NL: HOUSTON at CHICAGO CUBS <div class="pre">HOUSTON (6) VS CHICAGO CUBS (1) - MID 9TH - IN PROGRESS HOUSTON ab r h rbi bb so lob avg H Pence cf 4 3 2 5 1 2 0 .325 C Biggio 2b 5 0 2 0 0 2 1 .256 L Scott rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .256 L Berkman 1b 4 0 2 1 1 0 0 .280 C Lee lf 3 0 0 0 2 0 1 .302 M Loretta ss 5 0 1 0 0 2 5 .278 T Wigginton 3b 4 1 0 0 1 3 1 .256 C Burke rf-2b 4 1 1 0 0 0 4 .227 B Ausmus c 2 1 0 0 2 0 1 .231 W Rodriguez p 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 .122 a-O Palmeiro ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .234 D Borkowski p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 T Miller p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Totals 34 6 8 6 7 9 16 a-flied out to left for W Rodriguez in the 7th. BATTING: 2B - L Berkman 2 (19, S Marshall, M Wuertz); M Loretta (22, M Wuertz). HR - H Pence 2 (14, 4th inning off S Marshall 2 on, 2 Out, 6th inning off M Wuertz 1 on, 1 Out). S - W Rodriguez. RBI - L Berkman (86), H Pence 5 (52). 2-out RBI - H Pence 3. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - M Loretta 2, C Burke 3. Team LOB - 9. BASERUNNING: SB - B Ausmus (6, 2nd base off M Wuertz/H Blanco). CS - C Biggio (3, 3rd base by M Wuertz/H Blanco). FIELDING: E - C Burke (5, fly ball). DP: 1 (M Loretta-C Biggio-L Berkman). CHICAGO CUBS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg R Theriot ss 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 .281 M DeRosa 2b 3 0 0 0 1 1 1 .289 D Lee 1b 4 0 0 0 0 2 2 .307 A Ramirez 3b 4 1 3 0 0 0 0 .316 C Monroe rf-lf 3 0 1 0 1 0 2 .267 M Murton lf 2 0 1 0 1 1 1 .270 K Wood p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 a-D Ward ph 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 .330 S Eyre p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 H Blanco c 3 0 0 0 0 1 4 .190 b-C Floyd ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .286 J Kendall c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .316 J Jones cf-rf 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 .273 S Marshall p 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .071 M Wuertz p 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 F Pie cf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .213 Totals 31 1 7 1 3 7 12 a-singled to right center for K Wood in the 8th; b-popped out to shortstop for H Blanco in the 8th. BATTING: RBI - D Ward (14). 2-out RBI - D Ward. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - C Floyd 1, H Blanco 1, D Lee 1. GIDP - C Monroe. Team LOB - 9. FIELDING: E - A Ramirez (7, ground ball). ---------------------------------------------------- HOUSTON - 100 302 000 -- 6 CHICAGO CUBS - 000 000 01 -- 1 ---------------------------------------------------- HOUSTON ip h r er bb so hr era W Rodriguez 6 4 0 0 3 5 0 4.49 D Borkowski 1 2/3 3 1 1 0 2 0 5.19 T Miller 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 4.95 CHICAGO CUBS ip h r er bb so hr era S Marshall 3 2/3 5 4 1 4 3 1 3.98 M Wuertz 2 1/3 3 2 2 2 2 1 3.77 K Wood 2 0 0 0 1 2 0 3.18 S Eyre 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 5.02 WP - S Marshall, M Wuertz. IBB - C Lee (by S Marshall). Pitches-strikes: W Rodriguez 102-58; D Borkowski 30-22; T Miller 2-2; S Marshall 84-45; M Wuertz 47-23; K Wood 34-20; S Eyre 13-10. Ground balls-fly balls: W Rodriguez 3-10; D Borkowski 2-1; T Miller 0-1; S Marshall 6-2; M Wuertz 0-4; K Wood 1-3; S Eyre 0-1. Batters faced: W Rodriguez 25; D Borkowski 8; T Miller 1; S Marshall 21; M Wuertz 11; K Wood 7; S Eyre 3. UMPIRES: HP--Greg Gibson. 1B--Larry Vanover. 2B--Tony Randazzo. 3B--Gerry Davis. Weather: 71 degrees, sunny. Wind: 8 mph, in from center.</div>
