Marquis strong in Cubs' 6-2 win
TORONTO -- The start was something big for Jason Marquis and the Cubs.
Whether it's the start of something big for Marquis is something the Cubs are eagerly awaiting to see.
Marquis was a model of efficiency Saturday, shutting down the Toronto Blue Jays for 7 innings and doing more than his part to ensure a 6-2 victory to tie this series at a game apiece.
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It was the third straight victory for Marquis, who appears to be trending upward.
"It looks like it, it really does," said manager Lou Piniella, whose first-place club improved to 44-25. "We're starting to get the same feeling. He's very capable.
"He's added a split-finger to his repertoire, which I think is a good pitch for him. But the secret is staying ahead in the count and pounding the strike zone."
Marquis tossed only 78 pitches and threw first-pitch strikes to 18 of the 26 batters he faced.
"I've felt pretty good all year," he said. "Earlier on, I was putting myself in bad situations, falling behind the hitters. Stuff-wise, I feel like I'm the same all year. I'm just attacking the strike zone a little bit earlier.
"My last few games, getting ahead of the hitters has been a big key. I've been able to throw my cutter for strikes, just off the plate to get swings and misses. But attacking the strike zone early will allow yourself to get deeper into games and give you a chance to win a lot more ballgames."
Marquis didn't give up a hit until the fifth inning, when Lyle Overbay led off with a single. Actually, Rod Barajas hit one off center fielder Jim Edmonds' glove with two outs in the second. Edmonds moved under the ball but couldn't hang on. After originally calling it a double, the official scorer later changed the call to an error.
The Cubs offense gave Marquis all the support he needed in a 4-run second, all after two outs. The big hit was Reed Johnson's 3-run homer off tough Toronto righty Roy Halladay.
Johnson was a big fan favorite as a Blue Jay until the Cubs claimed him in spring training after the Jays cut him. Could he have scripted the homer any better?
"No," he answered. "Yeah, I think all my at-bats today, I didn't have anybody on (except for one other time), and the one time I had a couple guys on, I was fortunate to take a nice, short stroke to hit a ball that was inside.
"The pitch right before, I choked up another inch on my bat. He was just blowing me up with sinkers inside all day. I just wanted to shorten up and be nice and quick, and it worked out."
The Cubs put across single runs in the third and fifth, chasing Halladay after 5. By then, Marquis was on cruise control, as he had single-digit pitch counts in the third, fourth, fifth and seventh innings.
He left in the eighth, when the Blue Jays loaded the bases on 3 straight singles. Carlos Marmol struck out two before walking in a run, and the Jays added only another run in the ninth, but Marquis had done enough by that time.
"The last three games he's pitched have all been winning efforts, and today, this was the sharpest he's been," Piniella said. "Really good effort."
Cubs 6, Blue Jays 2
At the plate: Reed Johnson hit a 3-run homer to cap a 4-run second inning. Derrek Lee singled twice and the Cubs outhit the Jays 11-6.
On the mound: Jason Marquis dominated the Jays to earn his third straight victory. Marquis threw only 78 pitches, 49 for strikes in 78-plus innings. He gave up 4 hits and 1 run. Carlos Marmol came in after Marquis loaded the bases in the eighth and walked in a run but struck out the first two batters he faced.