GAME THREAD: NL: CHICAGO CUBS (25-32) at ATLANTA (33-27)

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at ATLANTA

<div class="pre">NL AT ATLANTA - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: A Pagan in right field.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 2
ATLANTA 1 BOTTOM, 8TH

DUE UP FOR ATLANTA: S Thorman (.226, 0-FOR-2)</div>

 

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at ATLANTA

<div class="pre">NL AT ATLANTA - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: J Saltalamacchia hit for S Thorman.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 2
ATLANTA 1 BOTTOM, 8TH

DUE UP FOR ATLANTA: J Saltalamacchia (.304, 2 HR, 7 RBI)</div>

 

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at ATLANTA

<div class="pre">NL AT ATLANTA - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: C Woodward hit for T Yates.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 2
ATLANTA 1 BOTTOM, 8TH

DUE UP FOR ATLANTA: C Woodward (.224, 1 HR, 5 RBI)</div>

 

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at ATLANTA

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

CURRENT PITCHERS: CHN - RICH HILL
ATL - TYLER YATES (OUT)

DUE UP FOR CHICAGO CUBS: R THERIOT (.274, 1-FOR-3)
C IZTURIS (.246, 1-FOR-2, BB)
R HILL (.077, 0-FOR-2, SAC)</div>

 

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at ATLANTA

<div class="pre">CHICAGO CUBS (2) VS ATLANTA (1) - END 8TH - IN PROGRESS

CHICAGO CUBS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
A Soriano lf 3 1 2 1 1 0 0 .315
F Pie cf 4 0 1 1 0 0 4 .274
D Lee 1b 3 0 0 0 1 1 0 .338
M Murton rf 3 0 1 0 1 1 2 .263
A Pagan pr-rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .298
M Barrett c 4 0 0 0 0 1 4 .239
M DeRosa 3b 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 .252
R Theriot 2b 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 .274
C Izturis ss 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 .246
R Hill p 2 0 0 0 0 2 2 .077

Totals 28 2 6 2 4 5 14

BATTING: 3B - A Soriano (4, C James). S - R Hill. RBI - F Pie (9), A Soriano
(18). 2-out RBI - A Soriano. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - F Pie 2.
GIDP - M Barrett. Team LOB - 7.


ATLANTA ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
K Johnson 2b 3 0 0 0 1 1 0 .286
Y Escobar 3b 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 .333
E Renteria ss 3 0 0 0 0 3 0 .320
A Jones cf 3 1 2 1 0 1 0 .225
J Francoeur rf 3 0 0 0 0 2 0 .289
M Diaz lf 3 0 1 0 0 1 1 .333
B McCann c 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 .275
S Thorman 1b 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 .226
a-J Saltalamacchia ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .298
C James p 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .105
T Yates p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
b-C Woodward ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .221

Totals 27 1 3 1 1 11 3

a-struck out swinging for S Thorman in the 8th; b-flied out to right for T
Yates in the 8th.

BATTING: HR - A Jones (10, 2nd inning off R Hill 0 on, 0 Out). RBI - A Jones
(39). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - M Diaz 1. Team LOB - 3.

BASERUNNING: SB - A Jones (3, 2nd base off R Hill/M Barrett).

FIELDING: DP: 1 (E Renteria-K Johnson-S Thorman).


----------------------------------------------------
CHICAGO CUBS - 110 000 00 -- 2
ATLANTA - 010 000 00 -- 1
----------------------------------------------------

CHICAGO CUBS ip h r er bb so hr era
R Hill 8 3 1 1 1 11 1 2.71

ATLANTA ip h r er bb so hr era
C James 7 6 2 2 3 4 0 3.66
T Yates 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 3.58

IBB - A Soriano (by C James). Pitches-strikes: R Hill 108-75; C James 105-67;
T Yates 12-7. Ground balls-fly balls: R Hill 4-9; C James 10-7; T Yates 0-2.
Batters faced: R Hill 28; C James 29; T Yates 4.

UMPIRES: HP--Charlie Reliford. 1B--Greg Gibson. 2B--Larry Vanover. 3B--Tony
Randazzo.