NL: HOUSTON at CHICAGO CUBS <div class="pre">NL FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E - - - - - - - - - - - - HOUSTON 1 0 0 3 0 2 0 0 0 6 8 1 CHICAGO CUBS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 7 1 (FINAL) BATTERIES: HOU - WANDY RODRIGUEZ, DAVE BORKOWSKI (7TH), TREVER MILLER (8TH) AND BRAD AUSMUS CHN - SEAN MARSHALL, MIKE WUERTZ (4TH), KERRY WOOD (7TH), SCOTT EYRE (9TH) AND HENRY BLANCO, JASON KENDALL (9TH) HOME RUNS: HOU - HUNTER PENCE (13) OFF SEAN MARSHALL IN THE 4TH, 2 ON HUNTER PENCE (14) OFF MIKE WUERTZ IN THE 6TH, 1 ON CHN - NONE</div>
NL: HOUSTON at CHICAGO CUBS <div class="pre">NL FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E - - - - - - - - - - - - HOUSTON 1 0 0 3 0 2 0 0 0 6 8 1 CHICAGO CUBS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 7 1 (FINAL) BATTERIES: HOU - WANDY RODRIGUEZ, DAVE BORKOWSKI (7TH), TREVER MILLER (8TH) AND BRAD AUSMUS CHN - SEAN MARSHALL, MIKE WUERTZ (4TH), KERRY WOOD (7TH), SCOTT EYRE (9TH) AND HENRY BLANCO, JASON KENDALL (9TH) WP - WANDY RODRIGUEZ (8-12) LP - SEAN MARSHALL (7-7) SAVE - NONE HOME RUNS: HOU - HUNTER PENCE (13) OFF SEAN MARSHALL IN THE 4TH, 2 ON HUNTER PENCE (14) OFF MIKE WUERTZ IN THE 6TH, 1 ON CHN - NONE TIME: 3:06 ATT: 41,297 PROBABLES: HOU - TROY PATTON (0-1, 4.76) CHN - JASON MARQUIS (10-8, 4.26)</div>
NL: HOUSTON at CHICAGO CUBS <div class="pre">HOUSTON (6) VS CHICAGO CUBS (1) - FINAL HOUSTON ab r h rbi bb so lob avg H Pence cf 4 3 2 5 1 2 0 .325 C Biggio 2b 5 0 2 0 0 2 1 .256 L Scott rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .256 L Berkman 1b 4 0 2 1 1 0 0 .280 C Lee lf 3 0 0 0 2 0 1 .302 M Loretta ss 5 0 1 0 0 2 5 .278 T Wigginton 3b 4 1 0 0 1 3 1 .256 C Burke rf-2b 4 1 1 0 0 0 4 .227 B Ausmus c 2 1 0 0 2 0 1 .231 W Rodriguez p 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 .122 a-O Palmeiro ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .234 D Borkowski p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 T Miller p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Totals 34 6 8 6 7 9 16 a-flied out to left for W Rodriguez in the 7th. BATTING: 2B - L Berkman 2 (19, S Marshall, M Wuertz); M Loretta (22, M Wuertz). HR - H Pence 2 (14, 4th inning off S Marshall 2 on, 2 Out, 6th inning off M Wuertz 1 on, 1 Out). S - W Rodriguez. RBI - L Berkman (86), H Pence 5 (52). 2-out RBI - H Pence 3. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - M Loretta 2, C Burke 3. Team LOB - 9. BASERUNNING: SB - B Ausmus (6, 2nd base off M Wuertz/H Blanco). CS - C Biggio (3, 3rd base by M Wuertz/H Blanco). FIELDING: E - C Burke (5, fly ball). DP: 1 (M Loretta-C Biggio-L Berkman). CHICAGO CUBS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg R Theriot ss 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 .281 M DeRosa 2b 3 0 0 0 1 1 1 .289 D Lee 1b 4 0 0 0 0 2 2 .307 A Ramirez 3b 4 1 3 0 0 0 0 .316 C Monroe rf-lf 3 0 1 0 1 0 2 .267 M Murton lf 2 0 1 0 1 1 1 .270 K Wood p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 a-D Ward ph 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 .330 S Eyre p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 H Blanco c 3 0 0 0 0 1 4 .190 b-C Floyd ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .286 J Kendall c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .316 J Jones cf-rf 4 0 0 0 0 1 0 .273 S Marshall p 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .071 M Wuertz p 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 F Pie cf 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 .211 Totals 34 1 7 1 3 9 12 a-singled to right center for K Wood in the 8th; b-popped out to shortstop for H Blanco in the 8th. BATTING: RBI - D Ward (14). 