Youth sets table as Cubs blast Halladay, Phils

Cubs manager Lou Piniella did a little lineup juggling for Sunday night's game against the Phillies and their ace pitcher, Roy Halladay.

Rookies manned the Nos. 1 and 2 spots in the batting order, with right fielder Tyler Colvin moving up to the leadoff spot and Starlin Castro batting second.

The moves had Piniella looking good and everybody smiling after the Cubs' 11-6 victory, giving them three of four in the series.

Colvin was 3-for-5 with 2 runs scored, and Castro raised his batting average to .294 by going 3-for-4 with a run.

Suffice it to say that the two kids gave the Cubs a spark for at least one night.

"They really did," said Piniella, whose team is 42-51. "Both of them swung the bat well. They got on base and let the middle part of the lineup work. We swung the bats really, really well today against a good pitcher."

The Cubs put 6 runs on the board against Halladay and made a winner of their own starter, lefty Tom Gorzelanny, who worked 62/3 innings and improved to 5-5 with a 3.12 ERA.

Part of the reason for the lineup switch was that Piniella has liked the way Colvin and Castro have been hitting. On top of that, second baseman Ryan Theriot has struggled with a .311 on-base percentage, so he moved to eighth. Piniella said he sees no reason not to keep running the kids out there.

"I like it, I really do," he said. "I seem to like the young kids up there. They swung the bats good."

Colvin said he appreciates the confidence the manager has shown in him and Castro.

"It's fun being up there in the lineup, especially having Castro behind me or whenever he's in front of me, like in the minor leagues," Colvin said. "We've got to feed off of each other and keep pushing each other."

Colvin and Castro each singled in the first and second innings. The Cubs broke through with 4 runs against Halladay in the second, with Geovany Soto getting things started with a 2-run homer. Later in the inning, Colvin singled and scored a run, and Castro singled and stole a base.

The Phillies scored twice in the fifth, but Gorzelanny was able to minimize the damage and strand two of the 11 runners the Phillies left on for the game.

Alfonso Soriano hit a 2-run homer in the sixth. The Cubs broke it open with 5 runs in the seventh, with 3 coming home on a bases-loaded double by Derrek Lee.

Marlon Byrd scored 3 runs as he walked once and was hit by 2 pitches. A mentor to young players, Byrd also said he likes what he sees from Colvin and Castro.

"Those young guys, their baseball IQ is very high," Byrd said. "You tell Starlin, you tell Colvin something once, they retain it.

"That's the difference. I didn't do that when I was young. I had to be told millions of times. These guys, they learn, and they learn quick. It's showing on the field."

Bruce Miles' game tracker Cubs 11, Phillies 6Hurts so good: Marlon Byrd was hit by pitches in the second and sixth innings. Those were the 15th and 16th times he has been hit this year. He became the first Cub since Frank Chance in 1905 to be hit with pitches at least 16 times.Make it 4: Lefty Tom Gorzelanny turned in the Cubs' fourth quality start of the series. He worked 62/3 innings, giving up 5 hits and 3 runs (2 earned). Cubs starters have a total ERA of 2.21 in 59 quality starts.No dice for Doc: Phillies starter Roy Halladay had a rare off-night, working 6 innings and giving up 7 hits and 6 runs (5 earned). It was his worst outing since giving up 6 runs to the Yankees on June 15.False470512Cubs' Derrek Lee runs after hitting a three-run double against the Phillies during the seventh inning.Associated PressFalse