Cubs answer the bell
Marquis up to challenge while teammates pick each other up for win
Scoreboard watching remains only a casual ''between-innings'' preoccupation for Cubs manager Lou Piniella. But nearly all of his players were watching Tuesday night as the clubhouse televisions showed the Milwaukee Brewers locked in a ninth-inning deadlock with the New York Mets.
The Brewers wound up winning 4-2 in 13 innings, keeping the Cubs -- come-from-behind 7-3 winners against the Philadelphia Phillies -- from taking over first place in the National League Central.
The Brewers wound up winning 4-2 in 13 innings, keeping the Cubs -- come-from-behind 7-3 winners against the Philadelphia Phillies -- from taking over first place in the National League Central.
''It's not that big a deal now,'' pitcher Jason Marquis insisted. ''You want to be in first place on Sept. 30. We can't be thinking about the Milwaukee Brewers or the wild-card teams. We have to concentrate on the Chicago Cubs.''
(AP)
(John J. Kim/Sun-Times)
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''It's not that big a deal now,'' pitcher Jason Marquis insisted. ''You want to be in first place on Sept. 30. We can't be thinking about the Milwaukee Brewers or the wild-card teams. We have to concentrate on the Chicago Cubs.''
As of Aug. 1, their concentration has been fine.
Marquis (8-6) bounced back from one of his worst starts of the season last week in St. Louis to one of his most-needed, going six innings in the victory that saw his team bounce back, as well, from both a 3-2 deficit and a disheartening loss on Monday.
Marquis had lost five of his previous seven decisions before Tuesday, but he also was 4-2 with a 1.96 ERA in seven starts after a Cubs loss.
''I try not to focus too much on what's happened before,'' he said. ''I just go as hard as I can as long as I can and try to get a win every time I go out there. This was a good win because everyone picked each other up in all aspects.''
Marquis did it in the fifth after a bizarre play in which center fielder Jacque Jones never saw a fly ball off the bat of Tadahito Iguchi until it bounced behind him and into the center-field shrubs for a ground-rule double. Greg Dobbs, who singled to start the inning, reached third on the play. But the Phillies scored only one run after Jimmy Rollins grounded out, slugger Ryan Howard was intentionally walked and Aramis Ramirez turned Aaron Rowand's hard-hit grounder into an inning-ending double play.
''Losing [sight of] balls is going to happen,'' Marquis said. ''I made some good pitches, and Rami turned a great double play.''
Jones made inning-ending running catches to save Marquis in the fourth and sixth and added a timely double in the sixth that sparked the three-run inning that gave the Cubs the lead for good.
Cliff Floyd and Mark DeRosa singled before Jones' hit inside the third-base line. Floyd scored easily, but third-base coach Mike Quade signaled DeRosa to stop at third. DeRosa did slow -- but then saw left fielder Pat Burrell mishandle the ball in the corner.
DeRosa bolted for home and slid in just under the tag of catcher Chris Coste.
Mike Fontenot pinch-hit for Marquis with one out and singled in Jones, ending the night for Phillies starter Adam Eaton (9-7). The right-hander lost for the first time at Wrigley Field, dropping to 3-1 in five career starts.
The Cubs added two in the seventh when Geoff Geary walked the bases loaded and Jason Kendall delivered a two-out single.
Will Ohman and Carlos Marmol shut the door on the Phillies in the seventh and eighth, Marmol striking out the side in the eighth. Bob Howry pitched the ninth. The victory gave the Cubs 17 wins in July, tops in the National League.
''We just have to keep winning,'' Piniella said. ''If you do that consistently, good things will happen for you. We still have two months of baseball ahead of us. I try to stay on an even keel.''
It's also the mantra of his team, even with eyes cast on a television.
''We're confident in our ballclub, but we have to focus on just what we have to do,'' Marquis repeated. ''It took us six to eight weeks to come around, but we did.''