2-out RBI - D Ward. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - C Floyd 1, H Blanco 1, D Lee 1. GIDP - C Monroe. Team LOB - 9. FIELDING: E - A Ramirez (7, ground ball). ---------------------------------------------------- HOUSTON - 100 302 000 -- 6 CHICAGO CUBS - 000 000 010 -- 1 ---------------------------------------------------- HOUSTON ip h r er bb so hr era W Rodriguez (W, 8-12) 6 4 0 0 3 5 0 4.49 D Borkowski 1 2/3 3 1 1 0 2 0 5.19 T Miller 1 1/3 0 0 0 0 2 0 4.83 CHICAGO CUBS ip h r er bb so hr era S Marshall (L, 7-7) 3 2/3 5 4 1 4 3 1 3.98 M Wuertz 2 1/3 3 2 2 2 2 1 3.77 K Wood 2 0 0 0 1 2 0 3.18 S Eyre 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 5.02 WP - S Marshall, M Wuertz. IBB - C Lee (by S Marshall). Pitches-strikes: W Rodriguez 102-58; D Borkowski 30-22; T Miller 19-12; S Marshall 84-45; M Wuertz 47-23; K Wood 34-20; S Eyre 13-10. Ground balls-fly balls: W Rodriguez 3-10; D Borkowski 2-1; T Miller 0-2; S Marshall 6-2; M Wuertz 0-4; K Wood 1-3; S Eyre 0-1. Batters faced: W Rodriguez 25; D Borkowski 8; T Miller 4; S Marshall 21; M Wuertz 11; K Wood 7; S Eyre 3. UMPIRES: HP--Greg Gibson. 1B--Larry Vanover. 2B--Tony Randazzo. 3B--Gerry Davis. T--3:06. Att--41,297. Weather: 71 degrees, sunny. Wind: 8 mph, in from center.</div>
NL: HOUSTON at CHICAGO CUBS <div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ HOUSTON (6) AT CHICAGO CUBS (1) - HOW THEY SCORED ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ HOUSTON 1ST: H Pence walked. C Biggio struck out swinging. L Berkman doubled to left, H Pence scored. C Lee intentionally walked. M Loretta struck out swinging. L Berkman to third, C Lee to second on wild pitch by S Marshall. T Wigginton walked. C Burke popped out to second. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) HOUSTON 1, CHICAGO CUBS 0. HOUSTON 4TH: T Wigginton safe at first on error by third baseman A Ramirez. C Burke singled to left, T Wigginton to second. B Ausmus flied out to right, T Wigginton to third. W Rodriguez sacrificed to first, C Burke to second. H Pence homered to left, T Wigginton and C Burke scored. C Biggio singled to left center. L Berkman walked, C Biggio to second. M Wuertz relieved S Marshall. C Biggio caught stealing third, catcher to third. (3 Runs, 3 Hits, 1 Error) HOUSTON 4, CHICAGO CUBS 0. HOUSTON 6TH: B Ausmus walked. W Rodriguez bunt popped out to third. B Ausmus stole second. H Pence homered to center, B Ausmus scored. C Biggio struck out swinging. L Berkman doubled to deep right. C Lee walked. M Loretta lined out to center. (2 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) HOUSTON 6, CHICAGO CUBS 0. CHICAGO CUBS 8TH: L Scott in right field. C Burke at second base. M DeRosa struck out swinging. D Lee struck out swinging. A Ramirez singled to right. C Monroe singled to center, A Ramirez to second. D Ward hit for K Wood. D Ward singled to right center, A Ramirez scored, C Monroe to second. C Floyd hit for H Blanco. T Miller relieved D Borkowski. C Floyd popped out to shortstop. (1 Run, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) HOUSTON 6, CHICAGO CUBS 1.</div>
