Cubs edge Reds after bizarre play; up one game in NL Central

Baseball Betting Lines

09/20/2007 - Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alfonso Soriano homered and threw a runner out at the plate, and the Cubs scored the go-ahead run on an odd play in the eighth inning in a 3-2 win over Cincinnati.

The Cubs, who moved a game ahead of Milwaukee for first place in the NL Central, caught a break on the way to their seventh win in nine games. The Brewers lost, 5-4, in 10 innings at Houston Wednesday night.

Geovany Soto also homered for Chicago, which got seven strong innings and eight strikeouts on the mound from Ted Lilly. Bob Howry (6-7) allowed one hit over the final two innings for the win.

"If there was a must game for us this year, truthfully, this is it," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said.

Adam Dunn clubbed his 40th homer of the season for the Reds, who got a scare as Ken Griffey Jr. fell to the ground with a lower abdominal strain in the eighth inning. Edwin Encarnacion also homered for Cincinnati, losers of the finale of the three-game series and in four of their last five games.

Tom Shearn surrendered six hits and two runs over six frames in the start for the Reds, while Gary Majewski (0-3) suffered the tough-luck loss.

With the game tied 2-2, Norris Hopper reached first on an error by second baseman Mark DeRosa to begin the Cincinnati eighth. Hopper moved to second on a bunt, but Griffey struck out. Brandon Phillips then singled to left, but Soriano threw a perfect strike to home plate and Hopper never even attempted to slide as he was tagged out by Soto at the plate.

Theriot singled with one out in the bottom of the inning and went to second when Griffey bobbled the ball in right field. Derrek Lee then singled sharply to right, and Griffey started to make a throw before grabbing his abdominal area and underhanded the ball toward the infield. Despite this, Theriot stayed at third, while Griffey tumbled to the ground in pain. Griffey remained on his back for several minutes before finally walking off the field.

Mike Stanton replaced Majewski on the mound, but pinch-hitter Matt Murton then hit a ball toward left field. Dunn slid to make the grab, but it was ruled he trapped the ball, although replays showed otherwise. Dunn threw to second base for a force out, and Aramis Ramirez grounded out, but the Cubs held the lead.

"It gets loud and that's fun," Murton said. "There's no better place to be than the playoff race."

Howry retired the side in order in the ninth.

Soriano hit Shearn's first pitch of the game over the wall in left field for his 28th homer of the year. It was also his ninth leading off a game for the Cubs this year, eclipsing the record held by Rick Monday (1976).

Encarnacion tied the game with one out in the second with his 15th homer of the season, also a drive to left.

The Cubs stranded runners at second and third in the bottom half, and the Reds left a runner at third in the next inning.

Dunn then gave the Reds a 2-1 lead with one out in the fourth on his mammoth blast just inside the right field pole, marking his fourth straight year with at least 40 homers.

Soto knotted the contest with a leadoff homer to left-center in the fifth, but the Cubs wasted opportunities, hitting into inning-ending double plays in the fourth, fifth and sixth frames.

The Reds put runners on first and third with one out in the seventh, helped by an error from Lee at first, but Lilly rebounded to strike out David Ross and pinch-hitter Alex Gonzalez.

"That was the game right there," Lilly said. "I wanted to get us out of that inning. I felt if I did that, we'd win the game."

Game Notes

Soriano has 41 career leadoff homers, fourth most in major league history...Piniella tied Tommy Lasorda (1,599) for 16th on the all-time managerial wins list. Fred Clarke is 15th with 1,602...The Cubs host Pittsburgh for three games, starting Friday, while the Reds start a four-game set at San Francisco Thursday...Lilly, who was pitching on three days of rest, tied his career-high in strikeouts with 168 for the year.

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