Weather: 86 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 10 mph, right to left.</div>

 

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at ATLANTA

<div class="pre">NL AT ATLANTA - PITCHING CHANGE
ATL: RAFAEL SORIANO (1-0, 2.42) STARTING THE 9TH
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 2, ATLANTA 1

DUE UP FOR CHCUBS: R THERIOT (.274, 1-FOR-3)</div>

 

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at ATLANTA

<div class="pre">NL AT ATLANTA - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: R Soriano relieved T Yates.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 2
ATLANTA 1 TOP, 9TH

DUE UP FOR CHICAGO CUBS: R Theriot (.274, 1-FOR-3)</div>

 

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at ATLANTA

<div class="pre">NL AT ATLANTA - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: C Woodward at first base.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 2
ATLANTA 1 TOP, 9TH

DUE UP FOR CHICAGO CUBS: R Theriot (.274, 1-FOR-3)</div>

 

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at ATLANTA

<div class="pre">NL AT ATLANTA - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: C Floyd hit for R Hill.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 2
ATLANTA 1 TOP, 9TH

DUE UP FOR CHICAGO CUBS: C Floyd (.309, 3 HR, 23 RBI)</div>

 

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at ATLANTA

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

CURRENT PITCHERS: CHN - RICH HILL (OUT)
ATL - RAFAEL SORIANO

DUE UP FOR ATLANTA: Y ESCOBAR (.333, 0-FOR-3)
E RENTERIA (.320, 0-FOR-3)
A JONES (.225, 2-FOR-3, HR, RBI)</div>

 

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at ATLANTA

<div class="pre">CHICAGO CUBS (2) VS ATLANTA (1) - MID 9TH - IN PROGRESS

CHICAGO CUBS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
A Soriano lf 3 1 2 1 1 0 0 .315
F Pie cf 4 0 1 1 0 0 4 .274
D Lee 1b 3 0 0 0 1 1 0 .338
M Murton rf 3 0 1 0 1 1 2 .263
A Pagan pr-rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .298
M Barrett c 4 0 0 0 0 1 4 .239
M DeRosa 3b 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 .252
R Theriot 2b 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 .272
C Izturis ss 3 0 1 0 1 0 0 .245
R Hill p 2 0 0 0 0 2 2 .077
a-C Floyd ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .306

Totals 31 2 6 2 4 5 14

a-popped out to shortstop for R Hill in the 9th.

BATTING: 3B - A Soriano (4, C James). S - R Hill. RBI - F Pie (9), A Soriano
(18). 2-out RBI - A Soriano. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - F Pie 2.
GIDP - M Barrett. Team LOB - 7.


ATLANTA ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
K Johnson 2b 3 0 0 0 1 1 0 .286
Y Escobar 3b 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 .333
E Renteria ss 3 0 0 0 0 3 0 .320
A Jones cf 3 1 2 1 0 1 0 .225
J Francoeur rf 3 0 0 0 0 2 0 .289
M Diaz lf 3 0 1 0 0 1 1 .333
B McCann c 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 .275
S Thorman 1b 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 .226
a-J Saltalamacchia ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .298
R Soriano p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
C James p 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .105
T Yates p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
b-C Woodward ph-1b 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .221

Totals 27 1 3 1 1 11 3

a-struck out swinging for S Thorman in the 8th; b-flied out to right for T
Yates in the 8th.

BATTING: HR - A Jones (10, 2nd inning off R Hill 0 on, 0 Out). RBI - A Jones
(39). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - M Diaz 1. Team LOB - 3.

BASERUNNING: SB - A Jones (3, 2nd base off R Hill/M Barrett).

FIELDING: DP: 1 (E Renteria-K Johnson-S Thorman).


----------------------------------------------------
CHICAGO CUBS - 110 000 000 -- 2
ATLANTA - 010 000 00 -- 1
----------------------------------------------------

CHICAGO CUBS ip h r er bb so hr era
R Hill 8 3 1 1 1 11 1 2.71

ATLANTA ip h r er bb so hr era
C James 7 6 2 2 3 4 0 3.66
T Yates 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 3.58
R Soriano 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2.33

IBB - A Soriano (by C James). Pitches-strikes: R Hill 108-75; C James 105-67;
T Yates 12-7; R Soriano 10-7. Ground balls-fly balls: R Hill 4-9; C James 10-7;
T Yates 0-2; R Soriano 0-3. Batters faced: R Hill 28; C James 29; T Yates 4; R
Soriano 3.

UMPIRES: HP--Charlie Reliford. 1B--Greg Gibson. 2B--Larry Vanover. 3B--Tony
Randazzo.

