| |
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
GAME LOG
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Jon Lieber doesn't think he's the ace of the
Chicago Cubs, yet he keeps pitching that way.
Lieber won his fourth consecutive game, pitching seven scoreless
innings as the Cubs beat the Minnesota Twins 6-2 on Friday night.
|  | | Sammy Sosa launches his 24th home run 453 feet into the Metrodome's cheap seats. |
In his last three starts, Lieber (9-5) has one shutout, two
complete games, and has allowed just two runs in 25 innings.
"I don't think about being the ace, I just get the ball every
fifth day and try to give us a chance to win," Lieber said.
"That's all I think about, give us a chance to win."
Lieber (9-5) was in control from the start, allowing just a
leadoff single to Cristian Guzman over the first 5 2/3 innings. At
one point, he retired 14 consecutive batters.
Lieber allowed four hits, three walks and struck out five. He
benefited from good defense by the Cubs infield. They turned a
double play in the first to stop a Minnesota rally. Second baseman
Eric Young made a diving stop and center fielder Damon Buford ran
down a long fly ball to keep the Twins off the bases.
"I give a lot of credit to the guys behind me," Lieber said.
"That's important to have them play defense."
The Twins came close to scoring in the sixth and seventh innings
by putting men on first and second with two outs. Both times,
Lieber got out of the jam on a groundball.
"He has a good slider, and he throws it a lot," Minnesota's
Ron Coomer said. "When we did hit the ball hard, we hit it at
somebody."
Sammy Sosa hit his 24th homer, a 453-foot shot off Eric Milton
(8-5) in the second inning. It was his 360th career homer. Sosa is
4-for-5 against Milton in his career, with two home runs and four
RBI.
"I care about winning the game, not the home run race," Sosa
said. "I'm just thinking about a great second half."
Glenallen Hill followed Sosa with a homer of his own, and drove
in another run in the third on a run-scoring single.
The Cubs scored three more in the sixth on a run-scoring single
by Joe Girardi and a two-run double by Mark Grace. All three runs
scored after a series of bizarre plays.
Twins right fielder Chad Allen overran and missed a foul fly
ball, another foul ball glanced off a speaker hanging from the
Metrodome roof, and Young reached on a bunt when the umpire ruled
Coomer had pulled his foot off first base.
The Twins' only runs came on a two-run homer by Jay Canizaro in
the eighth off Tim Worrell.
Milton gave up six runs and nine hits in 5 1/3 innings. The
Twins left-hander has lost three consecutive games.
Game notes
Worrell was rocked for two runs on three hits in a third of an inning after coming into the game allowing three runs in 22
2/3 innings. ... Milton has lost three consecutive home starts, and
has not won in the Metrodome since beating Oakland on June 12. ...
Lieber is the first Cubs pitcher to win four consecutive games since
Kevin Tapani won seven in a row Aug. 4-Sept. 15, 1998. ...
With a crowd of 21,429, the Twins have drawn 20,000 fans in
consecutive nights in the Metrodome for the first time this season.
| |
ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Chicago Cubs Clubhouse
Minnesota Clubhouse
RECAPS
NY Mets 6
Boston 4
Cleveland 9
Pittsburgh 3
Houston 9
Detroit 4
NY Yankees 6
Florida 2
Toronto 3
Philadelphia 2
Tampa Bay 8
Montreal 5
Atlanta 4
Baltimore 1
St. Louis 9
Chi. White Sox 4
Milwaukee 4
Kansas City 0
Chicago Cubs 6
Minnesota 2
Arizona 6
Texas 1
Seattle 7
San Diego 5
Anaheim 5
Los Angeles 3
San Francisco 4
Oakland 2
Cincinnati 9
Colorado 2
|
