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Cubs score two late runs to edge Padres in the ninth

May 25, 2007 - 6:15 AM SAN DIEGO (Ticker) -- The Chicago Cubs finally got over the hump in Petco Park.

Cliff Floyd drove in the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth inning as the Cubs snapped a six-game losing streak here Thursday with a 3-1 victory against the San Diego Padres.

After starters Chris Young and Jason Marquis were brilliant through seven innings, Chicago broke through against the vaunted San Diego bullpen in the ninth.

Derrek Lee opened with a single off Cla Meredith (1-2), advanced to third on a base hit by Aramis Ramirez and scored when his slide home just alluded a throw from second baseman Marcus Giles, who fielded Floyd's grounder.

Lee had returned to the starting lineup two days ago dealing with back spasms.

"That was really good, hustling baseball by Derrek," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. "That was a heck of a slide at home plate. We were going on contact, and he got a good jump. The throw was just a little bit high, which allowed him to get his feet in there. Good baseball."

Michael Barrett reached on a bunt single to load the bases before Heath Bell entered and got Ramirez on a forceout at home before Ryan Theriot plated pinch runner Angel Pagan with a fielder's choice to make it 3-1.

Bobby Howry (2-3) pitched a scoreless eighth for the win and closer Ryan Dempster did not let anyone aboard in the ninth to record his 10th save in 11 chances for Chicago, which ended a four-game road skid.

"It felt good. We just kept clawing and clawing, and Jason did a great job keeping us in the game," Lee said. "We just stayed positive in the dugout. We didn't really swing the bats great, but we put the ball in play when we had to and got a couple of runs across."

Marquis surrendered just one Padres run and five hits with three walks and five strikeouts in seven innings. The righthander allowed just two runners to reach second base after the second inning and was helped by three double plays.

"I feel pretty good," Marquis said. "Even my last start at home, I felt pretty good, but my mechanics and my delivery were a little off. I went back to the drawing board and felt a lot more comfortable tonight. I made some pitches when I needed to, and my defense made some plays behind me."

"(Marquis) really was (efficient), a lot of ground balls," Piniella said. "He really threw well. He had the stuff tonight that he had earlier in the year. Really a good performance, seven good innings of baseball."

Young yielded a run and three hits with two walks and a season-high 10 strikeouts. He retired the first 12 batters he faced and struck six of the first nine. After Alfonso Soriano tripled to lead off the sixth, Young fanned Mark DeRosa, Lee and Ramirez to escape any damage.

"I was mixing in my fastball early on, I had a very good curveball working, and as the game progressed, I started using my slider more," Young said. "It was one of those nights where all three pitches are coming out pretty well and I felt good. But, unfortunately, we weren't able to pull it out."

"Young threw great," Padres manager Bud Black said. "His fastball had a lot of life on it, and they weren't on him. He pitched well. Marquis did, too. It was two well-thrown games."

The Padres opened the scoring in the fourth, when Josh Bard singled home Adrian Gonzalez, who opened the frame with a leadoff double.

But Chicago got that run back in the fifth on doubles by Ramirez and Barrett.

"We got the two big base hits, first in the (fifth), and then in the ninth," Piniella said. "If we could just get this darn offense on track, but it's nice to win a baseball game."