NL: HOUSTON at CHICAGO CUBS <div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ HOUSTON (6) AT CHICAGO CUBS (1) - EVENT LOG ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Houston Starting Lineups -- H Pence CF, C Biggio 2B, L Berkman 1B, C Lee LF, M Loretta SS, T Wigginton 3B, C Burke RF, B Ausmus C, W Rodriguez LHP. Chicago Cubs Starting Lineups -- R Theriot SS, M DeRosa 2B, D Lee 1B, A Ramirez 3B, C Monroe RF, M Murton LF, H Blanco C, J Jones CF, S Marshall LHP. Umpires -- Greg Gibson (HP), Larry Vanover (1B), Tony Randazzo (2B), Gerry Davis (3B). Gametime Weather: 71 degrees, Sunny, wind in from center at 8 mph. HOUSTON 1ST: H Pence walked. C Biggio struck out swinging. L Berkman doubled to left, H Pence scored. C Lee intentionally walked. M Loretta struck out swinging. L Berkman to third, C Lee to second on wild pitch by S Marshall. T Wigginton walked. C Burke popped out to second. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) HOUSTON 1, CHICAGO CUBS 0. CHICAGO CUBS 1ST: R Theriot popped out to second. M DeRosa lined out to left. D Lee flied out to center. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) HOUSTON 1, CHICAGO CUBS 0. HOUSTON 2ND: B Ausmus grounded out to shortstop. W Rodriguez grounded out to third. H Pence struck out looking. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) HOUSTON 1, CHICAGO CUBS 0. CHICAGO CUBS 2ND: A Ramirez singled to center. C Monroe grounded into double play, shortstop to second to first, A Ramirez out at second. M Murton singled to right. H Blanco lined out to right. (0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) HOUSTON 1, CHICAGO CUBS 0. HOUSTON 3RD: C Biggio reached on infield single to second. L Berkman grounded out to third, C Biggio to second. C Lee grounded out to third. M Loretta grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) HOUSTON 1, CHICAGO CUBS 0. CHICAGO CUBS 3RD: J Jones popped out to shortstop. S Marshall struck out looking. R Theriot safe at first on error by right fielder C Burke. M DeRosa walked, R Theriot to second. D Lee flied out to left. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 1 Error) HOUSTON 1, CHICAGO CUBS 0. HOUSTON 4TH: T Wigginton safe at first on error by third baseman A Ramirez. C Burke singled to left, T Wigginton to second. B Ausmus flied out to right, T Wigginton to third. W Rodriguez sacrificed to first, C Burke to second. H Pence homered to left, T Wigginton and C Burke scored. C Biggio singled to left center. L Berkman walked, C Biggio to second. M Wuertz relieved S Marshall. C Biggio caught stealing third, catcher to third. (3 Runs, 3 Hits, 1 Error) HOUSTON 4, CHICAGO CUBS 0. CHICAGO CUBS 4TH: A Ramirez flied out to center. C Monroe walked. M Murton struck out looking. H Blanco struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) HOUSTON 4, CHICAGO CUBS 0. HOUSTON 5TH: C Lee flied out to center. M Loretta doubled to deep left. M Loretta to third on wild pitch by M Wuertz. T Wigginton struck out swinging. C Burke flied out to left. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) HOUSTON 4, CHICAGO CUBS 0. CHICAGO CUBS 5TH: J Jones grounded out to second. M Wuertz struck out swinging. R Theriot singled to right center. M DeRosa flied out to center. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) HOUSTON 4, CHICAGO CUBS 0. HOUSTON 6TH: B Ausmus walked. W Rodriguez bunt popped out to third. B Ausmus stole second. H Pence homered to center, B Ausmus scored. C Biggio struck out swinging. L Berkman doubled to deep right. C Lee walked. M Loretta lined out to center. (2 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) HOUSTON 6, CHICAGO CUBS 0. CHICAGO CUBS 6TH: D Lee struck out looking. A Ramirez reached on infield single to third. C Monroe popped out to second. M Murton walked, A Ramirez to second. H Blanco popped out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) HOUSTON 6, CHICAGO CUBS 0. HOUSTON 7TH: C Monroe in left field. K Wood relieved M Wuertz. J Jones in right field. F Pie in center field. T Wigginton struck out looking. C Burke flied out to left. B Ausmus walked. O Palmeiro hit for W Rodriguez. O Palmeiro flied out to left. