Milwaukee will be Astros' home for 2 games vs. Cubs

Cubs general Jim Hendry said he spent his Saturday like many others, "sitting on my couch, watching football and waiting by the phone."

The wait ended at close to 9 p.m., when Major League Baseball finally got around to settling the situation involving the Cubs and the Houston Astros, whose series in Houston was wiped out by Hurricane Ike.

It seems MLB took a circuitous route to the most logical decision: playing two games at Milwaukee's Miller Park.

The Cubs and Astros will tee it up today at 7:05 p.m. and again Monday at 1:05 p.m. The third game of the series would be played Monday, Sept. 29, but only if playoff implications are involved.

"It's unfortunate what happened," Hendry said. "Our preference would be that the tragedy never happened to the state of Texas and we could've played the games on schedule, but once the storm came, there didn't seem to be any alternative, and I think the Astros and the commissioner's office worked hand in hand to come up with the best short-term solution they could with all the weather problems we're having all over the country.

"Let's make the best of it, and hopefully the families of all the people connected with the Astros and Houston are safe."

Look for right-hander Carlos Zambrano, who hasn't pitched since taking himself out of a game Sept. 2 because of shoulder pain, to start for the Cubs tonight. Jason Marquis is the likely starter for Monday.

The Astros will be the home team for both games, and the Brewers say tickets will range from $25 to $60. They urge fans to go online at brewers.com and use the "print at home" option to avoid long lines. The Brewers said seating will be in the field and loge levels only.

The Astros had been hopeful of getting one or two games in this weekend or today and Monday at Minute Maid Park, and they seemed adamant in their opposition to playing at Miller Park, which is about 90 miles from Chicago.

But no other options emerged. The Cubs did not want to travel through bad weather to get to Houston. Other options mentioned since last week were St. Louis, Atlanta and Tampa Bay.