• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Cubs shoot for series win in the desert

May 1, 2011 - 3:04 PM (Sports Network) - The Chicago Cubs shoot for a third straight win and a series victory this afternoon when they wrap up a four-game set with the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.

The Cubs won back-to-back road games for the first time this season on Saturday, as Darwin Barney and Starlin Castro delivered two-out RBI singles in the ninth inning, lifting Chicago to a 5-3 victory. Alfonso Soriano homered and knocked in two runs for the Cubs, who had dropped four in a row prior to winning their last two.

Matt Garza (1-3) picked up his first win as a Cub and struck out 10 batters in eight innings, while Carlos Marmol worked around a one-out walk in the ninth to earn his seventh save.

Soriano has four homers and five RBI in his last three games.

The go-ahead rally in the ninth came against J.J. Putz (0-1). Barney's base hit scored Geovany Soto and Castro singled under Putz's glove and into center, scoring Kosuke Fukudome to make it 5-3.

The Diamondbacks had a chance to escape the inning, but shortstop Stephen Drew double-clutched while trying to turn a double play and Fukudome beat the throw to first.

"We had a chance to end it right there," said Arizona manager Kirk Gibson. "Fukudome hustled down there and just barely beat it out. The call could have went either way."

The Diamondbacks have lost three of their last four and seven of their last 10.

Arizona starter Ian Kennedy, after pitching his first career shutout Monday to beat the Phillies, didn't factor in this decision. He yielded three runs on six hits and a walk, striking out six.

Heading to the hill for the Cubs today will be righty Casey Coleman, who is coming off an awful outing in his last trip to the hill on April 22. Coleman was battered by the Los Angeles Dodgers in that one for six runs and six hits in just 2 2/3 innings, dropping him to 1-1, while raising his ERA to 7.42.

Arizona will counter with right-hander Daniel Hudson, who had a disappointing April going 1-4 with a 5.64 ERA. Big things were expected from Hudson this season after he went 7-1 with a 1.69 ERA following a midseason trade from Chicago. However, he lost his first four starts before finally beating Philadelphia on Tuesday.

Hudson held the Phillies to three runs and 10 hits in six innings. He also struck out six without walking a batter in the win.

"I thought I threw a lot of good pitches, especially in the first inning," said Hudson, who has pitched to a 2.60 ERA in nine starts at Chase Field . "They found a couple of holes. It?s probably the best stuff I have had all year."

Both starters will be facing their opponents for the first time.

Chicago took two of three from the D'Backs earlier this season and has won five of its last six in Arizona.