Morning Box Score

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

Reds Drill Cubs
The Chicago Cubs lost an ugly one on Thursday afternoon, 7-1 to the Cincinnati Reds. Not only was the margin of victory unattractive, but so was the Cubs play in the field. In the sixth inning, Carlos Zambrano chucked his fifth pick-off attempt on Willy Taveras into the void to setup the Reds' winning run. Cincinnati would capitalize on another Chicago mistake in the seventh, when Micah Hoffpauir over ran a ball hit to right, allowing two runs to come across. Aaron Harang got the job done on the mound for the Reds, surrendering only one run over seven innings, while Zambrano gave up four over the same stretch. Jeff Samardzija made his 2009 major-league debut a forgetable one, allowing four hits and two runs in the ninth. Milton Bradley was once again withheld from the lineup, with no timetable set for his return. The Cubs will try to regroup tonight when they step to the plate for a three-game series in St. Louis.

Orioles Best Sox
The Chicago White Sox were defeated 6-2 Thursday night, as the rubber game bounced in favor of the Baltimore Orioles. Baltimore got the bats working early against Sox starter Bartolo Colon, scoring twice in the first inning and tallying six runs by the end of the fourth. In contrast, Chicago struggled to produce against the Orioles' Adam Eaton, who delivered seven innings of scoreless, four-hit baseball before wavering in the eighth. Eaton got the hook after putting runners on the corners with nobody out, and Jim Thome would eventually bring them home with a two-RBI single. That was all the offense the Sox would muster, however, as Baltimore notched the win. In a moment that made Sox hearts skip a beat, Carlos Quentin was plunked on the left hand by reliever Jim Johnson. Quentin left the game with what is being called a contusion, and will be reevaluated before tonight's matchup with the Blue Jays.