GAME THREAD: NL: CHICAGO CUBS (27-33) at ATLANTA (34-29)

NL: CHICAGO CUBS at ATLANTA

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CHICAGO CUBS (4) AT ATLANTA (5) - EVENT LOG
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Chicago Cubs Starting Lineups -- A Soriano LF, F Pie CF, D Lee 1B, M Barrett C,
J Jones RF, M DeRosa 3B, M Fontenot 2B, C Izturis SS, T Lilly LHP.

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

Umpires -- Jim Wolf (HP), Adrian Johnson (1B), Jim Joyce (2B), Tim Tschida (3B).

Gametime Weather: 90 degrees, Partly Cloudy, wind left to right at 6 mph.


CHICAGO CUBS 1ST: A Soriano flied out to left. F Pie flied out to center.
D Lee safe at first on error by third baseman Y Escobar. M Barrett struck out
swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 1 Error) CHICAGO CUBS 0, ATLANTA 0.

ATLANTA 1ST: K Johnson struck out swinging. Y Escobar struck out looking.
E Renteria hit by pitch. Chicago Cubs's T Lilly ejected by J Wolf.
C Marmol relieved T Lilly. E Renteria stole second. A Jones grounded out to
third. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 0, ATLANTA 0.

CHICAGO CUBS 2ND: J Jones grounded out to shortstop. M DeRosa grounded out
to first. M Fontenot struck out looking. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
CHICAGO CUBS 0, ATLANTA 0.

ATLANTA 2ND: J Francoeur struck out swinging. M Diaz struck out swinging.
J Saltalamacchia singled to right. S Thorman flied out to center. (0 Runs,
1 Hit, 0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 0, ATLANTA 0.

CHICAGO CUBS 3RD: C Izturis singled to center. C Marmol sacrificed to
pitcher, C Izturis to second. A Soriano grounded out to shortstop. F Pie
struck out looking. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 0, ATLANTA 0.

ATLANTA 3RD: B Carlyle flied out to center. K Johnson homered to right.
Y Escobar singled to left. E Renteria singled to right center, Y Escobar to
second. A Jones flied out to right. J Francoeur singled to left, Y Escobar
scored, E Renteria to second. E Renteria to third, J Francoeur to second on
wild pitch by C Marmol. M Diaz grounded out to shortstop. (2 Runs, 4 Hits,
0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 0, ATLANTA 2.

CHICAGO CUBS 4TH: D Lee struck out swinging. M Barrett grounded out to
shortstop. J Jones grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
CHICAGO CUBS 0, ATLANTA 2.

ATLANTA 4TH: W Ohman relieved C Marmol. A Pagan in right field.
J Saltalamacchia singled to center. S Thorman singled to right, J Saltalamacchia
to second. B Carlyle struck out bunting foul. K Johnson struck out swinging.
J Saltalamacchia to third, S Thorman to second on wild pitch by W Ohman.
Y Escobar hit by pitch. C Woodward hit for E Renteria. C Woodward flied out to
right. (0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 0, ATLANTA 2.

CHICAGO CUBS 5TH: Y Escobar at shortstop. C Woodward at third base.
M DeRosa singled to center. M Fontenot tripled to right, M DeRosa scored.
C Izturis flied out to left. A Pagan reached on infield single to first.
A Soriano hit sacrifice fly to right, M Fontenot scored. F Pie grounded out to
second. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 2, ATLANTA 2.

ATLANTA 5TH: M Wuertz relieved W Ohman. A Jones grounded out to second.
J Francoeur popped out to first. M Diaz singled to left. J Saltalamacchia flied
out to left. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 2, ATLANTA 2.

CHICAGO CUBS 6TH: D Lee flied out to right. M Barrett homered to left.
M Murton hit for M Wuertz. M Murton flied out to left. M DeRosa flied out to
right. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 3, ATLANTA 2.

ATLANTA 6TH: B Howry relieved M Wuertz. S Thorman fouled out to third.
B Carlyle struck out swinging. K Johnson walked. Y Escobar singled to right,
K Johnson to third. C Woodward flied out to right. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors)
CHICAGO CUBS 3, ATLANTA 2.

CHICAGO CUBS 7TH: M Fontenot homered to right. C Izturis singled to
center. A Pagan sacrificed to pitcher, C Izturis to second. A Soriano
intentionally walked. M McBride relieved B Carlyle. F Pie grounded into
fielder's choice to shortstop, A Soriano out at second, C Izturis to third.
C Paronto relieved M McBride. F Pie stole second. D Lee grounded out to
shortstop. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 4, ATLANTA 2.