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) HOUSTON 6, CHICAGO CUBS 0. CHICAGO CUBS 7TH: D Borkowski relieved W Rodriguez. J Jones grounded out to third. F Pie flied out to center. R Theriot grounded out to pitcher. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) HOUSTON 6, CHICAGO CUBS 0. HOUSTON 8TH: H Pence struck out swinging. C Biggio flied out to right. L Berkman grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) HOUSTON 6, CHICAGO CUBS 0. CHICAGO CUBS 8TH: L Scott in right field. C Burke at second base. M DeRosa struck out swinging. D Lee struck out swinging. A Ramirez singled to right. C Monroe singled to center, A Ramirez to second. D Ward hit for K Wood. D Ward singled to right center, A Ramirez scored, C Monroe to second. C Floyd hit for H Blanco. T Miller relieved D Borkowski. C Floyd popped out to shortstop. (1 Run, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) HOUSTON 6, CHICAGO CUBS 1. HOUSTON 9TH: S Eyre relieved K Wood. J Kendall catching. C Lee flied out to center. M Loretta struck out looking. T Wigginton struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) HOUSTON 6, CHICAGO CUBS 1. CHICAGO CUBS 9TH: J Jones struck out swinging. F Pie struck out swinging. R Theriot lined out to left. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) HOUSTON 6, CHICAGO CUBS 1.</div>
Rodriguez, Pence lead Astros past Cubs <h3>HOUSTON 6, CHICAGO CUBS 1</h3>CHICAGO (Ticker) -- It took more than a month, but WandyRodriguez finally got his groove back. Rodriguez pitched six superb innings as the Houston Astrosposted a 6-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Friday afternoon. Rookie Hunter Pence went 2-for-4 with two home runs and acareer-high five RBI for Houston, which has won three of fourgames since Cecil Cooper was named interim manager on Monday. Two of those victories came against the St. Louis Cardinals, whoare one of the close pursuers to the National League CentralDivision-leading Cubs (68-65). With the loss, Chicago saw its lead in the division reduced totwo games over the Milwaukee Brewers (66-67) and 2 1/2 over St.Louis (64-66). Both the Brewers and Cardinals play Fridaynight. Rodriguez (8-12), who was 1-9 in his previous 11 road startsthis season, scattered four hits and three walks to notch hisfirst win since July 26. The lefthander, who struck out five,had been 0-3 with a 6.03 ERA in six starts since his lastvictory. Pence was involved in each inning the Astros scored. In the first, Pence led off with a walk before scoring on aone-out double to left-center field by Lance Berkman, givingHouston a 1-0 lead. With runners on second and third and two outs in the fourth,Pence smashed a 1-1 fastball from Sean Marshall into the secondrow of seats in left field, increasing the Astros' advantage tofour. After giving up another hit and a walk in the inning,Marshall was replaced by Mike Wuertz. Marshall (7-7) allowed four runs - one earned - five hits and aseason high-tying four walks in 3 2/3 frames. The lefthander,who has failed to last four innings three times this season,fell to 1-4 in five career starts against Houston. The Astros upped their advantage in the sixth. Two battersafter Brad Ausmus led off with a walk, Pence belted a 1-1 pitchfrom Wuertz deep into the right-center field seats to make it6-0. The blast, his 14th of the season, completed Pence's firstcareer multi-homer performance. Daryle Ward hit a pinch RBI single in the eighth and AramisRamirez collected three of the seven hits by Chicago, which hadwon its previous four home games vs. Houston.
