Final
Laird, Cabrera help Tigers win sixth straight, 5-3
Jun 25, 2009 - 3:26 AM DETROIT(AP) -- Lou Piniella is ready to take a page out of his mentor's book.Three decades after Billy Martin pulled the Detroit Tigers batting order out of a hat, Piniella said he's ready to try the same thing after his Chicago Cubs stranded 13 runners in a 5-3 loss to the Tigers Wednesday night.
"I might leave the couple guys that are doing their jobs in their places and draw out the rest of them," he said. "We couldn't be any worse."
The Cubs have scored only seven runs in their last three games, leaving 31 runners on base in the process.
"We're getting hits, but we've got to start driving guys in," said Geovany Soto, who had a solo homer for Chicago. "We're all trying to make something happen, and it just isn't."
Chicago's offensive woes, combined with homers from Gerald Laird and Miguel Cabrera, helped the Tigers post their sixth straight win.
"Thank god we're going to get them out of here before their bats get going, because they will," said Tigers manager Jim Leyland. "We let them have way too many opportunities tonight."
Zach Miner (5-1), the third of seven Detroit pitchers, picked up the win. Fernando Rodney finished for his 15th save in as many tries. The Cubs put the first two batters on, but Rodney retired the next three to end the game.
"Rodney was real wild to start, and that's not good," Leyland said. "He did a great job getting out of it, though."
Rookie Rick Porcello allowed two runs and seven hits. He walked four in five-plus innings.
"I thought I did OK, battled out of some jams early," said the 20-year-old Porcello. "I think the biggest thing was just to keep us in the game and give us a chance."
Rich Harden (4-4) took the loss, giving up four runs and four hits in 5 1-3 innings.
"It was an ugly game and I was unhappy with my performance," he said. "That's all I have to say."
Derrick Lee extended his hitting streak to a career-high 21 games with a seventh-inning single. It's the longest hitting streak by a Cub since Jerome Walton's 30-gamer in 1989.
Detroit took a 1-0 lead in the fourth on Cabrera's 15th homer, but Soto tied the game with a solo shot in the fifth. The Cubs then loaded the bases on two singles and a walk, but Porcello stuck out Micah Hoffpauir to end the inning.
Laird put the Tigers back in front with a fifth-inning homer off Harden.
Porcello came out after a walk and a single to start the sixth, and Nate Robertson allowed a single to Kosuke Fukudome to load the bases. Miner struck out Soto before Mike Fontenot tied the game 2-2 on a fielder's choice.
Harden walked a pair of batters in the Detroit sixth, and Lou Piniella brought in Aaron Heilman with one out. Slumping Magglio Ordonez hit a bloop single to right, loading the bases. One out later, Adam Everett beat out an infield single to give the Tigers the lead and Curtis Granderson walked to make it 4-2.
The Cubs loaded the bases with one out in the seventh, and Fox's sacrifice fly pulled the Cubs within 4-3.
Carlos Marmol walked in a run in the eighth for the final margin.
NOTES: Placido Polanco had an odd at-bat in the third, bunting a ball off the visor of his batting helmet, then losing his grip on the bat, which sailed into the Tigers dugout. ... Ordonez cut off his trademark long hair before the game, hoping to end a season-long slump that has seen him hit just two homers. He finished with two singles. "I was jealous - he has beautiful hair," Leyland said. "I told him that if I had been there, I'd like to have picked it up and made a toupee." ... Joel Zumaya, who allowed an eighth-inning homer to Hoffpauir in Tuesday's win, pumped his fist after striking out Ryan Theriot to end Wednesday's eighth.
