Final
Dempster, Cubs make it three straight over Brewers
Jul 31, 2008 - 5:33 AM By David Cotey PA SportsTicker Contributing WriterMILWAUKEE (Ticker) -- Ryan Dempster and the Chicago Cubs' domination of the Milwaukee Brewers continues.
Dempster struck out nine in seven innings and Alfonso Soriano and Ryan Theriot sparked the offense as the Cubs beat the Brewers for the third straight game, 7-2, on Wednesday at Miller Park.
Dempster (12-4) improved to 7-2 in his career and 3-0 this season against the Brewers, who lost for the fifth time in six games and fell four games behind the front-running Cubs, winners of four straight, in the National League Central Division.
"We hadn't been playing real well for a while and I think guys were frustrated, but at the same time we've got a lot of guys with experience that know that you're going to hit those lows during the season, just as you're going to hit those extreme highs," Dempster said. "We just wanted to come up here and play good baseball and hopefully get good results. We've gotten those the first three games."
Soriano and Theriot, the first two hitters in their lineup, were a combined 6-for-7 with four walks, three runs and three RBIs.
"We got some big situational hits," Theriot said. "We've been hitting with two strikes and two outs well. It comes in spurts and when you're getting those hits, you've got to take advantage of it."
Theriot broke the game open with a two-run triple during a three-run sixth inning.
Brewers starter Manny Parra (9-4), who legged out a triple with two outs in the bottom of the fifth, struck out Henry Blanco before allowing back-to-back singles by Dempster and Alfonso Soriano. Theriot tripled to chase the 25-year-old lefthander from the contest with the Cubs ahead, 4-1.
"The big (play) was the triple that he hit," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. "That really got us going."
Two batters later, Reed Johnson drove in Theriot with a single up the middle off reliever Carlos Villanueva.
With one out and runners on first and third in the top of the first inning, Parra struck out both Aramis Ramirez and Johnson, but Johnson's swinging strike three was a wild pitch that went through catcher Jason Kendall's legs, allowing Johnson to reach first and Soriano to score from third.
"That was a real tough pitch to block," Brewers manager Ned Yost said. "You don't see it getting away from Jason Kendall very often, but that one did."
Mark DeRosa followed with an RBI single for a 2-0 lead.
"We got two runs in an inning where we probably shouldn't have gotten anything," Piniella said. "That was a break that went our way."
The only run Dempster allowed came on a wild pitch with Ray Durham on third base in the first inning. He walked just one, allowed five hits and held the Brewers hitless in seven at-bats with runners in scoring position.
"They've got a lot of good hitters," Dempster said. "I just tried to attack as much as possible and was happy that I was able to stick to my game plan today even in situations when there were runners in scoring position or guys on base. The results were good."
Parra, whose loss in his start Friday against the Houston Astros snapped an eight-game winning streak, allowed eight hits, all of them singles until Theriot's triple. He allowed five runs, struck out four and walked four.
"I feel like I made some good pitches and they hit them, and I made some bad ones and they capitalized on those too, especially Theriot in that last inning," Parra said.
- NL
FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
CHICAGO CUBS 2 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 2 7 14 0
MILWAUKEE 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 6 0 (FINAL)
BATTERIES: CHN - RYAN DEMPSTER, CHAD GAUDIN (8TH), NEAL COTTS (9TH) AND HENRY
BLANCO
MIL - MANNY PARRA, CARLOS VILLANUEVA (6TH), DAVID RISKE
(8TH), BRIAN SHOUSE (9TH), GUILLE
Jul 30 11:20 PM - NL
AT MILWAUKEE - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY PRINCE FIELDER (21) TO RIGHT CENTER WITH 1
OUT IN THE 9TH OFF NEAL COTTS.
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 7, MILWAUKEE 2
DUE UP FOR MILWAUKEE: C HART (.283, 0-FOR-3)
Cubs 7, Brewers 2 Bot 9, 0 OutsJul 30 11:16 PM - NL
AT MILWAUKEE - SCORING UPDATE
FIELDER'S CHOICE BY DERREK LEE SCORED RONNY CEDENO.
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, D LEE ON FIRST, R THERIOT ON SECOND, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 7
MILWAUKEE 1 TOP, 9TH
DUE UP FOR CHICAGO CUBS: A RAMIREZ (.274, 0-FOR-3, 2 BB)
Cubs 7, Brewers 1 Top 9, 0 OutsJul 30 11:08 PM - NL
AT MILWAUKEE - SCORING UPDATE
BASES LOADED WALK TO RYAN THERIOT SCORED HENRY BLANCO.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, R THERIOT ON FIRST, A SORIANO ON SECOND, R
CEDENO ON THIRD, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 6
MILWAUKEE 1 TOP, 9TH
DUE UP FOR CHICAGO CUBS: D LEE (.295, 0-FOR-4, BB)
Cubs 6, Brewers 1 Top 9, 0 OutsJul 30 11:01 PM - NL
AT MILWAUKEE - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY REED JOHNSON SCORED RYAN THERIOT.
SITUATION: 3 RUNS IN, R JOHNSON ON FIRST, A RAMIREZ ON SECOND, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 5
MILWAUKEE 1 TOP, 6TH
DUE UP FOR CHICAGO CUBS: M DEROSA (.275, 1-FOR-2, BB, RBI)
Cubs 5, Brewers 1 Top 6, 0 OutsJul 30 9:56 PM - NL
AT MILWAUKEE - SCORING UPDATE
TRIPLE BY RYAN THERIOT SCORED RYAN DEMPSTER AND ALFONSO
SORIANO.
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, R THERIOT ON THIRD, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 4
MILWAUKEE 1 TOP, 6TH
DUE UP FOR CHICAGO CUBS: D LEE (.297, 0-FOR-2, BB)
Cubs 4, Brewers 1 Top 6, 0 OutsJul 30 9:46 PM - NL
AT MILWAUKEE - SCORING UPDATE
WILD PITCH BY RYAN DEMPSTER ALLOWED RAY DURHAM TO SCORE.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, P FIELDER ON FIRST, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 2
MILWAUKEE 1 BOTTOM, 1ST
DUE UP FOR MILWAUKEE: C HART (.285, 0-FOR-0)
Cubs 2, Brewers 1 Bot 1, 0 OutsJul 30 8:35 PM - NL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
CHICAGO CUBS 2 2 2 0
MILWAUKEE 0 0 0 (BOT 1)
CURRENT PITCHERS: CHN - RYAN DEMPSTER
MIL - MANNY PARRA
DUE UP FOR MILWAUKEE: R DURHAM (.290, 3 HR, 32 RBI)
J HARDY (.294, 15 HR, 48 RBI)
R BRAUN (.303, 29 HR, 81 RBI)
Cubs 2, Brewers 0 Bot 1, 0 OutsJul 30 8:22 PM
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