Final/10
Ramirez walk lifts Cubs past Nationals 4-3 in 10
Apr 27, 2010 - 4:11 AM By ANDREW SELIGMAN AP Sports WriterCHICAGO(AP) -- With the wind whipping and the temperature cool, Aramis Ramirez felt far from comfortable on the field.
He found a way to warm up.
Ramirez walked with the bases loaded in the 10th inning to give the Chicago Cubs a 4-3 victory over the Washington Nationals on Monday night, their fourth straight win.
"That's how you win games," Ramirez said. "Early in the year, it's going to be tough to hit. It's going to be cold."
But he likes what he's seeing at the moment.
So does Marlon Byrd.
He feels the Cubs are turning things around. Actually, he feels like the turnaround is complete.
"We're a good team and we win games," he said. "That's what we're trying to do now - win series."
Ryan Theriot, coming off a five-hit game against Milwaukee on Sunday, started the winning rally with a leadoff single to right against Brian Bruney (1-1). Derrek Lee walked with one out before Byrd blooped a single over second baseman Cristian Guzman for his third hit. That loaded the bases for Ramirez, who walked on four pitches and became the third player - and second Cub - to walk with the bases loaded in the game.
"I put this one on me," Bruney said. "Unfortunately, this is not a good feeling to have, with a locker room full of guys that are busting their (butts) and you go out there and walk a guy to win a game. Obviously, I'm not happy with myself."
Carlos Marmol (1-0) pitched around a two-out double by Adam Dunn in the top of the 10th and recorded his first win since June 14 against Minnesota.
Ace-turned-reliever Carlos Zambrano pitched 1 2-3 scoreless innings in his second appearance out of the bullpen and first at Wrigley Field since his removal from the rotation last week. He came on to loud cheers with one out in the eighth after Dunn lined a single to right off Sean Marshall. Josh Willingham singled past a diving Ramirez at third to put runners on first and second before Adam Kennedy popped out and Wil Nieves struck out with the crowd on its feet.
Zambrano took off his cap and pointed toward the sky as he often does on his way to the dugout.
"It was pretty exciting," said Zambrano, who believes the move is a temporary one. "I was a little pumped up. I had to calm myself down and I did it."
Lee and Ramirez both flied out to the warning track in the bottom half off Tyler Walker, as did pinch-hitter Ryan Zimmerman against Zambrano in the ninth, but on a windy night, the balls weren't going over the wall.
Bruney came on in the bottom half for Washington and walked Alfonso Soriano on four pitches leading off before Koyie Hill forced him with a bunt in front of the mound. But Chicago broke through in the 10th for a dramatic finish to what started out looking like an easy night.
Coming off a weekend sweep at Milwaukee, the Cubs appeared to be in good shape early on.
They took a 2-0 lead in the second off John Lannan on consecutive doubles by Byrd and Ramirez and a bases-loaded walk to Carlos Silva and got another run in the third on Jeff Baker's triple and Byrd's infield single.
The way Silva was pitching, that looked like it might be enough. He retired the first nine batters, before the Nationals scored two in the fourth on a bases-loaded walk to Willingham and Kennedy's sacrifice fly. Washington tied it on in the sixth on Nieves' run-scoring single.
Silva allowed three runs and seven hits - both season highs - in seven innings for the Cubs.
Lannan allowed three runs and five hits in six innings with a season-high five walks, one coming the bases loaded against Silva in the second after walking the previous two batters.
"Last couple of starts, I've had to labor a lot," he said. "I'm getting sick of it. I wish I can go out there and throw strong start to finish, not having these crappy innings in the middle. It really cost us. Walking the pitcher with the bases loaded, that's not me."
NOTES: Nationals C Ivan Rodriguez was scratched from the lineup because of lower back tightness. ... Zimmerman was out of the lineup for the fifth straight game with right hamstring soreness. ... Theriot had a bit of an adventure at shortstop in the trying to catch Willingham's pop fly into the wind in the second, sprinting for a basket catch near second after he initially ran into left field. "I've never seen a pop-up do that," he said.