Weather: 86 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 10 mph, right to left.</div>

 

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at ATLANTA

<div class="pre">NL AT ATLANTA - PITCHING CHANGE
CHN: RYAN DEMPSTER (1-2, 3.38) STARTING THE 9TH
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 2, ATLANTA 1

DUE UP FOR ATLANTA: Y ESCOBAR (.333, 0-FOR-3)</div>

 

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at ATLANTA

<div class="pre">NL AT ATLANTA - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: R Dempster relieved R Hill.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 2
ATLANTA 1 BOTTOM, 9TH

DUE UP FOR ATLANTA: Y Escobar (.333, 0-FOR-3)</div>

 

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at ATLANTA

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

BATTERIES: CHN - RICH HILL, RYAN DEMPSTER (9TH) AND MICHAEL BARRETT

ATL - CHUCK JAMES, TYLER YATES (8TH), RAFAEL SORIANO
(9TH) AND BRIAN MCCANN

HOME RUNS: CHN - NONE

ATL - ANDRUW JONES (10) OFF RICH HILL IN THE 2ND, 0 ON</div>

 

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at ATLANTA

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

BATTERIES: CHN - RICH HILL, RYAN DEMPSTER (9TH) AND MICHAEL BARRETT

ATL - CHUCK JAMES, TYLER YATES (8TH), RAFAEL SORIANO
(9TH) AND BRIAN MCCANN


WP - RICH HILL (5-4)
LP - CHUCK JAMES (5-5)
SAVE - RYAN DEMPSTER (12)

HOME RUNS: CHN - NONE

ATL - ANDRUW JONES (10) OFF RICH HILL IN THE 2ND, 0 ON


TIME: 2:14 ATT: 32,902

PROBABLES: CHN - SEAN MARSHALL (1-2, 2.25)
ATL - LANCE CORMIER (0-1, 18.00)</div>

 

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at ATLANTA

<div class="pre">CHICAGO CUBS (2) VS ATLANTA (1) - FINAL

CHICAGO CUBS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
A Soriano lf 3 1 2 1 1 0 0 .315
F Pie cf 4 0 1 1 0 0 4 .274
D Lee 1b 3 0 0 0 1 1 0 .338
M Murton rf 3 0 1 0 1 1 2 .263
A Pagan pr-rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .298
M Barrett c 4 0 0 0 0 1 4 .239
M DeRosa 3b 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 .252
R Theriot 2b 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 .272
C Izturis ss 3 0 1 0 1 0 0 .245
R Hill p 2 0 0 0 0 2 2 .077
a-C Floyd ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .306
R Dempster p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Totals 31 2 6 2 4 5 14

a-popped out to shortstop for R Hill in the 9th.

BATTING: 3B - A Soriano (4, C James). S - R Hill. RBI - F Pie (9), A Soriano
(18). 2-out RBI - A Soriano. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - F Pie 2.
GIDP - M Barrett. Team LOB - 7.


ATLANTA ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
K Johnson 2b 3 0 0 0 1 1 0 .286
Y Escobar 3b 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 .321
E Renteria ss 4 0 0 0 0 3 0 .319
A Jones cf 4 1 2 1 0 1 0 .224
J Francoeur rf 3 0 0 0 0 2 0 .289
M Diaz lf 3 0 1 0 0 1 1 .333
B McCann c 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 .275
S Thorman 1b 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 .226
a-J Saltalamacchia ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .298
R Soriano p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
C James p 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .105
T Yates p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
b-C Woodward ph-1b 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .221

Totals 30 1 3 1 1 11 3

a-struck out swinging for S Thorman in the 8th; b-flied out to right for T
Yates in the 8th.

BATTING: HR - A Jones (10, 2nd inning off R Hill 0 on, 0 Out). RBI - A Jones
(39). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - M Diaz 1. Team LOB - 3.

BASERUNNING: SB - A Jones (3, 2nd base off R Hill/M Barrett).

FIELDING: DP: 1 (E Renteria-K Johnson-S Thorman).


----------------------------------------------------
CHICAGO CUBS - 110 000 000 -- 2
ATLANTA - 010 000 000 -- 1
----------------------------------------------------

CHICAGO CUBS ip h r er bb so hr era
R Hill (W, 5-4) 8 3 1 1 1 11 1 2.71
R Dempster (S, 12) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.25

ATLANTA ip h r er bb so hr era
C James (L, 5-5) 7 6 2 2 3 4 0 3.66
T Yates 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 3.58
R Soriano 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2.33

IBB - A Soriano (by C James). Pitches-strikes: R Hill 108-75; R Dempster 9-8;
C James 105-67; T Yates 12-7; R Soriano 10-7. Ground balls-fly balls: R Hill
4-9; R Dempster 3-0; C James 10-7; T Yates 0-2; R Soriano 0-3. Batters faced: R
Hill 28; R Dempster 3; C James 29; T Yates 4; R Soriano 3.

