Morning Box Score

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Jul 5, 2009 3:30PM

Brewers Blast Cubs
This one was over before the Cubs got two outs in the top of the first. The Brewers stormed out to a quick 5-0 lead, unloading on Cubs starter Rich Harden early on their way to an 11-2 thrashing of the Cubs. Harden would ultimately give up seven runs over only two innings pitched. David Patton and Jeff Samardzija each gave up a pair of runs in relief as well. The Cubs only offense came from Milton Bradley's two run homer in the third. As for the $136 Million Man, who was dropped to sixth in the lineup, he went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and left three on base. Said Lou, "Well, they jumped us early. We had our chances in the first and second inning to put some runs on the board and didn't. They added more runs and they beat us up. What can I say?" The teams finish the series at 1:20 p.m. (CSN, TBS).

Royals Rally Past Sox
The White Sox appeared to be on their way to extending their win streak but the Royals rallied to take the game 6-4. The Sox jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, thanks in part to another homer from Jermaine Dye. But the wheels came off in the bottom of the fifth as Gavin Floyd's excellent start went off the rails. The Royals scored two in the fifth and three in the sixth to take a 5-4 lead and would add one more insurance run in the eighth. Floyd took the loss, giving up five runs in 5.1 innings pitched. Gordon Beckham also homered for the Sox, a solo shot in the sixth. Dye remained calm after the loss, saying, "You can't win them all. Now we just have to be ready to play [Sunday] and try and win the series." The Sox try to take the series today at 1:10 p.m. (WGN).

Fire Quiet Rapids
Playing their first MLS game in three weeks, the Fire rolled into Colorado and rolled out 2-1 winners, earning their first win in Colorado in almost 10 years (October 1999). Marco Papa scored in the 30th minute and Wilman Conde added another goal a few minutes later (37th) to give the Fire a 2-0 edge. Colorado got a goal in the 76th minute, but Fire keeper Jon Busch stopped 3 of 4 shots he faced. The better news? With the victory, the Fire now stand at 6-3-6 and are tied for first place in the Eastern Conference with D.C. United, both teams with 24 points. The Fire are at home next week to take on the Columbus Crew at Toyota Park.