Dempster, Cubs keep rolling over Brewers

MILWAUKEE - The notion that "grinders" win you baseball games is cute and quaint, but really, it's production that matters.

But if those grinders are producing, it just doubles the fun.

A pair of grinders were double trouble for the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday night as the Cubs rolled to their third straight victory in this series, 7-2.

Shortstop Ryan Theriot was on base five times, including a 2-run triple.

Center fielder Reed Johnson singled three times, including a run-scoring hit in the Cubs' 3-run sixth inning as the suddenly surging Cubs pulled 4 games ahead of the Brewers in the National League Central. The Cardinals also are 4 back.

With the victory, the Cubs also tied their high-water mark of 20 games over .500, at 64-44.

"A week or so ago, we were all talking about, 'Are we going to come out of this thing?' " Johnson said of a recent team hitting slump. "We didn't know when it was going to be. But I think that just the emotions and the adrenaline of the series probably is what really locked us back in and got everybody swinging the bats really well."

The Cubs didn't hit a home run, and they left 15 runners on base, but they bunched hits at the key times and got some good heads-up play. And all that's to say nothing of the job turned in by starting pitcher Ryan Dempster, who worked 7 innings of 5-hit, 1-run ball to run his record to 12-4 with a 2.90 ERA.

"I think if you look at the last few games, we've been real aggressive, throwing a lot of strikes," Dempster said. "When you face a lineup like that, as good as they are, you've got to trump with the count in your favor as soon as you can in order to have success, because they'll beat you. They've got a lot of good hitters."

The Cubs already had a run in the first when Johnson struck out with runners on first and third with two outs. But the pitch from Manny Parra got away for a wild pitch. Johnson hustled to first, and Soriano scored. Than enabled Mark DeRosa to come up and single home the second run.

"Whatever," Johnson said. "Any way we can score runs."

Dempster allowed his only run in the first. The Cubs finally cashed in on their many chances in the sixth, when they sent eight men to the plate. Theriot hit his 2-run triple, and Johnson later singled home another run.

"Yeah, we did that early on in the year," Theriot said. "We put some hits together and scored some runs in different ways other than the longball. The home run is going to come. It's one of those things where you'd rather hit a home run with a guy on base anyway, too. I don't you consciously think about it. You just try to group hits together and score as many runs as possible."

On top of that, leadoff man Alfonso Soriano got on base five times, with 2 walks and 3 singles. He scored 2 runs and stole a base.

"I told you all earlier that I felt the presence of Soriano in our lineup would mean a lot from an offensive standpoint," manager Lou Piniella said. "And it has. You can see the difference in production, runs scored. Let's just stay healthy the rest of the way and keep playing. What can I say?"

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