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Marquis, Soriano look to lead Cubs to fourth straight win

Jun 25, 2007 - 2:11 PM Colorado (38-37) at Chicago Cubs (35-39) 8:05 pm EDT

CHICAGO (Ticker) -- Jason Marquis has not won in a while. Alfonso Soriano's hot bat may help change that.

Marquis takes the mound as the Chicago Cubs open a three-game series with the Colorado Rockies on Monday.

Marquis (5-4, 3.38 ERA) has not won since he threw a three-hit shutout against the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 9 - a span of nine starts. In his last outing, he gave up six runs - four earned - and five hits in five innings in a 7-3 loss to the Texas Rangers on Wednesday.

However, the way that Soriano has been swinging the bat lately, that slump could come to an end on Monday. The outfielder has four home runs in his last six games, including a solo shot in a 3-0 win over the Chicago White Sox on Sunday.

That latest win completed a three-game sweep for the Cubs, who will be looking for their first four-game winning streak since five in a row from May 1-6.

Colorado's Jeff Francis (7-5, 3.44) will be the man in charge of making sure that does not happen. Francis is coming off a stellar outing in which he shut down the New York Yankees, allowing just one run and five hits and striking out a career-high nine batters in seven innings of a 6-1 on Wednesday.

Francis is trying for his third straight win and put the brakes to a three-game slide for the Rockies. Colorado has not lost four straight since dropping six in a row from last August 18-24.