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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
PHOENIX (AP) -- For the first time since May, the Arizona
Diamondbacks are on a five-game winning streak.
"We're on a little bit of a roll," said Curt Schilling, who
pitched a six-hitter in Arizona's 11-2 victory over the Chicago
Cubs on Friday night. "And the team in front of us is, too. We've
got to keep the pace, and take advantage of every break we can take
right now."
|  | | Curt Schilling pitched a complete game Friday, striking out 10 and allowing two solo home runs to Sammy Sosa for the Cubs' only runs. |
Steve Finley, Greg Colbrunn and Tony Womack homered in Arizona's
six-run second inning as the Diamondbacks stayed 1½ games behind
first-place San Francisco in the NL West.
"We've finally got everybody healthy and everybody's starting
to swing the bat pretty good," Colbrunn said. "You give Curt
Schilling a six-run lead in the second inning, you like your
chances."
Schilling (10-7) improved to 4-1 since a trade from
Philadelphia, with three victories complete games. Schilling, who
has a major league-best seven complete games this season, is 9-3 in
his last 13 starts. He threw just 102 pitches, struck out 10 and
didn't walk anyone.
Schilling has tried to become more of a control pitcher, instead
of relying on his fastball so much, and he took some advice from
teammate Randy Johnson in handling the big early lead.
"It's not like I had a plethora of big leads in Philadelphia,
but when I did I would revert back to being a fastball pitcher to
get quick outs. Randy said something to the effect that he
continues to pitch his game plan regardless of the score. ...
Tonight I pitched a little more with a big lead."
Sammy Sosa hit his major league-leading 39th and 40th home runs
of the season. The first was a 417-foot blast to lead off the
fourth inning, and the second a 378-footer leading off the ninth.
It was his 43rd multiple homer game, 42nd with the Cubs to tie
Ernie Banks' club record. He has four multihomer games this season.
"I never gave up," Sosa said. "I'm not saying that my
teammates gave up today. I'm just talking about myself. I go out
and do my best. I take pride in that."
Danny Bautista had a three-run triple as Arizona got to
right-hander Ruben Quevedo (1-5) for nine runs in the first three
innings.
Manager Buck Showalter usually doesn't start Colbrunn and
Bautista against right-handers, but Colbrunn was batting .452 in
his last 10 starts and Bautista hit .412 on the Diamondbacks'
just-completed 5-1 road trip.
Showalter's move paid off. Colbrunn was 3-for-3 with three RBIs,
Bautista 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Colbrunn said the Diamondbacks
are playing their best since late May.
Showalter said he had Colbrunn and Bautista in the lineup for
two reasons: they've been hitting and Quevedo has a history of
struggling against right-handed batters.
"This year he's struggled against right-handed hitters and
gotten left-handed hitters out with ease," Showalter said. "We
looked it up at the Triple-A, Double-A level it was almost double
that. For some reason, he's struggled against right-handed hitters,
but our left-handers did pretty well against him tonight, too."
Quevedo allowed seven hits, struck out three and walked three as
the Cubs lost for the sixth time in seven games.
"We've just stopped hitting," manager Don Baylor said. "We
have to pull ourselves out of it. It's going to be tough in this
ballpark. We just have to keep ourselves in the ballgame."
Matt Williams led off the second with the first of his three
walks, then Finley snapped an 0-for-13 streak with a towering home
run to right field on Quevedo's 3-2 pitch. It was Finley's 29th
homer, but only his second in 22 games.
Colbrunn followed with his ninth homer of the season to put the
Diamondbacks up 3-0.
Bautista lined a one-out single off Quevedo's leg. Schilling
squared for a sacrifice bunt, then pulled back and singled to right
to put runners on first and third. Womack hit the next pitch into
Chicago's bullpen in right field, a three-run homer that made it
6-0.
Williams led off the third with another walk, then Colbrunn
singled and Damian Miller walked to load the bases with one out.
Bautista cleared the bases with a triple to deep center to put
Arizona ahead 9-0.
Game notes
Schilling has walked four batters in 41 innings since
coming to the Diamondbacks. ... Cubs manager Don Baylor decided to
put off Kerry Wood's return to the rotation for a couple of days.
Wood will start Tuesday's game in Houston. Wood has been sidelined
since July 30 with a left oblique strain. ... The Cubs have allowed
three home runs in an inning five times this season. ... Womack's
seven homers this season are a career high. ... Two of the hits
allowed by Schilling were by pitchers -- a single by Quevedo and
double by Kyle Farnsworth. ... Arizona's Luis Gonzalez extended his
hitting streak to 10 games.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Chicago Cubs Clubhouse
Arizona Clubhouse
Report: D-Backs borrow $20 million to meet expenses
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Boston 6
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