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Wednesday, Jun. 28 7:05pm ET
Chicago ends five-game losing streak | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Still no trade for the Chicago Cubs -- and, for a change, no loss, either. The Cubs put aside the Sammy Sosa trade rumors for one night, rallying from a three-run deficit behind Jon Lieber's pitching and Jose Nieves' two-run homer to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-4 Wednesday. Sosa, who could be traded in the next few days, went 1-for-3 with a double and two runs scored after drawing an impromptu standing ovation from a handful of Cubs fans during batting practice. Maybe that reception helped the Cubs play more like they do in Wrigley Field than they do on the road, where they are 12-24. Lieber (6-5) shook off an early 3-0 deficit to end the Cubs' season-long five-game losing streak and his own five-game streak of winless starts for his first victory since May 25. Before the game, manager Don Baylor complained the rumors linking Sosa to the Yankees were distracting and disrupting the Cubs, who are 2-6 on a 12-game road trip that winds up this weekend in Milwaukee. Afterward, Sosa wasn't so sure. "I'm not thinking about it," he said. "I know there's a lot of rumors out there, but I'm still here. I don't know what's going to happen. If something happens, you pack your stuff and leave." Sosa wouldn't guess when the long-rumored trade might occur, saying, "I just sit back, relax and wait. I'm just waiting for anything to happen." Lieber, traded by Pittsburgh to Chicago after the 1998 season, waited more than a month to win. He settled down to allow four runs and eight hits in 7 1-3 innings -- the ninth consecutive time he has lasted at least seven innings. He is 3-0 in four starts against his former team. "His velocity was down, and when he doesn't throw as hard, his slider isn't as good, but he still pitched well enough to keep his team in the game," former teammate Kevin Young said. "His competitive nature is still there." The Pirates got a run-scoring triple from Brian Giles in the first and a two-run double from Young in the third, but still lost their fifth in six games and 10th in 14 games. The Cubs, who had lost five in a row to the Pirates dating to last season, trailed 3-0 before chasing Pirates starter Francisco Cordova (5-6) in a four-run fourth inning. "That's a lot of runs for us when we get four in an inning," Baylor said. The Pirates didn't help themselves by committing two more errors, giving them 12 in nine games and 68 for the season, the second-most in the NL. Even a Pirates ball boy, Kierre Bulls, didn't show much defense, lunging from his chair along the right-field line to ill-advisedly deflect a hard-hit Joe Girardi ground-ball double that Bulls thought was foul but actually was fair. "I thought it was foul, too, but the umpire (Jim McKean) had a different angle than I did," said Young, the Pirates first baseman. The ball boy's miscue followed Nieves' two-run homer and might have cost the Cubs if the umpires had ruled interference, forcing runner Damon Buford to stop at third. However, McKean apparently did not see the ball deflect off the ball boy's glove and allowed Buford to score. Lieber, who helped himself by going 2-for-4, then hit what appeared to be a routine grounder to first. Young had plenty of time to make the play, only to throw the ball away for his 13th error, scoring Girardi and sending Lieber to second. Lieber was credited with a single and an RBI even though he would have been out easily if Young had made the play. Cordova, who is being scouted by the Yankees and several other teams, allowed four runs on six innings in 3 1-3 innings while being knocked around for the second time in three starts. The Cubs made it 5-3 in the fifth against reliever Chris Peters as Sosa doubled and Nieves singled for his third RBI. Nieves has three of his four homers and nine of his 15 RBIs on the ongoing road trip. "We've gone through some difficult times on this road trip, and I know everybody in this clubhouse isn't happy with the way we've been playing," Lieber said. "It was like everything went kind of right tonight." Game notesPirates assistant GM Roy Smith is scouting the Yankees in Detroit. ... Pirates LF Wil Cordero (stomach flu) sat out for the fifth time in six games and probably won't return to the lineup until Friday. ... Nieves has two homers and five RBIs in five at-bats against Cordova. ... The Cubs avoided falling a season-low 16 games under .500. ... Rick Aguilera pitched the ninth for his 16th save, stranding the potential tying run at third by striking out Warren Morris to end the game. | ALSO SEE Baseball Scoreboard Chicago Cubs Clubhouse Pittsburgh Clubhouse RECAPS Baltimore 8 Boston 7
Chicago Cubs 5
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