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Zambrano uses arm and bat to help Cubs down Reds

Thu 21st, August 2008

Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Carlos Zambrano was brilliant on the hill and helped his own cause with a home run as Chicago edged Cincinnati, 3-2, in the rubber match of a three-game set at Wrigley Field.

Pitching with a cracked molar, Zambrano (13-5) allowed just one run on six hits in seven innings for the NL Central-leading Cubs, who have won three of their last four games and eight of 10.

"(Zambrano) threw well," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. "His command could have been a little better but he pitched seven innings of one-run ball and hit a home run. That's a pretty good day."

Mark DeRosa added a homer and Ryan Theriot finished 2-for-4 for Chicago.

Jay Bruce and Joey Votto both homered for the Reds, who have dropped four of their past six encounters.

Josh Fogg (2-6) surrendered three runs on four hits in four innings en route to the loss and is now in the midst of a six-outing winless skid.

"Fogg wasn't throwing the ball badly, but when you are facing a guy like Zambrano, you can't give him too much of a lead," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "When you have an opportunity to score runs, you have to take it."

The Cubs grabbed the early lead with a run in the first. Alfonso Soriano led off with a walk and quickly went to third on Theriot's single before crossing the plate when Derrek Lee grounded into a 6-4-3 double play.

Chicago added a run in the second after DeRosa turned on a Fogg fastball and crushed it over the wall in left for a solo homer, his 15th of the year.

Zambrano made it a 3-0 game in the third by leading off the frame with his fourth homer of the season.

The Reds finally got to Zambrano in the sixth after Bruce belted a one-out solo homer to right-center, his 13th on the year.

Votto tightened things up even further with two outs in the eighth when he crushed a Carlos Marmol offering onto Sheffield Avenue to make it a one-run game, 3-2.

After Marmol managed to get Edwin Encarnacion to line out to end the eighth, Kerry Wood came on to record a 1-2-3 ninth to secure things and pick up his 26th save for the Cubs.

Game Notes

Seven of Votto's 15 home runs this season have come against the Cubs...Marmol was working on a 16-inning scoreless streak when he gave up the homer to Votto...The homer was the 16th of Zambrano's career, extending his Cubs record for a pitcher...Zambrano is 7-1 at Wrigley this year and is 14-9 against the Reds in his career...The Cubs have now won seven consecutive series...Fogg got the start when Aaron Harang was moved back a day because of neck spasms.

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