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Dempster strong ... with help in Cubs 8-1 victory

MILWAUKEE - Ryan Dempster didn't quite pitch a complete game, but Friday night's 8-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers was as complete an effort as the Cubs have had in some time.

Dempster improved to 2-0, and the dormant Cubs offense came to life at the right times, pounding out 13 hits to take the opener of this three-game series at Miller Park.

Kosuke Fukudome and Tyler Colvin homered, and the Cubs got some nice defense, particularly from fill-in third baseman Chad Tracy and second baseman Mike Fontenot.

"Yeah, some of the plays those guys made behind me tonight, it was pretty impressive," said Dempster, who has a 2.60 ERA.

"How about Chad Tracy? He hasn't started a game in probably close to a month, and he goes out and the first ball is a rocket at him, and he almost makes that play and then to make three great plays after that. And Font made a great play.

"Guys came out swinging. They were real patient. They worked some good counts. It was a good bounce-back from the four games we played in New York."

A game like that also takes pressure of a pitching staff.

"It does," said center fielder Marlon Byrd, who went 2-for-5. "When we're not scoring runs, they have to keep putting up zeros."

The Cubs jumped right on Brewers starter Jeff Suppan, who was booed loudly by Brewers fans in the pro-Cubs crowd of 37,848. Ryan Theriot and Fukudome opened the game with doubles, and Fukudome later scored on a throwing error.

Fukudome's homer came in the third. Theriot added an RBI triple in the fourth, and Colvin hit a monster 2-run homer to center to cap things in the ninth.

Dempster worked out of first-inning trouble. He got a break when Prince Fielder hit one off the top of the center- field wall with Ryan Braun on first. The Brewers thought it was a home run, but umpires went to the replay and ruled it a double. Dempster then got Casey McGehee on a grounder to strand two.

"Right when he it hit, it bounced right to me," Byrd said. "I knew it hit the top of the wall. I wasn't worried about the replay. They had a closer look than I do."

After that, Dempster pretty much cruised the rest of the way, coming out in the eighth after hitting Fielder with a pitch to put two runners aboard.

The only real question was whether erstwhile starting ace Carlos Zambrano would get into the game. He was warming up in the eighth, but manager Lou Piniella went with Carlos Marmol to finish, saying Zambrano probably would see his first action as a reliever Saturday night.

"Look, it was a nice game all around," said Piniella, whose team is 7-10. "If we can swing the bats like that, it makes things a whole lot easier."

<p class="factboxheadblack">Bruce Miles' game tracker</p>

<p class="News">Cubs 8, Brewers 1</p>

<p class="News"><b>Dempster does it:</b> Ryan Dempster turned in his third quality start, giving up 1 run and 7 hits in 72/3 innings. In 11 quality starts, Cubs starters have an ERA of 1.38. Dempster threw 111 pitches, 69 strikes. Dempster has won his last 4 starts against Milwaukee.</p>

<p class="News"><b>Web gems:</b> Second baseman Mike Fontenot dived toward the middle in the fifth inning to snag Rickie Weeks' grounder and turn a forceout. Chad Tracy was busy at third, starting a double play to end the sixth and netting 4 assists, some on difficult plays.</p>

<p class="News"><b>Hot hitter:</b> Center fielder Marlon Byrd is 10-for-21 on the trip. He was one of five Cubs with multihit games, joining Ryan Theriot, Kosuke Fukudome, Tyler Colvin and Koyie Hill. </p>

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