UMPIRES: HP--Charlie Reliford. 1B--Greg Gibson. 2B--Larry Vanover. 3B--Tony
Randazzo.

T--2:14. Att--32,902.
Weather: 86 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 10 mph, right
to left.</div>

 

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at ATLANTA

<div class="pre">** CONFIRMED **
NL
CHICAGO CUBS 2
ATLANTA 1 FINAL</div>

 

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at ATLANTA

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CHICAGO CUBS (2) AT ATLANTA (1) - HOW THEY SCORED
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CHICAGO CUBS 1ST: A Soriano tripled to deep right. F Pie singled to left,
A Soriano scored. D Lee walked, F Pie to second. M Murton struck out looking.
M Barrett grounded into double play, shortstop to second to first, D Lee out
at second.(1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 1, ATLANTA 0.

CHICAGO CUBS 2ND: M DeRosa flied out to right. R Theriot reached on
infield single to shortstop. C Izturis singled to right, R Theriot to third.
R Hill struck out swinging. A Soriano singled to left, R Theriot scored,
C Izturis to second. F Pie grounded out to first. (1 Run, 3 Hits, 0 Errors)
CHICAGO CUBS 2, ATLANTA 0.

ATLANTA 2ND: A Jones homered to right. J Francoeur struck out swinging.
M Diaz fouled out to first. B McCann grounded out to pitcher. (1 Run, 1 Hit,
0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 2, ATLANTA 1.</div>

 

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at ATLANTA

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CHICAGO CUBS (2) AT ATLANTA (1) - EVENT LOG
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chicago Cubs Starting Lineups -- A Soriano LF, F Pie CF, D Lee 1B, M Murton RF,
M Barrett C, M DeRosa 3B, R Theriot 2B, C Izturis SS, R Hill LHP.

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

Umpires -- Charlie Reliford (HP), Greg Gibson (1B), Larry Vanover (2B),
Tony Randazzo (3B).

Gametime Weather: 86 degrees, Partly Cloudy, wind right to left at 10 mph.


CHICAGO CUBS 1ST: A Soriano tripled to deep right. F Pie singled to left,
A Soriano scored. D Lee walked, F Pie to second. M Murton struck out looking.
M Barrett grounded into double play, shortstop to second to first, D Lee out
at second.(1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 1, ATLANTA 0.

ATLANTA 1ST: K Johnson lined out to third. Y Escobar grounded out to
shortstop. E Renteria struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
CHICAGO CUBS 1, ATLANTA 0.

CHICAGO CUBS 2ND: M DeRosa flied out to right. R Theriot reached on
infield single to shortstop. C Izturis singled to right, R Theriot to third.
R Hill struck out swinging. A Soriano singled to left, R Theriot scored,
C Izturis to second. F Pie grounded out to first. (1 Run, 3 Hits, 0 Errors)
CHICAGO CUBS 2, ATLANTA 0.

ATLANTA 2ND: A Jones homered to right. J Francoeur struck out swinging.
M Diaz fouled out to first. B McCann grounded out to pitcher. (1 Run, 1 Hit,
0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 2, ATLANTA 1.

CHICAGO CUBS 3RD: D Lee struck out looking. M Murton grounded out to
third. M Barrett grounded out to third. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
CHICAGO CUBS 2, ATLANTA 1.

ATLANTA 3RD: S Thorman fouled out to catcher. C James grounded out to
pitcher. K Johnson walked. Y Escobar flied out to center. (0 Runs, 0 Hits,
0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 2, ATLANTA 1.

CHICAGO CUBS 4TH: M DeRosa flied out to center. R Theriot flied out to
center. C Izturis grounded out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
CHICAGO CUBS 2, ATLANTA 1.

ATLANTA 4TH: E Renteria struck out swinging. A Jones singled to center.
A Jones stole second. J Francoeur flied out to right, A Jones to third. M Diaz
struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 2, ATLANTA 1.

CHICAGO CUBS 5TH: R Hill struck out swinging. A Soriano flied out to
center. F Pie flied out to center. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 2,
ATLANTA 1.

