• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Byrd's homer lifts Cubs over Marlins

May 19, 2011 - 4:33 AM Miami, FL (Sports Network) - Marlon Byrd's leadoff home run in the eighth helped the Chicago Cubs earn a 7-5 win over the Florida Marlins in the opener of a two-game set.

Reed Johnson added a pinch-hit, two-run home run while Koyie Hill was 3-for-3 with three runs scored for the Cubs, who snapped a three-game slide. Ryan Dempster lasted just five innings in the start and was charged with five runs on eight hits. Jeff Samardzija (3-0) worked two scoreless innings for the win.

"Hopefully this win takes a little bit of the pressure off," said Hill. "We expect a lot of ourselves this season and sometimes that can take the fun out of the game."

Hanley Ramirez hit a solo home run and scored twice while Greg Dobbs belted a two-run double for the Marlins, who have dropped two of three. Ricky Nolasco was tagged for five runs -- four earned -- on nine hits over six innings while Edward Mujica (4-2) got the loss.

With the score tied in the eighth, Byrd led off with a shot over the left field wall. Later in the inning, Jeff Baker provided an insurance run when his fielder's choice groundout scored Tony Campana for a 7-5 advantage.

Carlos Marmol, who got the final out of the eighth, gave up a leadoff double to Logan Morrison in the ninth. However, he set down the next three batters in order for his ninth save of the season.

The Marlins got on the board in the first on a solo home run from Ramirez, but the Cubs got it back in the third.

Hill led off with a single and moved to second on Dempster's sac bunt. Another single from Kosuke Fukudome moved Hill to third and he came home on Darwin Barney's groundout.

In the fifth, the Cubs got two more runs across to take the lead. With runners on first and third, a sac fly from Barney scored one. Starlin Castro followed with a single to left that hopped in front of Morrison, who misread the hit and allowed the ball to get past him. Fukudome scored on the play for a 3-1 advantage.

However, Florida surged ahead in the bottom of the inning. With men on the corners and two outs, Gaby Sanchez brought one home with a single. Dobbs followed with a two-run double for the lead and Mike Stanton made it a 5-3 game with an RBI single.

The Cubs, though, tied the game in the sixth on a two-out, two-run homer from Johnson, his second of the season.

"You know he comes off the bench for them and gives them a big boost," said Nolasco. "I had to make a pitch to him and had bad location on it. A good hitter like him will make you pay for your mistakes."

Game Notes

Chicago took four of six from Florida last season...Chris Volstad pitches for Florida on Thursday while Casey Coleman will throw for the Cubs...Florida batted 4-for-12 with runners in scoring position, but left 10 men on base.