Giant 9th does it for Cubs
Offense awakens just in time to kick off key trip with win, keep pace with Brewers
SAN FRANCISCO -- The way Tim Lincecum was pitching for eight innings, the Cubs seemingly didn't have a chance in the ninth.
But by the time Cliff Floyd stepped to the plate with the score tied, there was no way they could lose. Not the way Floyd felt in the biggest at-bat of his first game back since the death of his father, C.C., nine days earlier.
But by the time Cliff Floyd stepped to the plate with the score tied, there was no way they could lose. Not the way Floyd felt in the biggest at-bat of his first game back since the death of his father, C.C., nine days earlier.
''I can't really explain it,'' Floyd said. ''It felt like he was really inside of me. I never had this feeling before.''
(AP)
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Cubs vs. Giants
''I can't really explain it,'' Floyd said. ''It felt like he was really inside of me. I never had this feeling before.''
Floyd bounced the second pitch he saw from Brad Hennessey into right field for a two-run single that gave the Cubs the lead in a 5-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants in the first game of a six-game western trip.
''Cliff had to really feel good about that,'' said manager Lou Piniella, who had Floyd in the lineup his first day back after taking more than a week to be with family following his father's death Aug. 12. ''I'm happy for him.''
Floyd hadn't had so much as a day of batting practice on the field the past week before stepping in for his first at-bat in the second inning Tuesday. Pregame activities at AT&T Park on Tuesday prevented both teams from taking BP.
But he said he felt surprisingly relaxed in his first game back.
''My teammates have been great,'' Floyd said. ''They welcomed me back with open arms and gave me an opportunity to grieve a little and go through that with my family.
''It's not beyond me and not past. But I have to try to put it in the back [of my mind] and try to help my team.''
And they needed it like no other time in recent days. With the Giants clinging to a 1-0 lead entering the ninth, the St. Louis Cardinals already having beaten Florida and Milwaukee about to win too, the Cubs needed a victory just to stay even at the top of the NL Central.
By game time Tuesday night, just enough chill hung in the damp bay air to give the Cubs a hint of October with 39 games to play.
''It feels like a pennant race, it really does,'' Piniella said.
And by the ninth inning, it started to feel like playoff baseball, with the top of the Cubs order finally solving the rookie Lincecum to wipe out a game-long deficit.
Substitute leadoff hitter Ryan Theriot ignited the quick-burst ninth when he hit the first pitch of the inning into the right-field corner for a double. He took third on Jacque Jones' ground single to left and scored the tying run on Derrek Lee's single to left -- ending Lincecum's work night.
''I know he went out there with a little uncertainty,'' Floyd said of Lincecum in the ninth. ''He threw the ball great -- but when Theriot got that big hit, it kind of knocked the fire out of him a little bit.
''He was rolling along. You saw him showboating a little, putting the ball in the air when the ball was thrown back to him.
''But we were able to capitalize with some big hits in the ninth.''
''There's a lot of baseball to be played, but in saying that, when you say tied for first place with 39 games to go, it doesn't sound like that much,'' veteran Mark DeRosa said before the game.
Make that first place with 38 to go.
CUBS 5, GIANTS 1 : NL CENTRAL RACE
Team W L GB
Cubs 64 60 --
Brewers 65 61 --
Cardinals 60 62 3
CUBS AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
Theriot ss 4 1 1 0 0 0 .290
JJones cf-rf 4 1 1 0 0 0 .269
DeLee 1b 4 1 1 1 0 1 .316
ARamirez 3b 3 1 0 0 1 0 .316
CFloyd lf 4 0 1 2 0 0 .290
1-Pie pr-cf 0 1 0 0 0 0 .217
DeRosa rf-2b 3 0 1 0 0 0 .291
Fontenot 2b 3 0 0 0 0 2 .281
b-Fox ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .182
Dempster p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Kendall c 3 0 2 2 1 1 .302
Marquis p 2 0 0 0 0 2 .155
a-Ward ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .325
Eyre p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
c-Murton ph-lf 1 0 0 0 0 0 .253
Totals 33 5 7 5 2 8
San Fran. AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
DRoberts cf-lf 2 1 0 0 2 0 .266
Durham 2b 3 0 0 0 1 1 .223
Winn rf 4 0 1 0 0 1 .287
Bonds lf 3 0 0 0 1 1 .277
RDavis cf 0 0 0 0 0 0 .304
Klesko 1b 4 0 0 1 0 1 .271
BMolina c 4 0 0 0 0 0 .276
Feliz 3b 3 0 1 0 1 0 .253
Vizquel ss 3 0 1 0 1 0 .248
Lincecum p 3 0 0 0 0 1 .079
Hennessey p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Kline p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
d-Ortmeier ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .271
Totals 30 1 3 1 6 5
CUBS 000 000 005--5 7 0
San Francisco 100 000 000--1 3 0
a-struck out for Marquis in the 8th. b-struck out for Fontenot in the 9th. c-flied out for Eyre in the 9th. d-grounded out for Kline in the 9th.
1-ran for Floyd in the 9th.
LOB--CUBS 4, San Francisco 8. 2B--Theriot (24), Feliz (23). 3B--Vizquel (2). RBI--DeLee (65), CFloyd 2 (38), Kendall 2 (15), Klesko (40). SB--DRoberts (25). S--DeRosa.
Runners left in scoring position--San Francisco 6 (Durham 2, BMolina 2, Lincecum, Ortmeier). Runners moved up--Winn, Klesko, Vizquel.
CUBS IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
Marquis 7 3 1 1 5 5 112 4.12
Eyre W, 1-1 1 0 0 0 0 0 5 5.36
Dempster 1 0 0 0 1 0 13 3.33
San Francisco IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
Lincecum L, 7-4 8 5 3 3 1 7 93 3.91
Hennessey .1 1 2 2 1 0 9 3.29
Kline .2 1 0 0 0 1 9 4.58
Lincecum pitched to 3 batters in the 9th.
Inherited runners-scored--Hennessey 2-2, Kline 2-2.
IBB--off Marquis (Vizquel) 1, off Marquis (Bonds) 1.
Umpires--Home, Mike Everitt; First, Dana DeMuth; Second, Kerwin Danley; Third, Doug Eddings. T--2:20. A--41,242 (41,777).
HOW THEY SCOREDGIANTS first Roberts walked on a full count. Durham walked on four pitches, Roberts to second. Winn grounded out, Roberts to third, Durham to second. Bonds was intentionally walked. Klesko grounded out, Roberts scored, Durham to third, Bonds to second. One run. Giants 1, Cubs 0.
CUBS NINTH Theriot doubled. Jones singled, Theriot to third. Lee singled, Theriot scored, Jones to second. Hennessey pitching. Ramirez walked on a full count, Jones to third, Lee to second. Floyd singled, Jones scored, Lee scored, Ramirez to second. DeRosa sacrificed, Ramirez to third, Floyd to second. Kline pitching. Pie pinch-running for Floyd. Fox pinch-hitting for Fontenot. Fox struck out. Kendall singled, Ramirez scored, Pie scored. Five runs. Cubs 5, Giants 1.