Chicago-Pittsburgh: Cubs Finish Homestand with 4-3 Win over Pittsburgh

The Cubs only managed four hits, but got key RBI from Alfonso Soriano and Ronny Cedeno in their 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.  The Cubs finished their homestand with an 8-2 record, the best 10-game homestand for a Cubs team since 1978.

Alfonso Soriano put the Cubs on the board with a sacrifice lineout in the third after Pirates starter Phil Dumatrait walked the bases loaded.  Ronny Cedeno followed up with an RBI single, tying the game at 2.

In the bottom of the very next inning, the Cubs scored again on a Reed Johnson sacrifice fly that scored Kosuke Fukudome, giving the Cubs a 3-2 lead. Their final run came on a Fukudome single that drove in Derrek Lee, putting the Cubs up 4-2.

The Pirates scored two in the first on a Adam LaRoche home run, and added one more later in the sixth on a LaRoche single that scored Nate McLouth, making the score 4-3. However, that was as close as the Pirates got.

Jason Marquis put in six innings, allowing just two earned runs on four hits while striking out three. He did pick up the win, and improved his record to 2-3 on the season. Kerry Wood came on in the ninth to close the door and picked up his tenth save of the season.

The Pirates' Phil Dumatrait pitched four-and-two-thirds innings, and was charged with all four runs. He also struck out two and walked seven batters. He took the loss, and fell to 1-2 on the season.

With today's win, the Cubs are now 27-17 and sit atop the National League Central with a two-game lead on the St. Louis Cardinals, and a three-game lead on the Houston Astros.

Tomorrow, the Cubs begin a series in Houston against the Astros. The series matchups: Ted Lilly faces Brian Moehler on Monday at 6:05 PM; Ryan Dempster against Chris Sampson at 7:05 PM Tuesday; and Wednesday sees Sean Gallagher versus Shawn Chacon at 7:05 PM.  All games are Central Daylight Time.