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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
CHICAGO (AP) -- Manager Don Baylor had this message for the
Chicago Cubs, who were shut out in back-to-back games. Relax.
"We'd started squeezing the bats too hard and were trying to do
too much," Baylor said Monday night after the Cubs broke a
25-inning scoreless streak and used Sammy Sosa's 37th homer to beat
the St. Louis Cardinals 7-3.
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"It was mental. It went on too long and lasted for two many
at-bats. There was lot of anxiety after getting shut out two days
in a row," Baylor added. "We were determined to score some
runs."
And when the Cubs finally broke through for four runs in the
fourth off Andy Benes, a crowd of 39,124 at Wrigley Field responded
with a standing ovation.
"Some times the harder you try, the worse you do," said Jeff
Huson, who had a two-run double in the fourth, giving him seven
RBI for the entire season. "We knew what was going on. We
couldn't get a big hit against the Reds when we needed it and
tonight we did."
Jon Lieber (11-5) won his sixth straight decision and matched
his career high for victories, allowing eight hits and three runs
in six innings. He hasn't lost since June 23, a stretch of 10
starts.
In the fourth, Mark Grace doubled with one out, Rondell White
reached on an infield single and moved up on a wild pitch before
Damon Buford walked to load the bases.
Joe Girardi then hit a slow roller to second, and after Fernando
Vina missed tagging Buford in the base line to start a double play,
he threw to first for the out as Chicago finally scored, producing
the loud ovation.
Huson then followed with a two-run double to left and Lieber
drove him home with another double to make it 4-2.
Sosa hit a prodigious homer to left in the fifth, a solo shot
which gave the Cubs a three-run cushion and tied him with Los
Angeles' Gary Sheffield for the major league lead.
Benes (10-7), winless since July 13, allowed six hits and five
runs in five innings and has been bothered by a sore right knee.
"I'm not out there with my full arsenal. I'm not looking at it
as an excuse, but it's something I have to deal with," Benes said,
adding he has the knee drained when he is in St. Louis and might
need offseason surgery.
"My margin for error is not what it was at the beginning of the
season."
Will Clark doubled in the sixth and scored on Edgar Renteria's
single to make it 5-3 before Lieber struck out pinch-hitter Eric
Davis with runners at first and third.
Clark hit an RBI grounder in the first after Vina's leadoff
single and J.D. Drew's double. In the fourth, Clark singled, went
to second on Renteria's single and scored when Sosa made a four-hop
throw after Carlos Hernandez's single to right.
Brant Brown had a pinch-hit RBI single and Eric Young hit a
sacrifice fly off Mike Timlin in the bottom of the eighth. Timlin
gave up just one run in 8 1/3 innings previously since being
acquired in a trade from Baltimore on July 29.
Game notes
Lieber said he dedicated the win to Ed Stark, a Wrigley
Field security guard who died last week. ... After the Reds lost,
the Cards stayed 4½ games ahead in the NL Central. ... The Cubs
recalled RHP Jamie Arnold from Triple-A Iowa on Monday and will
start him Tuesday against the Cardinals. On Sunday, they sent LHP
Phil Norton to Iowa. Arnold was acquired from the Dodgers when the
Cubs traded Ismael Valdes back to Los Angeles last month. He will
be the 44th player to appear in a game this season for the Cubs.
That's five shy of the club record set in 1966. ... Lieber also won
11 games for the Pirates in 1997. ... The Cardinals failed to homer
in a season-high fourth straight game. ... Clark, who went 2-for-4,
is 18-for-44 with 12 RBI since joining the Cardinals in a trade
from the Orioles on July 31. ... Ex-Cub Shawon Dunston, who entered
the game in the seventh as a pinch-hitter, made a strong throw from
right field in the bottom of the inning to cut down Young at the
plate.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
St. Louis Clubhouse
Chicago Cubs Clubhouse
RECAPS
Boston 7
Tampa Bay 3
Baltimore 8
Chi. White Sox 2
NY Yankees 7
Texas 3
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Cleveland 1
Detroit 15
Seattle 4
Florida 11
Los Angeles 2
Colorado 4
Montreal 3
San Francisco 11
NY Mets 1
Arizona 4
Philadelphia 3
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San Diego 2
Chicago Cubs 7
St. Louis 3
Houston 16
Pittsburgh 2
Milwaukee 4
Cincinnati 3
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