It pays to be patient
The Cubs completed a feat on Sunday they haven't accomplished in 30 years.
They hope it acts as a springboard to something they haven't accomplished in 100.
Jason Marquis delivered a quality start for the third time in eight outings and the Cubs drew 7 walks to fuel a 4-3 victory over Pittsburgh in front of 41,321 fans at Wrigley Field.
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The win gave the Cubs 8 victories on a 10-game homestand for the first time since June 1978.
"It was a wonderful homestand for us, 8-2 against good opposition," manager Lou Piniella said. "Now we've got six important games in a row starting off with a Houston team that's swinging the bat awfully well."
Marquis (2-3) surrendered a 2-run home run to Adam LaRoche in the first inning, but settled down and limited the Pirates to 3 runs (2 earned) on 4 hits over 6 innings.
"It wasn't a bad pitch to LaRoche," said Marquis, who snapped a personal three-game skid and earned his first win since April 19 at Pittsburgh. "He just got a real good swing on it.
"I was able to make pitches as the game went on, stop the big inning and as we put runs up on the board, just keep the team where it's at and give my team a good chance to win."
The Cubs' season-long, patient approach at the plate paid dividends again in the third inning. Mark DeRosa, Reed Johnson and Marquis drew consecutive walks from Pittsburgh starter Phil Dumatrait to load the bases with no outs.
Two of those walks turned into runs when DeRosa scored on Alfonso Soriano's sacrifice fly and Johnson scored on Ronny Cedeno's RBI single.
The Cubs took a 3-2 lead in the fourth when Johnson's sacrifice fly allowed Kosuke Fukudome to tag up and score. They added another run in the fifth inning when the left-hand hitting Fukudome singled the opposite way to score Derrek Lee.
Pittsburgh pulled within 4-3 in the sixth inning when LaRoche singled against Marquis to drive in Nate McClouth, but Marquis induced a flyball from Xavier Nady to avoid further damage.
From that point on the Cubs' bullpen closed the door just as Piniella has it scripted. Bob Howry, Carlos Marmol and Kerry Wood each threw 1 scoreless inning to push the Cubs back to 10 games over the .500 mark at 27-17.
"It's a big win for the team, a big win for Jason," said Wood, who earned his 10th save. "I know when you're struggling as a starter and you come out of a game with a 1-run lead sometimes you feel like nothing can go your way. But guys came in and did their jobs today and it was a great win for the team."
Cubs 4, Pirates 3
On the mound: Jason Marquis notched a quality start, allowing 3 runs (2 earned) and 4 hits in 6 innings. He struck out three and walked one. Bob Howry, Carlos Marmol and Kerry Wood each pitched a scoreless inning to protect a 1-run lead.
At the plate: The Cubs managed just 4 hits, but they drew 7 walks and four of those baserunners eventually scored. Alfonso Soriano (1-for-3) led the game off with a hit for the sixth straight game to set a career high. Ronny Cedeno and Kosuke Fukudome each contributed RBI singles.