Cubs' Marshall gives up game in 7th
PHILADELPHIA — Sean Marshall's streak of road success came to a screeching halt at Citizens Bank Park.
A day after giving up his first run this season away from Wrigley Field, the Cubs' lefty reliever allowed the go-ahead hit to Ryan Howard on Sunday and the Philadelphia Phillies won 4-3.
For the Cubs, it was the end of a tough 2-8 road trip.
The Phillies trailed by a run and had runners on second and third with no outs when Howard came up in the seventh inning. The lefty slugger muscled a 2-1 slider into center field for a 2-run single.
“I told them I felt great. I just wanted to help my team. I've got to get better and make better pitches, especially against a team like Philadelphia,” Marshall said.
Marshall (3-1) has been used in four of the last five games. Manager Mike Quade had Kerry Wood warming up but went to Marshall because of a blister that Wood said has been bothering him.
“He's had a nice year and we've really leaned on him,” Quade said of Marshall.
Howard went 3-for-3 and drove in 3 runs, Roy Oswalt recovered from a rocky first to pitch 7 solid innings, and the Phillies won for the fifth time in seven games.
Howard anticipated sliders from Marshall and delivered a hit that might have been kept in the infield by a conventional defense.
But the ball found a seam between overshifted shortstop Starlin Castro, who was playing behind second, and second baseman Darwin Barney, who was playing toward first and on the outfield grass.
“You have those hits where you hit the ball hard into the shift and you have those kind of balls you'll definitely take,” Howard said. “At times they even out every once in awhile.”
Chase Utley doubled, singled and scored twice for the Phillies, who took three of four. Aramis Ramirez homered for the Cubs, who have lost 11 of 13. They open a seven-game homestand tonight against Milwaukee.
As for what type of reception he expects his team to receive, Quade said he wasn't sure.
“The people will come out. They're always good fans. Hopefully they'll support us,” he said.
Oswalt (4-4) snapped a four-game losing streak, matching the worst of his career. He allowed 3 runs on 5 hits while striking out five and walking two.
He gave up just 1 hit after the first, when the Cubs scored 3 runs on 4 hits.
Oswalt struck out Kosuke Fukudome to lead off the game, becoming the seventh active player to reach 1,700 career strikeouts. Philadelphia right-hander Roy Halladay has 1,820 strikeouts. Oswalt now stands at 1,704.
Winless in his last 6 starts entering Sunday, Oswalt pitched at least 7 innings for just the second time in 12 starts this season.
The right-hander left the game trailing. After Marshall hit Shane Victorino to open the inning, Utley doubled to right, bringing up Howard.
Ryan Madson pitched a scoreless ninth for his 15th save in 16 chances. The Cubs got the go-ahead run to the plate with two outs and a runner on first.
But Geovany Soto, after just missing a home run to left that went foul, popped out to Utley, who made a superb over-the-shoulder catch.
Cubs starter Doug Davis entered with a career-worst six-game losing streak and hadn't won since May 5, 2010, spanning 7 starts entering Sunday. The left-hander departed with the lead after giving up 2 runs on 5 hits in 5 innings, striking out six and walking five.
“You'll take that any time,” Quade said of Davis' outing. “It's time to go home and regroup.”