NL: HOUSTON at CHICAGO CUBS <div class="pre">HOUSTON (6) VS CHICAGO CUBS (1) - FINAL HOUSTON ab r h rbi bb so lob avg H Pence cf 4 3 2 5 1 2 0 .325 C Biggio 2b 5 0 2 0 0 2 1 .256 L Scott rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .256 L Berkman 1b 4 0 2 1 1 0 0 .280 C Lee lf 3 0 0 0 2 0 1 .302 M Loretta ss 5 0 1 0 0 2 5 .278 T Wigginton 3b 4 1 0 0 1 3 1 .256 C Burke rf-2b 4 1 1 0 0 0 4 .227 B Ausmus c 2 1 0 0 2 0 1 .231 W Rodriguez p 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 .122 a-O Palmeiro ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .234 D Borkowski p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 T Miller p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Totals 34 6 8 6 7 9 16 a-flied out to left for W Rodriguez in the 7th. BATTING: 2B - L Berkman 2 (19, S Marshall, M Wuertz); M Loretta (22, M Wuertz). HR - H Pence 2 (14, 4th inning off S Marshall 2 on, 2 Out, 6th inning off M Wuertz 1 on, 1 Out). S - W Rodriguez. RBI - L Berkman (86), H Pence 5 (52). 2-out RBI - H Pence 3. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - M Loretta 2, C Burke 3. Team LOB - 9. BASERUNNING: SB - B Ausmus (6, 2nd base off M Wuertz/H Blanco). CS - C Biggio (3, 3rd base by M Wuertz/H Blanco). FIELDING: E - C Burke (5, fly ball). DP: 1 (M Loretta-C Biggio-L Berkman). CHICAGO CUBS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg R Theriot ss 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 .281 M DeRosa 2b 3 0 0 0 1 1 1 .289 D Lee 1b 4 0 0 0 0 2 2 .307 A Ramirez 3b 4 1 3 0 0 0 0 .316 C Monroe rf-lf 3 0 1 0 1 0 2 .267 M Murton lf 2 0 1 0 1 1 1 .270 K Wood p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 a-D Ward ph 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 .330 S Eyre p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 H Blanco c 3 0 0 0 0 1 4 .190 b-C Floyd ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .286 J Kendall c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .316 J Jones cf-rf 4 0 0 0 0 1 0 .273 S Marshall p 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .071 M Wuertz p 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 F Pie cf 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 .211 Totals 34 1 7 1 3 9 12 a-singled to right center for K Wood in the 8th; b-popped out to shortstop for H Blanco in the 8th. BATTING: RBI - D Ward (14). 2-out RBI - D Ward. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - C Floyd 1, H Blanco 1, D Lee 1. GIDP - C Monroe. Team LOB - 9. FIELDING: E - A Ramirez (7, ground ball). ---------------------------------------------------- HOUSTON - 100 302 000 -- 6 CHICAGO CUBS - 000 000 010 -- 1 ---------------------------------------------------- HOUSTON ip h r er bb so hr era W Rodriguez (W, 8-12) 6 4 0 0 3 5 0 4.49 D Borkowski 1 2/3 3 1 1 0 2 0 5.19 T Miller 1 1/3 0 0 0 0 2 0 4.83 CHICAGO CUBS ip h r er bb so hr era S Marshall (L, 7-7) 3 2/3 5 4 1 4 3 1 3.98 M Wuertz 2 1/3 3 2 2 2 2 1 3.77 K Wood 2 0 0 0 1 2 0 3.18 S Eyre 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 5.02 WP - S Marshall, M Wuertz. IBB - C Lee (by S Marshall). Pitches-strikes: W Rodriguez 102-58; D Borkowski 30-22; T Miller 19-12; S Marshall 84-45; M Wuertz 47-23; K Wood 34-20; S Eyre 13-10. Ground balls-fly balls: W Rodriguez 3-10; D Borkowski 2-1; T Miller 0-2; S Marshall 6-2; M Wuertz 0-4; K Wood 1-3; S Eyre 0-1. Batters faced: W Rodriguez 25; D Borkowski 8; T Miller 4; S Marshall 21; M Wuertz 11; K Wood 7; S Eyre 3. UMPIRES: HP--Greg Gibson. 1B--Larry Vanover. 2B--Tony Randazzo. 3B--Gerry Davis. T--3:06. Att--41,297. Weather: 71 degrees, sunny. Wind: 8 mph, in from center.</div>