ATLANTA 7TH: A Jones flied out to center. J Francoeur flied out to center.
M Diaz struck out looking. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 4, ATLANTA 2.

CHICAGO CUBS 8TH: M Barrett safe at first on error by third baseman
C Woodward. R Theriot hit for B Howry. R Theriot singled to center, M Barrett to
second. M DeRosa reached on bunt single to third, M Barrett to third,
R Theriot to second. M Fontenot grounded into double play, third to catcher to
first, M Barrett out at home, R Theriot to third, M DeRosa to second. C Izturis
grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 2 Hits, 1 Error) CHICAGO CUBS 4, ATLANTA 2.

ATLANTA 8TH: R Theriot at second base. R Dempster relieved B Howry.
J Saltalamacchia doubled to deep right center. S Thorman doubled to right,
J Saltalamacchia scored. W Harris hit for C Paronto. W Harris singled to right,
S Thorman to third. W Harris stole second. K Johnson intentionally walked.
Y Escobar grounded into double play, shortstop to second to first, S Thorman
scored, K Johnson out at second, W Harris to third. B McCann hit for
C Woodward. B McCann intentionally walked. C James ran for B McCann. A Jones
walked, C James to second. W Harris scored on R Dempster's wild pitch.
J Francoeur grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, A Jones out at second.
(3 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 4, ATLANTA 5.

CHICAGO CUBS 9TH: B Wickman relieved C Paronto. P Orr at third base.
A Pagan grounded out to first. A Soriano flied out to center. F Pie flied out
to center. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) CHICAGO CUBS 4, ATLANTA 5.</div>

 

Braves earn comeback win over Cubs

<h3>ATLANTA 5, CHICAGO CUBS 4</h3>ATLANTA (Ticker) -- The Atlanta Braves are getting really goodat come-from-behind heroics.

Willie Harris scored on a wild pitch as the Braves rallied for a5-4 victory against the Chicago Cubs in a wild affair at TurnerField.

Atlanta entered Sunday with a major league-leading 10come-from-behind wins when trailing after the seventh inning.The Braves made it 11 Sunday.

With Atlanta trailing, 4-2, in the eighth, rookie JarrodSaltalamacchia hit a leadoff double into the left-center fieldgap off Chicago closer Ryan Dempster (1-3), who had blown justone save in 13 opportunities this season. Scott Thorman platedSaltalamacchia with a double and advanced to third on a singleby pinch hitter Willie Harris.

After the speedy Harris swiped second, Dempster issued anintentional walk to Kelly Johnson, bringing up Yunel Escobar.

The rookie grounded into a double play, scoring Thorman. Pinchhitter Brian McCann was walked intentionally ahead of AndruwJones, who entered batting .325 (13-for-40) with two homers andeight RBI against the Chicago closer.

Jones' services at the plate were not needed because Dempsteruncorked a wild 3-2 offering, which went all the way to thebackstop and allowed Harris to score.

Dempster's wildness made a winner of Atlanta reliever ChadParonto (3-1), who scattered two hits in 1 1/3 innings. BobWickman pitched a scoreless ninth to record his 11th save.

Chicago starter Ted Lilly lasted just two-thirds of an inningbefore he was ejected for hitting shortstop Edgar Renteria onhis left hand and shoulder with an 2-0 pitch.

Renteria, who thought that the hit by pitch was intentional andin retaliation for Tim Hudson's plunking of Alfonso Soriano withthe first pitch of the game on Saturday, walked toward themound.

Both benches were warned and the benches cleared. With homeplate umpire Jim Wolf escorting Renteria down the first baseline, Lilly apparently said something to Renteria andimmediately was ejected.

Renteria quickly retaliated by sending his hand into the face ofsecond baseman Mike Fontenot when he stole second on the nextpitch.

But Renteria, a four-time All-Star, was gone three frames laterwith a contusion to his left hand. X-rays were negative.

Atlanta took a 2-0 advantage in the third on a homer by KellyJohnson and a two-out run-scoring single by Jeff Francoeur.

But Fontenot, who was recalled from Class AAA Iowa one day afterCliff Floyd was placed on the bereavement list on Friday,tripled in Mark DeRosa in the fifth off Atlanta starter BuddyCarlyle, cutting the deficit to 2-1. Soriano plated Fontenot totie the game.

In the next frame, Michael Barrett, who grew up outside Atlanta,smashed his ninth homer of the season just over the glove ofleaping left fielder Matt Diaz to give Chicago the lead.

