Morning Box Score

By Matt Motyka in News on Aug 24, 2009 3:00PM

Cubs Dodge Sweep

The Cubs avoided a four-game sweep by the L.A. Dodgers with their 3-1 victory on Sunday afternoon. Chicago benefited from another fine performance in the starter's role, as Ryan Dempster allowed one run (unearned) on three hits during his seven-plus innings of work. The difference offensively was Jake Fox, who contributed a solo homer and an RBI single to round out a 4-for-4 day at the plate. Scoring the tie-breaking run in the sixth was Aramis Ramirez, who jump started the inning with a triple and came home on Kosuke Fukudome's subsequent RBI double. Fox was filling in for the struggling Alfonso Soriano, who was sidelined by a sore left knee. John Grabow earned a hold and Carlos Marmol notched the save. The Cubs are traveling today, before a 7:05 start with the Washington Nationals on Tuesday.

Orioles Edge Sox

5-4 was the final score in the White Sox's loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday. Trailing 5-1 headed into the home half of the fifth, Scott Podsednik and Gordon Beckham each plated a run to narrow the gap to two. Then in the ninth, Chicago put runners on first and third with two outs remaining, but could only push one across before the final bell tolled. The rally nearly bailed out starter Mark Buehrle, who surrendered five runs on 11 hits over 5.1 innings. Along with Beckham, Carlos Quentin managed two knocks on the day, extending his hitting streak to a season-high six games. The battle of the Sox begins at 6:10 tonight, as Boston hosts four games between the two second-place teams.

Fire Overcome Colorado

Trailing 2-0 in the final 20 minutes of Sunday's match, the Fire scored three times to earn a dramatic 3-2 victory over the Colorado Rapids. Cuauhtemoc Blanco struck first for Chicago, putting a penalty kick past the Rapids' Matthew Pickens. Mike Banner then knotted the score at the 85-minute mark, and Dasan Robinson put the Fire over the top with right-footer during injury time. The comeback overshadowed a two-goal game for Colorado's Omar Cummings, as all five scores came in the second half. The win puts the Fire within one point of East-leading Columbus, as they prepare for Saturday's match against D.C. United.