Rodriguez, Pence lead Astros past Cubs <h3>HOUSTON 6, CHICAGO CUBS 1</h3>CHICAGO (Ticker) -- It took more than a month, but WandyRodriguez finally got his groove back. Rodriguez pitched six superb innings as the Houston Astrosposted a 6-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Friday afternoon. Rookie Hunter Pence went 2-for-4 with two home runs and acareer-high five RBI for Houston, which has won three of fourgames since Cecil Cooper was named interim manager on Monday. Two of those victories came against the St. Louis Cardinals, whoare one of the close pursuers to the National League CentralDivision-leading Cubs (68-65). With the loss, Chicago saw its lead in the division reduced totwo games over the Milwaukee Brewers (66-67) and 2 1/2 over St.Louis (64-66). Both the Brewers and Cardinals play Fridaynight. Rodriguez (8-12), who was 1-9 in his previous 11 road startsthis season, scattered four hits and three walks to notch hisfirst win since July 26. The lefthander, who struck out five,had been 0-3 with a 6.03 ERA in six starts since his lastvictory. "I don't get caught up in home and road stats," Astros catcherBrad Ausmus said. "Wandy did a nice job today, he used hisfastball well. He didn't have his best curveball. However, thekey was the location of his fastball." Pence was involved in each inning the Astros scored. In the first, Pence led off with a walk before scoring on aone-out double to left-center field by Lance Berkman, givingHouston a 1-0 lead. "He's a guy who can produce runs," Cooper said of Pence. "Oneday, he might hit further down in the lineup, but right now, heset's the tone for what we want to do with the batting order." With runners on second and third and two outs in the fourth,Pence smashed a 1-1 fastball from Sean Marshall into the secondrow of seats in left field, increasing the Astros' advantage tofour. "(Marshall) threw me a fastball in," Pence said. "I saw theball real well today." After giving up another hit and a walk in the inning, Marshallwas replaced by Mike Wuertz. Marshall (7-7) allowed four runs - one earned - five hits and aseason high-tying four walks in 3 2/3 frames. The lefthander,who has failed to last four innings three times this season,fell to 1-4 in five career starts against Houston. "I feel I have pitched well against the Astros," Marshall said."It was a battle for me today. I think I'll face them again ina couple of starts. Hopefully, I can bounce back." The Astros upped their advantage in the sixth. Two battersafter Brad Ausmus led off with a walk, Pence belted a 1-1 pitchfrom Wuertz deep into the right-center field seats to make it6-0. The blast, his 14th of the season, completed Pence's firstcareer multi-homer performance. "I don't care about that stuff," Pence said about his stats. "Iam just concerned about this team getting back in the race.This is a big series for us." Daryle Ward hit a pinch RBI single in the eighth and AramisRamirez collected three of the seven hits by Chicago, which hadwon its previous four home games vs. Houston. "You are not going to hit every day," Cubs manager Lou Piniellasaid. "Down the stretch, we are going to have to swing the batsmore consistently, I'll tell you that."
