Lilly takes no-hitter into the 9th, Cubs avoid sweep

Posted June 13, 2010 11:00 pm

By Jerry Fitzpatrick

In a way, Cubs manager Lou Piniella nearly called it in the dugout before Sunday night's series finale against the White Sox.

Addressing what his team needs to do to win games due to its continual lack of run production, Piniella said, "You've got to play perfect games."

Cubs left-hander Ted Lilly wasn't quite perfect Sunday in a 1-0 victory that allowed his team to avoid a series sweep at the hands of the rival South Siders, but he wasn't far off.

Nor was White Sox starter Gavin Floyd for that matter.

On a night when the Blackhawks electrified the bipartisan Wrigley Field crowd by showing off their shiny new trophy during a raucous pregame ceremony, Lilly and Floyd found their own ways to send shock waves through the crowd by matching each other hitless inning for hitless inning into the seventh.

"I can't remember that much energy," Lilly said of the atmosphere surrounding the game. "I guess I'd have to go back to like 2001 in the World Series with some of those game-winning homers. You get that kind of feeling. It was awesome. Really, really special."

The Cubs finally broke through in the bottom of the seventh against Floyd, who pitched far better than his 2-7 record would indicate.

Alfonso Soriano delivered the first hit of the game by either team, a two-out double down the right-field line, and Chad Tracy followed with a basehit up the middle, giving the Cubs a precarious 1-0 lead.

Meanwhile, Lilly was cruising. He didn't allow a baserunner after hitting Jayson Nix with a pitch with two outs in the top of the fifth inning. He retired the White Sox in order in the sixth and seventh, helped by a nice stab of a wicked one-hopper to third base by Chad Tracy off the bat of Andruw Jones.

"At the time, you don't even think about it," Tracy said of keeping the no-hit bid intact. "He had me playing the line all night. With any other pitcher, that's probably a double."

Lilly got A.J. Pierzynski on a groundout to second base to open the eighth, then retired Gordon Beckham on a popup to first base and Nix on a foul pop to third base, setting up a dramatic finish.

"I was definitely aware of what was going on and determined to get it done," Lilly said. "Unfortunately, I made a bad pitch."

The pitch in question was a slider that didn't slide far enough to fool pinch hitter Juan Pierre, who broke up Lilly's no-hit attempt with a clean single to center field to lead off the ninth inning.

"It's probably a pitch he wants back, but I did manage to put a good swing on it," Pierre said. "I knew he was going to throw strikes, and I was looking for something out over the plate. He put it there, and I put a good swing on it."

Piniella immediately lifted Lilly, who had thrown 108 pitches, in favor of Carlos Marmol. The closer got deeper into a jam by walking Andruw Jones before he was called for a balk that put the potential tying and winning runs in scoring position.

However, Marmol battled back by striking out Alexei Ramirez for the first out. After an intentional walk to Alex Rios, Marmol induced a groundball to first base from Paul Konerko, which turned into a forceout at the plate, and he ended the game by coaxing a flyball from Carlos Quentin.

"You guys (media) worry about no-hitters; players worry about no-hitters," Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. "I worry about winning games. We had a great opportunity, but we couldn't finish it up."

It was the third time in his career that Floyd carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning, and he turned in his first complete game since May 27, 2009, against the Los Angeles Angels.

"It was a fun game for everybody," Floyd said. "Obviously, it was a tense game all the way to the end. I wish it would have gone the other way."

Eight innings is the deepest Lilly has ever taken a no-hit bid. His previous high was 71/3 innings as a New York Yankee in a game at Seattle on April 27, 2002. The combined 1-hitter was the first for the Cubs since April 13 of last season against Colorado.

"Teddy was brilliant tonight, he really was," Piniella said.

<p class="factboxheadblack">Jerry Fitzpatrick's game tracker</p>

<p class="News"><b>A.J. armed:</b> Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski threw baserunners out at second base in consecutive innings of a then- scoreless game. In the seventh, he blocked a Gavin Floyd pitch in the dirt and threw to second to nail Derrek Lee trying to advance. He gunned down Starlin Castro on a straight steal for the second out of the eighth.</p>

<p class="News"><b>Lilly blooms often:</b> Sunday marked the fifth time in his career Ted Lilly held an opponent without a hit through six innings.</p>

<p class="News"><b>Floyd, dude:</b> Sox starter Gavin Floyd held the Cubs to 1 run on 3 hits in a season-high 8 innings. He notched 9 strikeouts against 3 walks and threw 66 of his 109 pitches for strikes.</p>

<p class="News"><b>Tracy in the clutch:</b> Chad Tracy's game-winning RBI was the 37th of his career.</p>

<h1>More Coverage</h1>

<h2>Stories</h2>

<li><a href="/story/?id=387686">Tough-luck loser Floyd looking better <span class="date">[6/13/10]</span></a></li>

<li><a href="/story/?id=387679">With flexibility in his lineup, Guillen puts Jones at leadoff <span class="date">[6/13/10]</span></a></li>

<li><a href="/story/?id=387668">Cup unites all at Wrigley Field <span class="date">[6/13/10]</span></a></li>

</ul>

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