Marquis bright light for Cubs
If you had late April in the Jon Lieber-joins-the-rotation pool, looks like you are in trouble.
The odds weren't so bad two days ago, with the struggling Rich Hill and Jason Marquis ready for their turns.
After Marquis followed Hill's strong outing Friday with an even better one Saturday, the back end of the Cubs' rotation appears a little more settled.
Of course, Pittsburgh is making every Cubs pitcher look good this year. The Cubs improved to 5-0 against the Pirates -- they are 6-6 against everyone else -- with their 13-1 drubbing Saturday in front of 40,298 at Wrigley Field.
After 2 so-so starts that left with him a 5.23 ERA entering Saturday, Marquis threw more like he normally does in April. He allowed 1 run in 6 innings and struck out seven.
"I really focused on pounding the strike zone with my sinker and trying to get ahead," Marquis said. "I had a good breaking ball today and was able to locate and get swings and misses when I needed to."
Marquis typically is at his best early in the season. He went 3-1 with a 2.35 ERA last April.
That was part of the reasoning behind putting Marquis in the rotation and sending free-agent addition Lieber to the bullpen. Lieber has pitched well in that role, and, barring injury, there might not be much reason to move him.
"Marquis pitched really well, gave us 6 good innings," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. "It's important these guys start pitching better. We can start stretching these guys out a little more and alleviating the strain on the bullpen."
Unlike Marquis, Derrek Lee isn't a big a fan of April -- at least he wasn't last year. He started slow and didn't hit his seventh home run until July 15.
Lee matched that total with his blast in the first inning that gave the Cubs a 2-0 lead. He's well on his way to returning to the power numbers he displayed in 2005.
"I'm getting the ball in the air this year," Lee said. "Last year just didn't happen for me."
Lee's homer started an onslaught against Pirates starter and Chicago native Tom Gorzelanny. It was an unhappy homecoming for the 2000 Marist High School graduate, who left 15 tickets for friends and family.
They didn't have much to cheer about. Gorzelanny owned a 3.05 ERA in 3 career starts at Wrigley Field but couldn't get out of the third inning. He allowed 6 hits and 7 runs, with Marquis delivering the final blow on an RBI double that capped a 4-run third inning.
The Cubs stole another run in the inning on a double steal by Kosuke Fukudome and Mark DeRosa, with Fukudome scoring on Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit's errant throw on the play.
"We did things we've worked on all spring," Piniella said. "When we feel we have an opportunity, we try them. Fukudome got a good jump and DeRosa followed suit."
The big lead allowed Piniella to rest a couple of regulars. He pulled Lee after the fifth inning and Aramis Ramirez after the sixth, then sat back and enjoyed the rest of their 10th win in the last 13 games. The Cubs' 11th victory gives them more than all of last April when they went 10-14.
"I think this team is playing with more confidence," Piniella said. "Last April after a 96-loss season I'm not sure they thought they could win. So far on this homestand we've played good baseball."
Cubs 13, Pirates 1
At the plate: Kosuke Fukudome and Aramis Ramirez walked twice. Every other position player walked once, except Derrek Lee, who slammed his seventh home run. Ryan Theriot, Geovany Soto and Ronny Cedeno all had 2 hits. Theriot scored 3 runs. Daryle Ward's 2-run homer snapped an 0-for-11 skid to start the year. For the Pirates, Nate McLouth doubled in the fifth inning to extend his career-high hitting streak to 17 games.
On the mound: Jason Marquis won his first game of the year, throwing 102 pitches in 6 innings. He gave up 6 hits, 1 walk and 1 run and struck out seven. Kevin Hart worked a scoreless seventh before getting into a bases-loaded jam in the eighth. Michael Wuertz got out of the eighth unscathed, then retired the Pirates in order in the ninth.
-- John Lemon