ATLANTA 5TH: B McCann grounded out to second. S Thorman struck out
swinging. C James fouled out to left. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 2,
ATLANTA 1.

CHICAGO CUBS 6TH: D Lee grounded out to third. M Murton singled to right.
M Barrett lined out to third. M DeRosa grounded into fielder's choice to
shortstop, M Murton out at second. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 2,
ATLANTA 1.

ATLANTA 6TH: K Johnson struck out swinging. Y Escobar flied out to right.
E Renteria struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 2,
ATLANTA 1.

CHICAGO CUBS 7TH: R Theriot flied out to center. C Izturis walked. R Hill
sacrificed to pitcher, C Izturis to second. A Soriano intentionally walked.
F Pie grounded out to third. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 2, ATLANTA 1.

ATLANTA 7TH: A Jones struck out swinging. J Francoeur struck out swinging.
M Diaz singled to right. B McCann struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 1 Hit,
0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 2, ATLANTA 1.

CHICAGO CUBS 8TH: T Yates relieved C James. D Lee flied out to center.
M Murton walked. A Pagan ran for M Murton. M Barrett struck out looking.
M DeRosa flied out to right. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 2, ATLANTA 1.

ATLANTA 8TH: A Pagan in right field. J Saltalamacchia hit for S Thorman.
J Saltalamacchia struck out swinging. C Woodward hit for T Yates. C Woodward
flied out to right. K Johnson lined out to second. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
CHICAGO CUBS 2, ATLANTA 1.

CHICAGO CUBS 9TH: R Soriano relieved T Yates. C Woodward at first base.
R Theriot flied out to center. C Izturis lined out to center. C Floyd hit for
R Hill. C Floyd popped out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 2,
ATLANTA 1.

ATLANTA 9TH: R Dempster relieved R Hill. Y Escobar grounded out to
shortstop. E Renteria grounded out to pitcher. A Jones grounded out to third.
(0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 2, ATLANTA 1.</div>

 

Hill pitches Cubs past Braves

<h3>CHICAGO CUBS 2, ATLANTA 1</h3>ATLANTA (Ticker) -- Rich Hill continued his mastery of theAtlanta Braves.

Hill tied a career high with 11 strikeouts in eight masterfulinnings and Alfonso Soriano scored and drove in a run to leadthe Chicago Cubs to a 2-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves in theopener of a four-game series on Thursday.

Pitching in his first full season, Hill (5-4) has emerged as oneof the bright spots in an otherwise gloomy season for the Cubsand has been one of their more reliable starters. Coming intoThursday, he was second to free-agent acquisition Jason Marquisin team ERA with a 2.89 mark and logged just 8 2/3 innings lessthan staff leader Carlos Zambrano, in two fewer starts.

Hill has been effective against the Braves in his brief majorleague career, sporting a 2-0 career record against Atlanta inthree major-league starts and allowing just two earned runs in20 2/3 innings.

Ryan Dempster pitched a perfect ninth for his 12th save of theseason.

Hill allowed one run and three hits and walked one with 11strikeouts. He needed 108 pitches, 75 strikes, to dispatch of astruggling Atlanta lineup, which he went to a three-ball countagainst just two times.

The only blemish to Hill's night occurred in the fourth, whenAndruw Jones smashed the lefthander's 1-0 offering the oppositeway over the right field wall for his 10th homer of the season.

Hill settled down to retire the next seven batters beforeissuing a free pass to Kelly Johnson in the third.

Atlanta garnished a modest threat in the fourth. Jones laced aone-out single and stole second base. But Hill induced JeffFrancoeur to fly out and struck out Matt Diaz to end the threat.

Soriano provided Hill all the run support he needed, leading offthe game with a triple into the right-center field gap. Hescored on a single by Felix Pie. One inning later, Sorianoextended the Chicago lead to 2-0 when he drove in Ryan Theriotwith a single.

Atlanta starter Chuck James (5-5) rebounded from a rough firsttwo innings - where he needed 39 pitches - to hurl an efficientgame. The Atlanta native allowed two runs, six hits and threewalks while striking out two in seven innings.

James retired 11 straight batters from the second through thesixth innings and allowed just one hit after the second.

But this one was all about Hill, who hurled a gem and made lifeeasy for Cubs manager Lou Piniella, who was returning from hisfour-game suspension.

Diaz had the other hit for the Braves, who have dropped six ofseven at home.