Cubs bullpen gets it right with win and save
Maybe the Cubs can get this bullpen thing to work after all.
Some of the same relievers who were culprits Tuesday night turned into contributors Wednesday, as the Cubs beat the Atlanta Braves 3-2 in 11 innings at Turner Field.
For a second straight night, the Cubs and Braves went extras, but this time the Cubs' bullpen not only held the Braves in check, they picked up both a victory and a save.
The relief provided by the relievers enabled the Cubs to move above .500 at 26-25 and secure the team's first victory on the road since May 10. That snapped a seven-game losing streak away from Chicago.
"We hung in there," Cubs manager Lou Piniella told the media. "Our pitchers did a nice job. Offensively, we did just enough."
Micah Hoffpauir's single over the head of Braves third baseman Chipper Jones scored Derrek Lee with the go-ahead run in the 11th. Kevin Gregg, who suffered a blown save in Tuesday's 6-5 loss in 12 innings, worked a perfect 11th to earn his ninth save.
"It was simply luck," Hoffpauir told reporters about the looping hit. "Sometimes it goes your way."
That made a winner of reliever Angel Guzman, who worked the ninth and 10th, giving up 1 harmless hit. Carlos Marmol, who has had command problems since spring training, worked a 1-2-3 eighth.
In other news:
• Right fielder Milton Bradley underwent an MRI on his right calf, and the Cubs said after the game that Bradley has a mild to moderate strain, perhaps 1.5 on a scale of 3. Bradley is day to day.
• Manager Lou Piniella told the media in Atlanta that the Cubs handled "internally" any discipline that might have been meted out to pitcher Carlos Zambrano, who missed Monday's charter flight from Chicago to Atlanta.
Lefty Ted Lilly started Wednesday's game and worked 7 innings, giving up 6 hits and both Atlanta runs, 1 earned.
Mike Fontenot hit a bases-loaded double to score 2 runs in the fourth to give the Cubs a 2-0 lead.
Lilly gave up a run on 4 hits in the sixth but stranded three. He committed a throwing error on Gregor Blanco's grounder in the seventh, followed by an RBI double to Jones, who came in to pinch hit for starting pitcher Derek Lowe.
Bruce Miles' game tracker
Job 1: Lefty Ted Lilly turned in the Cubs' 30th quality start of the season. It was the team-leading eighth for Lilly. Cubs starters have an ERA of 2.41 in quality starts. Lilly worked 7 innings, giving up 2 runs, 1 earned.
Better late: It took 5 at-bats, but center fielder Reed Johnson extended his hitting streak to eight games (12-for-30). Johnson was playing because of the calf injury to Milton Bradley.
Wednesday's grade: B. The bullpen did spotless work, but Cubs hitters had trouble getting bunts down. The Cubs bounced into 3 double plays and ran into another.