Rookie handcuffs Cubs

By Chris Duncan
The Associated Press
Published June 7, 2006, 3:47 PM CDT

HOUSTON -- Chris Sampson tossed seven innings of three-hit ball in his first major league start, leading the Houston Astros over the Cubs 1-0 Wednesday.

Sampson set down the first 11 batters he faced, 10 on groundouts. He walked Michael Barrett with two outs in the fourth, but got Todd Walker to fly out.

Dan Wheeler worked a hitless eighth and Brad Lidge pitched a perfect ninth for his 15th save.

Sampson, a native of nearby Pasadena, Texas, was called up from Triple-A Round Rock on June 2 and made his major league debut later that day, allowing six hits and three runs in 5 1-3 innings of relief against the Cincinnati Reds.

With Roy Oswalt nursing a sore back, manager Phil Garner decided to start Sampson, who was 7-1 with a 2.79 ERA in 10 starts this season with Round Rock.

Sampson (1-0) made it look like a smart move, outdueling Cubs rookie starter Sean Marshall (3-4), who nearly matched Sampson.

Brad Ausmus, batting .321 since April 13, led off the third with a long homer off that bounced off the brick facade in left field, his first. Outside of that mistake, Marshall was just as sharp as Sampson, striking out Morgan Ensberg and Preston Wilson to end the fourth.

John Mabry reached on an infield single in the fifth for the Cubs' first hit.

Jason Lane led off the bottom half with a deep fly that sailed just outside the left-field foul pole. Umpire Jim Reynolds called it a home run at first and a cannon blast echoed through Minute Maid Park as Cubs manager Dusty Baker jogged out to protest. Umpires Tim Welke and Kerwin Danley conferred with Reynolds and the ball was ruled foul.

Lane eventually walked, but Marshall struck out Ausmus and Adam Everett rolled into a double play.

The Cubs, meanwhile, struggled to even get a ball out of the infield against Sampson. Of the first 18 batters he retired, 16 grounded out.

Marshall kept Chicago close.

Craig Biggio and Lance Berkman reached on sharp grounders in the sixth that Aramis Ramirez misplayed -- both were ruled hits -- but Marshall got Ensberg to fly out to end the threat.

Barrett led off the seventh with a single to center, the first ball a Cub hit to the outfield since the fourth. With two outs, Mabry lined a single to right, but Matt Murton flew out to Lane and Sampson smacked his glove with satisfaction.

Marshall allowed four hits in seven innings. He struck out five and walked three.Notes: The Astros took two of three from the Cubs, Houston's first series win since May 19-21. ... CF Chris Burke left the game in the third inning when he re-separated his left shoulder whiffing on a pitch. Willy Taveras replaced Burke, who had started 11 of the last 13 games. Burke hurt his shoulder the first time when he crashed into the wall at Coors Field on May 6. He was placed on the disabled list and missed 13 games. ... The Cubs have won the season series with the Astros the past three years.