Cubs' stock rising
Few investments are paying big dividends in today's struggling economy, but the Cubs got a positive return Sunday on the $296 million they have invested in four of the team's biggest stars.
Carlos Zambrano earned his first victory of the season, backed by solo home runs from Alfonso Soriano and Derrek Lee, and Kerry Wood closed out the Houston Astros in order in the ninth to seal a 3-2 victory to the delight of 40,929 would-be shareholders at Wrigley Field.
With one out in the seventh, the red-hot Lee delivered what proved to be a game-winning solo home run to center field on the first pitch he saw from Houston reliever Oscar Villarreal, an 89-mph fastball.
The blast was Lee's third of the season and his seventh hit in 8 at-bats, raising his average to .400.
"I hit it pretty good," Lee said of the home run. "With the wind you never know what's going to happen, but I hit that one pretty good."
Zambrano stayed focused on his plan of finding the strike zone early and often. He threw 72 of his 105 pitches for strikes in 7 innings and qualified for the win when Lee homered.
"The key is just pound the zone and just go out there and throw strikes like my pitching coach told me in spring training," Zambrano said. "Just keep the first pitch a strike and that would be the key for me all year long. I thought I was very good today."
The Cubs took a 1-0 lead in the second inning. They loaded the bases against Brandon Backe but only managed 1 run, the result of a Zambrano double-play grounder that scored Mark DeRosa, who had led off with a single.
The Astros tied it at 1-1 in the third when Backe led off with a hit to right field that Kosuke Fukudome overran into a double. Backe eventually scored on Darin Erstad's groundout.
The Cubs grabbed the lead back in the fifth inning when Alfonso Soriano jerked a Backe breaking ball into the basket in left field, snapping a 1-for-24 slump.
"I feel more comfortable at the home plate, but more important we win a very important game today," Soriano said.
Miguel Tejada evened the game in the seventh when he hammered a hanging Zambrano curveball to the bleachers in left field before Lee answered with his shot in the bottom of the inning.
Carlos Marmol and Wood retired the side in order in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively, to seal the getaway-day victory.
"We won three out of four and hopefully we go on the road trip now and continue to play good," manager Lou Piniella said.
Cubs 3, Astros 2
At the plate: Alfonso Soriano snapped a 1-for-24 slump to start the season with a solo home run in the fifth. Derrek Lee went 2-for-3 with a double and the go-ahead home run.
On the mound: Carlos Zambrano earned his first win of the season. He struck out seven without issuing a walk in 7 innings and has an ERA of 1.32 after 2 starts.