. M DeRosa doubled to deep right,
D Lee scored. M Fontenot grounded out to second. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors)
CHICAGO CUBS 2, PITTSBURGH 3.

PITTSBURGH 6TH: J Bay flied out to center. J Bautista grounded out to
pitcher. R Paulino struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
CHICAGO CUBS 2, PITTSBURGH 3.

CHICAGO CUBS 7TH: S Chacon relieved S Youman. A Pagan lined out to center.
K Hill struck out swinging. C Zambrano flied out to center. (0 Runs, 0 Hits,
0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 2, PITTSBURGH 3.

PITTSBURGH 7TH: J Wilson grounded out to third. S Chacon struck out
swinging. N McLouth struck out looking. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
CHICAGO CUBS 2, PITTSBURGH 3.

CHICAGO CUBS 8TH: A Soriano popped out to shortstop. R Theriot fouled out
to first. D Lee flied out to right. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 2,
PITTSBURGH 3.

PITTSBURGH 8TH: B Howry relieved C Zambrano. F Sanchez singled to right.
A LaRoche singled to center, F Sanchez to second. X Nady singled to left,
F Sanchez to third, A LaRoche to second. J Bay singled to left center, F Sanchez
and A LaRoche scored, X Nady to third. J Bautista hit sacrifice fly to right,
X Nady scored. R Paulino grounded out to third, J Bay to second. J Wilson
grounded out to shortstop. (3 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 2,
PITTSBURGH 6.

CHICAGO CUBS 9TH: M Capps relieved S Chacon. A Ramirez doubled to center.
M DeRosa struck out swinging. M Fontenot flied out to center. A Pagan flied
out to center. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 2, PITTSBURGH 6.</div>

 

Bay buoys Pirates past Cubs

<h3>PITTSBURGH 6, CHICAGO CUBS 2</h3>PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- Jason Bay broke out of his slump in abig way with a home run and four RBI as the Pittsburgh Piratesdefeated the Chicago Cubs, 6-2, on Sunday.

Bay snapped out of a 1-for-24 slump with a two-run homer and atwo-run single for the Pirates, who have won five of six gamesheading into the All-Star break.

Pittsburgh's Shane Youman (2-0) allowed two runs in six inningsfor the second consecutive outing since being promoted fromClass AAA Indianapolis.

On Sunday, the lefthander allowed six hits, walked two andstruck out one - numbers similar to those in his debut, a 6-2win over Milwaukee on Tuesday.

Shawn Chacon pitched two innings of hitless ball while MattCapps recorded the final three outs for the Pirates.

In the third, Pittsburgh's Xavier Nady slapped a two-out singleto score Nate McLouth and tie the game at 1-1. Bay then beltedhis first home run since June 22 and 13th of the season, thisone to straight-away center to give the Pirates a 3-1 lead.

Pittsburgh added three insurance runs in the eighth on fourconsecutive singles - the last by Bay, which plated two runs -and a sacrifice fly that scored Freddy Sanchez, Adam LaRoche andNady.

Chicago ace Carlos Zambrano (10-7) allowed three runs and fourhits in seven innings, walking three and striking out five. Thehefty righthander, who had won five of his six previous starts,retired the last nine batters he faced.

Mark DeRosa had two hits and a RBI for Chicago, which droppedtwo of three at PNC Park this weekend to lose the first of itspast five series.

The Cubs scored a run in the second, but Youman limited thedamage to what could have been a big inning after Chicago hitthree consecutive singles to open the inning.

Angel Pagan's sacrifice fly to right scored Aramis Ramirez, butYouman got Koyie Hill to fly to shallow center and Zambrano toground to second.

After the Cubs loaded the bases, Youman retired 12 of the next13 hitters until Chicago struck again in the sixth.

DeRosa delivered an RBI double off the right-field wall to scoreDerrek Lee and cut Chicago's deficit to 3-2.

 

Bay buoys Pirates past Cubs

<h3>PITTSBURGH 6, CHICAGO CUBS 2</h3>PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- Jason Bay broke out of his slump in abig way with a home run and four RBI as the Pittsburgh Piratesdefeated the Chicago Cubs, 6-2, on Sunday.

Bay snapped out of a 1-for-24 slump with a two-run homer and atwo-run single for the Pirates, who have won five of six gamesheading into the All-Star break.

The Pirates, who have won nine of 13, completed their homestand7-3 - including taking five of seven against the top two teamsin the National League Central Division.

"We didn't want to put that mush pressure on the homestand andmake it a must-win," Bay said. "But we won all the series andthe pitching, the defense, everything clicked where we wanted itto be. It will be tough to take these days off, but I don'tthink anyone's complaining."

Pittsburgh's Shane Youman (2-0) allowed two runs in six inningsfor the second consecutive outing since being promoted fromClass AAA Indianapolis.

On Sunday, the lefthander allowed six hits, walked two andstruck out one - numbers similar to those in his debut, a 6-2win over Milwaukee on Tuesday.

"Shane Youman did a great job for us," Pittsburgh manager JimTracy said. "He's going to throw strikes and make pitches tohis spots and get the ball in play. And when you do that, yougive yourself a great opportunity."

Shawn Chacon pitched two innings of hitless ball while MattCapps recorded the final three outs for the Pirates.

In the third, Pittsburgh's Xavier Nady slapped a two-out singleto score Nate McLouth and tie the game at 1-1. Bay then beltedhis first home run since June 22 and 13th of the season, thisone to straight-away center to give the Pirates a 3-1 lead.

Pittsburgh added three insurance runs in the eighth on fourconsecutive singles - the last by Bay, which plated two runs -and a sacrifice fly that scored Freddy Sanchez, Adam LaRoche andNady.

"I'll feel a little bit better sitting at home on this day thanwhat it could have been," said Bay, who had been hitting only.130 since June 4. "The game will humble you. ... It feels muchbetter with these three or four days off to know I got timelyhits, big hits. It's huge for me."

Chicago ace Carlos Zambrano (10-7) allowed three runs and fourhits in seven innings, walking three and striking out five. Thehefty righthander, who had won five of his six previous starts,retired the last nine batters he faced.

"He gave us seven innings - he pitched well enough," Chicagomanager Lou Piniella said. "We just didn't generate too muchoffense."

Mark DeRosa had two hits and a RBI for Chicago, which droppedtwo of three at PNC Park this weekend to lose the first of itspast five series.

The Cubs scored a run in the second, but Youman limited thedamage to what could have been a big inning after Chicago hitthree consecutive singles to open the inning.

"Pitching coaches always talk about managing damage, damagecontrol, when you get involved in innings like that," Youmansaid. "So that was the first thing that came to mind. Damagecontrol, make guys swing the bats, get some outs without toomuch bad happening."

Angel Pagan's sacrifice fly to right scored Aramis Ramirez, butYouman got Koyie Hill to fly to shallow center and Zambrano toground to second.

"The key to (Youman's) performance was obviously the secondinning," Tracy said. "When he's facing the opponent he was upagainst (Zambrano), if they do any damage there, we could be introuble."

After the Cubs loaded the bases, Youman retired 12 of the next13 hitters until Chicago struck again in the sixth.

DeRosa delivered an RBI double off the right-field wall to scoreDerrek Lee and cut Chicago's deficit to 3-2.

"We start new in the second half and we're ready for it," saidZambrano, who will pitch consecutive games when the Cubs' seasonresumes Friday. "I know we can start the second half how wefinished the first half."