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Brewers-Cubs Preview

Jul 4, 2009 - 12:14 AM By KATE HEDLIN STATS Writer

Milwaukee (42-37) at Chicago (38-38), 1:05 p.m. EDT

The Chicago Cubs continue to enjoy plenty of success at Wrigley Field. Recently, though, it's taken a little longer to achieve the desired results.

The Cubs look to win their seventh straight at home as they continue a four-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday.

After losing seven of nine on the road, Chicago (39-38) has won three straight. After a 9-5 victory Thursday, the Cubs were victorious 2-1 in 10 innings Friday after Jake Fox walked with the bases loaded and two outs off Mark DiFelice.

"He made some great pitches and I was able to fight them off until he either gave me a pitch to hit or made a mistake. And he missed one," said Fox, who went 0 for 3 and was hit by a pitch.

It was the third extra-innings game for the Cubs in their last five home contests. They are 6-5 in extra innings this season, including 4-1 at home.

While Chicago will be looking to extend its longest home winning streak since a 14-game run from May 18-June 22, 2008, it will hope for a better day at the plate Saturday.

The Cubs scored 35 runs and hit .281 in their previous five home victories, but went 1 for 11 with runners in scoring position Friday. Alfonso Soriano returned to the lineup after missing two games and went 0 for 5, and Derrek Lee - who had two homers and seven RBIs Thursday - was 0 for 4 with two strikeouts.

Milwaukee (42-38), meanwhile, has lost three in a row and five straight on the road. Corey Hart walked with the bases loaded in the fourth to give the Brewers the lead, but Milwaukee went 1 for 11 with runners in scoring position and gave up a game-tying single to Carlos Zambrano in the fifth.

They are 8 for 47 with runners in scoring position in their last five road games.

Milwaukee hasn't had much luck against the Cubs' Rich Harden (5-4, 4.57 ERA).

The right-hander is 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA in three starts against the Brewers. He allowed one earned run and struck out 10 in six innings of a 4-3 win over them on April 10.

Harden had been 0-3 with a 5.64 ERA in his previous four starts before facing Pittsburgh on Monday. He allowed one run and struck out nine through seven innings in a 3-1 victory for his first win since May 12.

Braden Looper (6-4, 4.90) started for Milwaukee in April opposite Harden, and surrendered one run with four walks in five innings but failed to receive a decision. The right-hander is 2-4 with a 2.37 ERA in nine starts against Chicago.

Looper recorded his first win in a month in his last start, allowing three runs - one earned - and seven hits over 6 1-3 innings of a 10-6 victory against the Mets on Monday. The right-hander was 0-1 with a 7.18 ERA in his previous five outings.

Milwaukee hasn't lost six in a row on the road since a nine-game slide May 2-18, 2008.