The slammest margin
Cubs' view from the top continues after Ward thrills with blast in 3rd
August 19, 2007
Before Friday, the Cubs hadn't been alone in first place since April 2004, their stay at the top lasting only two days then.
No need to check what the fading Milwaukee Brewers were doing Saturday night after the Cubs won another game against the St. Louis Cardinals, keeping their hold on the National League Central with a 5-3 victory at Wrigley Field.
No need to check what the fading Milwaukee Brewers were doing Saturday night after the Cubs won another game against the St. Louis Cardinals, keeping their hold on the National League Central with a 5-3 victory at Wrigley Field.
But a couple of hours before the Brewers beat the Cincinnati Reds 8-4 to stay a half-game behind, the Cubs' latest hero admitted there's serious scoreboard-watching going on now.
But a couple of hours before the Brewers beat the Cincinnati Reds 8-4 to stay a half-game behind, the Cubs' latest hero admitted there's serious scoreboard-watching going on now.
''We're watching them in the clubhouse,'' said a smiling Daryle Ward, whose grand slam in the third off Anthony Reyes (2-12) was the big blow of the game. ''It's that time where we're grinding until the end now. Guys are getting excited in the clubhouse. At first we thought the goal was getting to .500. Now, it's more than that.''
That's apparent from the clubhouse to the stands, with 41,369 bi-partisan fans on Saturday realizing the stakes of this four-game series go beyond the rivalry. The Cubs have won the first two games to cool the streaking Cardinals, now four games back.
''Yes, we're still in first,'' Cubs manager Lou Piniella said, ''but we just have to play. There's still a long way to go. We need to stay consistent. We need total contributions from our team, and that goes to the pitching staff, too.''
That's what Piniella got again, with Ward taking the hitting bows and a corps of six pitchers shining on the mound, from starter Sean Marshall (6-6) to just-arrived rookie Carmen Pignatiello.
Marshall worked five innings and gave up two solo homers, to Juan Encarnacion in the fourth and Brendan Ryan in the fifth. Bob Howry gave up the last Cardinals run, a solo homer by Albert Pujols in the eighth.
Facing Chris Duncan with two outs, Encarnacion on first and the rain beginning to get heavy, Howry was hoping to end the top of the inning without more damage. He had a 1-2 count when umpires stopped the action. An hour later when play resumed, it was Pignatiello on the mound. He needed only one pitch, a curve that broke over the plate, to retire Duncan looking.
''I faced him a lot of times in the minors, so I knew what I was going to throw,'' Pignatiello said after his first major-league hold, which set up Ryan Dempster for his 19th save.
Ward had the whole team grinning with his first homer as a Cub.
''I've been trying everything I could to hit one,'' the affable lefty said. ''Different T-shirts and stuff. But it came in a big game, and I was pretty excited.''
So was the crowd, which clamored for a curtain call.
''I couldn't tell the difference between them calling for a curtain call or just cheering the homer,'' Ward said with a laugh.
Ward, who missed time in June with a strained left hip, had been on the disabled list until last Sunday with a strained right calf. He'd been hitting .423 (11-for-26) in 14 games before his injury. There were no lingering signs Saturday as he tracked down six fly balls in right field.
The Cubs won for a second straight day despite getting only four hits. But they made up for it with drama on the defensive side.
The Cardinals seemed poised to score in the sixth when Pujols singled to start the inning, ending Marshall's day. But a series of bizarre plays worked in the Cubs' favor with Carlos Marmol on the mound.
Encarnacion walked and Scott Rolen flied out, moving Pujols to third. Duncan was pinch-hitting for Ryan Ludwick when Marmol unleashed a throw that got by catcher Jason Kendall. Pujols broke from third as Kendall retrieved the ball and threw to Marmol at home. Pujols slid head-first into the plate, appearing to score, but umpire Ted Barrett ruled that Marmol's sweep tag beat him, drawing a quick but futile protest from Cardinals manager Tony La Russa.
Moments later, Marmol threw a two-strike pitch that hit Duncan and caromed away, but because Duncan swung and missed, he was called for the strikeout, ending the top of the inning.