Fontenot matched Barrett by smacking his first major leaguehomer into the right-center field bleachers to give the Cubs a4-2 edge.

 

Braves earn comeback win over Cubs

<h3>ATLANTA 5, CHICAGO CUBS 4</h3>ATLANTA (Ticker) -- The Atlanta Braves are getting really goodat come-from-behind heroics.

Willie Harris scored on a wild pitch as the Braves rallied for a5-4 victory against the Chicago Cubs in a wild affair at TurnerField.

Atlanta entered Sunday with a major league-leading 10come-from-behind wins when trailing after the seventh inning.The Braves made it 11 Sunday.

"I had no clue of that stat," Harris said. "It's good for us tocome from behind and win. I think it shows a lot about ourteam character about how we play the game."

With Atlanta trailing, 4-2, in the eighth, rookie JarrodSaltalamacchia hit a leadoff double into the left-center fieldgap off Chicago closer Ryan Dempster (1-3), who had blown justone save in 13 opportunities this season.

Scott Thorman plated Saltalamacchia with a double and advancedto third on a single by pinch hitter Harris. After the speedyHarris swiped second, Dempster issued an intentional walk toKelly Johnson, bringing up Yunel Escobar. The rookie groundedinto a double play, scoring Thorman to tie the game.

Pinch hitter Brian McCann was walked intentionally ahead ofAndruw Jones, who entered batting .325 (13-for-40) with twohomers and eight RBI against the Chicago closer.

Jones' services at the plate were not needed because Dempsteruncorked a wild 3-2 offering, which went all the way to thebackstop and allowed Harris to score.

"I was anticipating a wild pitch," Harris said. "I was lookingfor something down in the dirt you could score on. You knowthey're going to throw Andruw (Jones) a bunch of sliders and abunch of off-speed pitches. One got away from them enough and Iscored."

Dempster's wildness made a winner of Atlanta reliever ChadParonto (3-1), who scattered two hits in 1 1/3 innings. BobWickman pitched a scoreless ninth to record his 11th save.

"It was a heck of a ballgame," Braves manager Bobby Cox said."The fans really got their money's worth."

Chicago starter Ted Lilly lasted just two-thirds of an inningbefore he was ejected for hitting shortstop Edgar Renteria onhis left hand and chin with a 2-0 pitch.

"I understand the game," Renteria said. "If he hit me down in<div class="pre">the butt, I understand. But up in my head? I don't understand</div>that."

Renteria, who thought that the hit by pitch was intentional andin retaliation for Tim Hudson's plunking of Alfonso Soriano withthe first pitch of the game on Saturday, walked toward themound.

"It's a tough situation for the Cubbies," Cox said. "Wehonestly did not hit Soriano on purpose. We were trying to goin, that's all. To them, it appeared we did."

Both benches were warned and the benches cleared. With homeplate umpire Jim Wolf escorting Renteria down the first baseline, Lilly was ejected.

"It took (Wolf) a while to decide (intent)," Cubs manager LouPiniella said. "Then he came to that conclusion. We got theworst of all experiences in the first inning on that call."

"(Wolf) told me that he was ready for this to happen," Lillysaid. "I don't know why he didn't warn me before the game. Itwas too soon to do something like that. He has to take intoaccount that starting pitchers can't get kicked out of the gamethat soon."

Renteria quickly retaliated by sending his hand into the face ofsecond baseman Mike Fontenot when he stole second on the nextpitch. But Renteria, a five-time All-Star, was gone three frameslater with a contusion to his left hand. X-rays were negative.

"It hit me in the hand and the chin," said Renteria, who expectsto play in the opener of Atlanta's three-game set againstMinnesota on Tuesday. "I got lucky that I got a big chin, it'sstrong."

Atlanta took a 2-0 advantage in the third on a homer by KellyJohnson and a two-out run-scoring single by Jeff Francoeur.

But Fontenot, who was recalled from Class AAA Iowa one day afterCliff Floyd was placed on the bereavement list on Friday,tripled in Mark DeRosa in the fifth off Atlanta starter BuddyCarlyle, cutting the deficit to 2-1. Soriano plated Fontenot totie the game.

In the next frame, Michael Barrett, who grew up outside Atlanta,smashed his ninth homer of the season just over the glove ofleaping left fielder Matt Diaz to give Chicago the lead.

Fontenot matched Barrett by smacking his first major leaguehomer into the right-center field bleachers to give the Cubs a4-2 edge.