- Cubs 4, Nationals 3 - FINAL
WASHINGTON ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
N Morgan cf 5 1 2 0 0 1 0 .293
I Desmond ss 5 1 2 0 0 1 0 .241
C Guzman 2b 5 0 0 0 0 0 4 .288
A Dunn 1b 5 0 3 0 0 1 0 .239
J Willingham lf 4 1 2 1 1 0 1 .317
A Kennedy 3b 3 0 0 1 0 0 2 .212
W Nieves
Apr 26 10:53 PM - NL
AT CHICAGO CUBS - SCORING UPDATE
BASES LOADED WALK TO ARAMIS RAMIREZ SCORED RYAN THERIOT
FINAL SCORE - CHICAGO CUBS 4, WASHINGTON 3.
Nationals 3, Cubs 4 Bot 10, 0 OutsApr 26 10:51 PM - NL
AT CHICAGO CUBS - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY WIL NIEVES SCORED JOSH WILLINGHAM
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, W NIEVES ON FIRST, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: WASHINGTON 3
CHICAGO CUBS 3 TOP,6TH
DUE UP FOR WASHINGTON: W TAVERAS (.160, 0-FOR-2)
Nationals 3, Cubs 3 Top 6, 0 OutsApr 26 9:31 PM - NL
AT CHICAGO CUBS - SCORING UPDATE
SACRIFICE FLY BY ADAM KENNEDY SCORED IAN DESMOND
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, J WILLINGHAM ON FIRST, A DUNN ON SECOND, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: WASHINGTON 2
CHICAGO CUBS 3 TOP,4TH
DUE UP FOR WASHINGTON: W NIEVES (.200, 0-FOR-1)
Nationals 2, Cubs 3 Top 4, 0 OutsApr 26 9:02 PM - NL
AT CHICAGO CUBS - SCORING UPDATE
BASES LOADED WALK TO JOSH WILLINGHAM SCORED NYJER MORGAN
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, J WILLINGHAM ON FIRST, A DUNN ON SECOND, I
DESMOND ON THIRD, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: WASHINGTON 1
CHICAGO CUBS 3 TOP,4TH
DUE UP FOR WASHINGTON: A KENNEDY (.220, 0-FOR-1)
Nationals 1, Cubs 3 Top 4, 0 OutsApr 26 9:00 PM - NL
AT CHICAGO CUBS - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY MARLON BYRD SCORED JEFF BAKER
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, M BYRD ON FIRST, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: WASHINGTON 0
CHICAGO CUBS 3 BOTTOM,3RD
DUE UP FOR CHICAGO CUBS: A RAMIREZ (.151, 1-FOR-1, RBI)
Nationals 0, Cubs 3 Bot 3, 0 OutsApr 26 8:51 PM - NL
AT CHICAGO CUBS - SCORING UPDATE
BASES LOADED WALK TO CARLOS SILVA SCORED ARAMIS RAMIREZ
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, C SILVA ON FIRST, T COLVIN ON SECOND, G
SOTO ON THIRD, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: WASHINGTON 0
CHICAGO CUBS 2 BOTTOM,2ND
DUE UP FOR CHICAGO CUBS: R THERIOT (.325, 0-FOR-1)
Nationals 0, Cubs 2 Bot 2, 0 OutsApr 26 8:36 PM - NL
AT CHICAGO CUBS - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY ARAMIS RAMIREZ SCORED MARLON BYRD
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, A RAMIREZ ON SECOND, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: WASHINGTON 0
CHICAGO CUBS 1 BOTTOM,2ND
DUE UP FOR CHICAGO CUBS: A SORIANO (.300, 2 HR, 7 RBI)
Nationals 0, Cubs 1 Bot 2, 0 OutsApr 26 8:28 PM
Related News
- A few more thoughts about the Cubs’ offseason inactivity thus far Dec 26
- Cub Tracks’ box set Dec 26
- BCB After Dark: Happy Holidays! Dec 26
- Washington Nationals news & notes: Getting more pitching in 2024 + more... Dec 26
- Merry Christmas from BCB! Dec 25
- Outside The Confines: Merry Christmas Dec 25
- Baseball history unpacked, December 25 Dec 25
- ‘Twas the night before Cub Christmas, 2023 Dec 24
- Cub Tracks has garlic in its soul Dec 24
- Cubs historical sleuthing: Early 1940s edition Dec 23
- Cubs historical sleuthing: Ticket edition Dec 23
- Cub Tracks’ green Xmas Dec 23