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Cubs attempt to follow up no-hitter, continue Miller Park domination

Sep 15, 2008 - 2:28 PM Chicago Cubs (89-58) at Houston (80-68) 2:05 pm EDT

MILWAUKEE (Ticker) -- The Chicago Cubs have yet to lose this season at Miller Park. Thanks to Carlos Zambrano, they were able to leave an indelible mark on their domination at the facility.

About 16 hours after Zambrano became the first Cubs' pitcher in 36 years to throw a no-hitter, Chicago looks to remain undefeated at Miller Park when they conclude their relocated and abbreviated two-game series with the Houston Astros on Monday afternoon.

Much to the chagrin of the Astros, Major League Baseball moved their scheduled weekend home series from Minute Maid Park to Milwaukee's home field - where Chicago had compiled a 5-0 record against the Brewers and now Astros - due to the effects of Hurricane Ike on the city of Houston.

The new travel itinerary did not sit well with the host Astros, who traveled over 1,000 miles to Miller Park to play the first of two "home" games against the Cubs, who are less than 100 miles from Miller Park.

Bolstered by a partisan crowd, Zambrano tossed the 267th no-hitter in major league history in a 5-0 victory Sunday. It was the first for the franchise since Milt Pappas in 1972.

"This is not a home game," Astros manager Cecil Cooper said. "This is definitely an advantage to the Cubs, and that's saying it as mildly as possible."

While Miller Park isn't exactly the friendly confines of Wrigley Field, Zambrano was not complaining over the recent change of venue.

"It feels like we're at Wrigley," Zambrano said. "Here in Milwaukee, we knew the crowd would be on our side. In the same way, we feel bad for the Astros because of the hurricane and everything happened in Houston. ... I still can't believe it; it's a great feeling I can't describe. Throwing a no-hitter is one of the few things in baseball you most enjoy."

While another no-hitter may be too much to ask, the Cubs will turn to Ted Lilly (14-9, 4.29 ERA) to simply repeat his last outing. The lefthander snapped a personal two-game losing streak in Wednesday's 4-3 win at St. Louis, allowing one run and five hits over eight innings.

The lefthander will be opposed by Brian Moehler (11-6, 4.16), who will try to return the Astros to their winning ways after the team had won 14 of their last 15 contests before Zambrano's gem. The 36-year-old righthander will attempt to post his second straight victory, after allowing two runs and five hits over six frames in Wednesday's 7-4 win over Pittsburgh.