Cubs back to home cookin'
What happens to the Cubs on the road clearly stays on the road.
Following a 2-4 trip, the Cubs returned to the ultra-friendly confines of Wrigley Field on Thursday night and picked up right where they left off by defeating Florida 6-3, pleasing their welcoming committee of 41,482 and running their home record to 38-12.
The Cubs rallied from a 2-0 deficit with a 4-run rally in the fifth. Carlos Zambrano pitched 7 strong innings, and Carlos Marmol earned his fourth save in tumultuous but effective fashion with 1 innings of scoreless relief in place of injured closer Kerry Wood.
"All year long, you know, we've been playing good at Wrigley," Zambrano said. "That's one thing we have to do to win, have a good record (at home). The same way we play here we have to play on the road. There's a big series coming against Milwaukee (Monday-Thursday)."
The win allowed the Cubs to maintain their 1-game lead in the N.L. Central over the Brewers, who beat St. Louis 4-3 to complete a four-game sweep.
Trailing 2-1 after a Ronny Cedeno solo home run in the third, Zambrano knotted the score at 2-2 in the fifth with a run-scoring double to left field that scored Henry Blanco.
The rest of the fifth-inning rally epitomized the differences between the road Cubs and home Cubs.
They went on to load the bases for free-swinging-of-late Derrek Lee, who exhibited renewed patience at the plate by drawing a walk from Marlins pitcher Scott Olsen on a full count on precisely the kind of low, inside pitch he had been hitting lately for groundballs that ended in double plays.
Ramirez, who went 1-for-28 on the road trip to Houston and Arizona, then lined a 2-run double to the wall in right field to give the Cubs and Zambrano a 5-2 lead, though Lee was called out trying to score all the way from first base.
With Wood officially disabled earlier in the day with his nagging blister problem, the Cubs needed four relievers to escape trouble in the eighth inning.
Chad Gaudin, Neal Cotts and Bob Howry each took their turns - and Mark DeRosa aided their cause with a diving catch for an out - before Marmol struck out Josh Willingham with runners on first and third.
Marmol then escaped trouble of his own making in the ninth by getting out of a first-and-second jam with a comebacker for a forceout before a strikeout of Wes Helms to end the game. Marmol walked three and struck out three in his closing stint.
"He's a little too excitable," manager Lou Piniella said. "He's just got to calm down a little bit, make his pitches, trust his pitches. He's got good stuff."
<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=223336">Blister finally forces Wood to DL <span class="date">[7/25/08]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>