Silva, Byrd help Cubs end 4-game losing streak

It's been hard to find feel-good stories with the Cubs this year.

Then there's Carlos Silva.

The big right-hander ran his record to 4-0 Wednesday by pitching 61/3 innings of 2-run ball as the Cubs snapped a four-game losing streak with a 4-3 victory over the Florida Marlins at raw and windy Wrigley Field.

Silva is 1 win shy of matching his win total for the previous two seasons with Seattle. He says he's feeling happy, confident and welcome in Chicago.

"I feel good," the 31-year-old Silva said. "I feel good not only because I'm 4-0. I feel like I've helped my team, like I'm helping my team right now. I feel good because I feel like I am somebody now."

Silva came to the Cubs last December in the trade for Milton Bradley. He says the good feeling started almost immediately.

"My first year with Seattle was very tough," he said of a 4-15 campaign. "I lost my confidence last year. This year, when I came to the Cub fest (Cubs fan convention), when I got the opportunity to be with the fans and everybody with the coaches and the way they were talking to me, it's like they made me feel like I had a great year.

"Especially the coaching staff in spring training, everybody was talking to me like, 'Oh, we're so happy you're here. We're glad that you're here.' They made it sound like I had a really great year in Seattle. That will give me a lot of confidence. I can say, 'Oh, they're counting on me.' "

Wednesday was a typical Silva start, with only 27 pitches thrown (23 for strikes) over the first 3 innings.

The Cubs' offense didn't exactly bust out of its funk, but it managed just enough. Mike Fontenot, getting a spot start at second base, doubled home 2 runs in the second.

Ronny Paulino tied the game with a 2-run single in the fourth, but the Cubs scored 2 in the fifth, on an RBI double by Marlon Byrd and a wild pitch. Byrd felt the relief, too.

"It feels better than that," Byrd said. "It seems like we haven't won a game for three weeks. But we put it all together today."

Sean Marshall bailed out Silva with a double-play ball to end the seventh. Things got interesting in the eighth, when Carlos Zambrano came on for the Cubs. Zambrano got the first two batters before Jorge Cantu walked and Dan Uggla hit a broken-bat single. With Ronny Paulino coming up (1-for-19 against Zambrano), Cubs manager Lou Piniella went with closer Carlos Marmol.

John Baker batted for Paulino and struck out. Zambrano was gone before reporters could talk with him, and Piniella was brief and vague in his explanation.

"I wanted Zambrano, basically, to hopefully get the last outs in the eighth inning," Piniella said. "I had Marmol ready, and we brought him in to get the final out in the eighth."

Marmol survived a rocky ninth to earn his fifth save in 6 chances. He walked the first batter he faced in the ninth and allowed 1 run before striking out Hanley Ramirez to strand two.

"Couple mistakes, and they took advantage of them," Marmol said. "Like we talked about, a walk to the first hitter scored."

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

<p class="News"><b>Castro watch:</b> Starlin Castro moved up from eighth to second in the order and went 2-for-4 with a run. He has reached base in each of his first six games. A first-inning error was changed to a hit, and Castro had 3 putouts and 6 assists with 2 double plays.</p>

<p class="News"><b>Quality start:</b> Carlos Silva turned in his team-high fifth quality start. The Cubs are 10-12 in quality-start games, with the starters having a 2.25 ERA in those starts.</p>

<p class="News"><b>Byrd is the word:</b> Marlon Byrd had his team-leading 15th multihit game. He has hit safely in 12 of his last 14 games. </p>

<div class="infoBox">

<h1>More Coverage</h1>

<div class="infoBoxContent">

<div class="infoArea">

<h2>Stories</h2>

<ul class="links">

<li><a href="/story/?id=380363">Hendry not panicking over sluggish start <span class="date">[5/12/10]</span></a></li>

<li><a href="/story/?id=380423">Hendry expects Castro to become solid SS <span class="date">[5/12/10]</span></a></li>

</ul>

</div>

</div>

</div>