- ML
FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
CHICAGO CUBS 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 3 11 1
DETROIT 0 0 0 1 1 2 0 1 x 5 10 0 (FINAL)
BATTERIES: CHN - RICH HARDEN, AARON HEILMAN (6TH), JOSE ASCANIO (8TH), SEAN
MARSHALL (8TH), CARLOS MARMOL (8TH) AND GEOVANY SOTO
DET - RICK PORCELLO, NATE ROBERTSON (6TH), ZAC
Jun 24 10:27 PM - ML
AT DETROIT - SCORING UPDATE
BASES LOADED WALK TO MIGUEL CABRERA SCORED GERALD LAIRD.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, M CABRERA ON FIRST, P POLANCO ON SECOND, A
EVERETT ON THIRD, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 3
DETROIT 5 BOTTOM, 8TH
DUE UP FOR DETROIT: M THAMES (.271, 0-FOR-3, BB)
Cubs 3, Tigers 5 Bot 8, 0 OutsJun 24 10:11 PM - ML
AT DETROIT - SCORING UPDATE
SACRIFICE FLY BY JAKE FOX SCORED RYAN THERIOT.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, M BRADLEY ON FIRST, D LEE ON SECOND, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 3
DETROIT 4 TOP, 7TH
DUE UP FOR CHICAGO CUBS: K FUKUDOME (.261, 1-FOR-3)
Cubs 3, Tigers 4 Top 7, 0 OutsJun 24 9:37 PM - ML
AT DETROIT - SCORING UPDATE
BASES LOADED WALK TO CURTIS GRANDERSON SCORED BRANDON INGE.
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, C GRANDERSON ON FIRST, A EVERETT ON SECOND,
M ORDONEZ ON THIRD, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 2
DETROIT 4 BOTTOM, 6TH
DUE UP FOR DETROIT: P POLANCO (.266, 1-FOR-2, BB)
Cubs 2, Tigers 4 Bot 6, 0 OutsJun 24 9:14 PM - ML
AT DETROIT - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY ADAM EVERETT SCORED MARCUS THAMES.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, A EVERETT ON FIRST, M ORDONEZ ON SECOND, B
INGE ON THIRD, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 2
DETROIT 3 BOTTOM, 6TH
DUE UP FOR DETROIT: C GRANDERSON (.264, 1-FOR-3)
Cubs 2, Tigers 3 Bot 6, 0 OutsJun 24 9:12 PM - ML
AT DETROIT - SCORING UPDATE
FIELDER'S CHOICE BY MIKE FONTENOT SCORED MILTON BRADLEY.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, M FONTENOT ON FIRST, J FOX ON THIRD, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 2
DETROIT 2 TOP, 6TH
DUE UP FOR CHICAGO CUBS: A SORIANO (.225, 1-FOR-3)
Cubs 2, Tigers 2 Top 6, 0 OutsJun 24 8:55 PM - ML
AT DETROIT - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY GERALD LAIRD (3) TO LEFT WITH 1 OUT IN THE
5TH OFF RICH HARDEN.
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 1, DETROIT 2
DUE UP FOR DETROIT: A EVERETT (.253, 0-FOR-1)
Cubs 1, Tigers 2 Bot 5, 0 OutsJun 24 8:29 PM - ML
AT DETROIT - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY GEOVANY SOTO (6) TO LEFT WITH 1 OUT IN THE
5TH OFF RICK PORCELLO.
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 1, DETROIT 1
DUE UP FOR CHICAGO CUBS: M FONTENOT (.231, 0-FOR-1)
Cubs 1, Tigers 1 Top 5, 0 OutsJun 24 8:16 PM - ML
AT DETROIT - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY MIGUEL CABRERA (15) TO LEFT CENTER WITH 0
OUT IN THE 4TH OFF RICH HARDEN.
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 0, DETROIT 1
DUE UP FOR DETROIT: M THAMES (.279, 0-FOR-1)
Cubs 0, Tigers 1 Bot 4, 0 OutsJun 24 8:07 PM
Related News
- Reliever Wade Davis, Rockies agree to 3-year deal Dec 29
- Rockies, RHP Davis agree to three-year, $52 million deal Dec 29
- RHP Darvish meets with Cubs Dec 19
- Free agent Darvish meets with Cubs minus translator Dec 19
- Correction: Obit-Frank Lary story Dec 18
- Cubs finalize $13 million, 2-year deal with Steve Cishek Dec 18
- MLB Note - Chicago Cubs Cishek, Steve Dec 17
- Cubs agree to deal with reliever Cishek Dec 16
- Nats 2B Murphy using crutches 8 weeks after knee surgery Dec 16
- MLB Note - Chicago Cubs Cishek, Steve Dec 15
- Reports: Cubs sign RHP Cishek to two-year deal Dec 14
- MLB Note - Detroit Tigers Hernandez, Wilkel Dec 14