Cubs 9 - 0 Astros
Final
  for this game

Cubs in search of offense, hope to end road woes

Jul 20, 2008 - 3:01 PM Chi Cubs (57-40) at Houston (46-51) 2:05 pm EDT

HOUSTON (Ticker) -- The Chicago Cubs hope to avoid a three-game sweep when they visit the Houston Astros in the final game of the series on Sunday.

Chicago is 37-12 at Wrigley Field this season but just 20-28 on the road after dropping the first two games of the series in Houston. The Cubs have scored just one run in each defeat, including Saturday's 4-1 setback.

Personifying the road struggles is righthander Ryan Dempster (10-4, 3.25 ERA), who will take the mound for Chicago.

Dempster has won 10 of his 12 starts at home this season but is 0-3 with a 4.03 ERA in eight outings on the road. The 31-year-old suffered the loss in his last outing, giving up four runs over 6 2/3 innings against San Francisco on July 13.

The Astros, who are riding a four-game winning streak, will counter with Brandon Backe (6-9, 4.76).

Backe is coming off his best outing of the season, pitching seven scoreless innings in Houston's 5-0 victory over the Washington Nationals on July 13. He is 2-1 with a 4.63 ERA in seven career games - six starts - against the Cubs.








  • NL
    FINAL
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
    - - - - - - - - - - - -
    CHICAGO CUBS 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 5 9 13 0
    HOUSTON 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 1 (FINAL)

    BATTERIES: CHN - RYAN DEMPSTER, CARLOS MARMOL (9TH) AND GEOVANY SOTO
    HOU - BRANDON BACKE, WESLEY WRIGHT (7TH), CHRIS SAMPSON
    (8TH), TIM BYRDAK (9TH), CHAD PARONTO (9TH) AND J.

    Jul 20 4:33 PM


  • NL
    AT HOUSTON - SCORING UPDATE
    SINGLE BY DERREK LEE SCORED RYAN THERIOT AND KOSUKE
    FUKUDOME.
    SITUATION: 5 RUNS IN, D LEE ON FIRST, 1 OUT
    CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 9
    HOUSTON 0 TOP, 9TH
    DUE UP FOR CHICAGO CUBS: A RAMIREZ (.275, 0-FOR-4)

    Cubs 9, Astros 0  Top 9, 0 OutsJul 20 4:26 PM


  • NL
    AT HOUSTON - SCORING UPDATE
    SINGLE BY RYAN THERIOT SCORED MIKE FONTENOT.
    SITUATION: 3 RUNS IN, R THERIOT ON FIRST, 1 OUT
    CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 7
    HOUSTON 0 TOP, 9TH
    DUE UP FOR CHICAGO CUBS: K FUKUDOME (.275, 1-FOR-4)

    Cubs 7, Astros 0  Top 9, 0 OutsJul 20 4:19 PM


  • NL
    AT HOUSTON - SCORING UPDATE
    DOUBLE BY MIKE FONTENOT SCORED MARK DEROSA AND GEOVANY
    SOTO.
    SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, M FONTENOT ON SECOND, 0 OUT
    CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 6
    HOUSTON 0 TOP, 9TH
    DUE UP FOR CHICAGO CUBS: R DEMPSTER (.158, 0-FOR-2, SAC)

    Cubs 6, Astros 0  Top 9, 0 OutsJul 20 4:17 PM


  • NL
    AT HOUSTON - SCORING UPDATE
    SINGLE BY RYAN THERIOT SCORED MIKE FONTENOT.
    SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, R THERIOT ON SECOND, 2 OUT
    CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 4
    HOUSTON 0 TOP, 7TH
    DUE UP FOR CHICAGO CUBS: K FUKUDOME (.276, 1-FOR-3)

    Cubs 4, Astros 0  Top 7, 0 OutsJul 20 3:43 PM


  • NL
    AT HOUSTON - SCORING UPDATE
    SOLO HOME RUN BY MIKE FONTENOT (8) TO RIGHT WITH 1 OUT IN
    THE 5TH OFF BRANDON BACKE.
    CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 3, HOUSTON 0
    DUE UP FOR CHICAGO CUBS: R DEMPSTER (.162, 0-FOR-1)

    Cubs 3, Astros 0  Top 5, 0 OutsJul 20 3:01 PM


  • NL
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
    - - - - - - - - - - - -
    CHICAGO CUBS 2 2 3 0
    HOUSTON 0 0 0 (BOT 1)

    CURRENT PITCHERS: CHN - RYAN DEMPSTER
    HOU - BRANDON BACKE

    DUE UP FOR HOUSTON: K MATSUI (.281, 1 HR, 19 RBI)
    D ERSTAD (.280, 2 HR, 16 RBI)
    L BERKMAN (.343, 22 HR, 73 RBI)

    Cubs 2, Astros 0  Bot 1, 0 OutsJul 20 2:14 PM

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