Cubs top Giants again 6-2; sixth win in seven games

Posted September 25, 2009 11:00 pm

Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO - Aramis Ramirez homered, Jake Fox hit a 2-run single and the Chicago Cubs beat the San Francisco Giants 6-2 on Saturday for their sixth win in seven games.

Chicago's victory again kept the Cardinals from clinching the NL Central. St. Louis had a magic number of one and could capture the division with a victory Saturday night at Colorado.

The Cubs are 16-9 in September and have won six of seven road games for the first time since Sept. 10-24 last year.

"I don't know what our record is but we've been playing good ball," manager Lou Piniella said. "It's been good to watch. And we've been doing it with a team that's been banged up and using a lot of young kids pitching-wise and people we've called up on the field."

Tom Gorzelanny (7-2) won consecutive starts for the first time all season and his third straight decision, following Carlos Zambrano's 2-hit gem a night earlier with 5 solid innings of his own. The left-hander returned to the rotation Sept. 21 after a 31/2-week stint in the bullpen.

Gorzelanny allowed one run and five hits, struck out five and walked three. Acquired by the Cubs on July 30 from Pittsburgh, he hadn't won consecutive starts since Aug. 22 and 28, 2007, with the Pirates.

Geovany Soto drove in 2 runs and Kosuke Fukudome added a pinch-hit RBI single for the Cubs, who missed opportunities in the second inning but quickly got to Barry Zito (10-13) in the third.

Ramirez, sidelined for nearly two months from May to July with a dislocated left shoulder, hit a solo drive in the fourth for his 15th homer, giving him 26 RBI in his last 27 games.

Chicago has won six of seven road games for the first time since Sept. 10-24 last year.

Juan Uribe homered for the Giants but they absorbed their seventh loss in 10 games and are spiraling downward to seriously diminish their chances in the wild-card race. They had a chance to gain ground on Colorado on Thursday but lost 3-2, then Zambrano beat reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum on Friday.

"It's getting down to a miracle," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "I think we've made it real, real difficult."

Zito was tagged for four runs and six hits in four innings with five walks and three strikeouts. His 1-2-3 inning in the first was the only clean inning all day for San Francisco.

It didn't help his cause that the Giants' offense again struggled to back Zito with enough runs, going 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position. The left-hander has had 1 or fewer runs of support in 15 of his 32 starts this season.

In the third, Zito fielded Soto's soft RBI grounder with his pitching hand on what might have been a double-play ball and fired to first for the out. Athletic trainer Dave Groeschner and manager Bruce Bochy came to the mound to check on Zito, who threw two practice pitches to show he was OK and stayed in the game.

Giants pitchers had 4 strikeouts to establish a new single-season franchise record, surpassing their 1,240 from last season.

Cubs 6, Giants 2 Nice timing: Although the Cubs left 11 runners on base, three different players contributed 2-out RBI hits - Aramis Ramirez, Kosuke Fukudome and Geovany Soto. As a team, the Cubs were 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position. Fukudome's RBI single came as a pinch hitter. Tom terrific: He didn't toss a complete game like Carlos Zambrano did on Friday against the Giants, but lefty Tom Gorzelanny completely bottled up the Giants for five innings Saturday. Now 7-2 on the season, Gorzelanny allowed 5 hits and 1 earned run. After a 9-strikeout performance Monday, he struck out 5 Giants Saturday. The old switcher-Lou: Although the Cubs were up 4-1 after 4 innings, manager Lou Piniella used 16 players in the game, some for defensive purposes. He brought in closer Carlos Marmol to end the game. Marmol is 9-for- 9 in save opportunities in September, but the Cubs were ahead 6-2 when Marmol entered in the ninth and retired the side. Take your time: With slugger Derrek Lee sitting out another game due to neck spasms, his replacements made the most of their opportunities. Jake Fox was 2-for-3 with 2 RBI (a bases-loaded single in the third) before he was replaced by Micah Hoffpauir, who went 2-for-2 and scored a run. Lee has 36 homers and 109 RBI with a .306 BA.