Morning Box Score
By Matt Motyka in News on Jun 6, 2009 3:30PM
Cubs Edge Reds, Z Wins 100
With the Cubs' 2-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Friday Carlos Zambrano notched the 100th win of his career, and did so in impressive fashion. One the mound, the Cubs' ace threw six-and-two-thirds shutout innings, allowing only two hits and striking out seven. At the plate, Zambrano scored the game's winning run on a solo shot to center field. Big Z's big fly gave Chicago a 2-0 lead, adding to Mike Fontenot's RBI walk in the opening inning. That lead shrunk to one when setup man Carlos Marmol surrendered a walk and subsequent RBI triple in the eighth, and closer Kevin Gregg had to escape a first-and-third jam in the ninth to preserve the victory. When the 28-year-old Zambrano was asked about the possibility of reaching 300 wins, Z announced his plans for retirement, stating, "after this contract, I'm done." The Cubs will try to extend their modest winning streak to three games when the step into the box at 6:10 this evening.
Indians Clobber Sox
The White Sox were shut out for the third time in four games on Friday, losing to the Cleveland Indians 6-0. The Sox put only two runners in scoring position and didn't record a hit after the fourth inning, as Cleveland starter Carl Pavano pitched a three-hit, complete-game gem. Mark DeRosa provided all the offense the Indians would need when he tagged John Danks with a three-run bomb in third inning. Danks then surrendered back-to-back homers to Travis Hafner and Ryan Garko in the sixth, before getting the hook. Credit two of Chicago's three hits to A.J. Pierzynski, who bumped his batting average to .304 with last night's performance. Jermaine Dye was absent from the lineup, as he begins to serve a two-game suspension for a helmet throwing incident on May 13. The Sox will try to stop their recent skid behind red-hot Gavin Floyd this afternoon at the Cell.
Dynamo Douse Fire
The Houston Dynamo defeated the Fire 1-0 at Toyota Park on Friday, as Chicago's 11-game unbeaten streak turned into a two-game slide. The lone goal of the match came at four-minute mark when Houston's Stuart Holden scored from short range over the outstretched Jon Busch. Goalie Pat Onsted made three saves for the Dynamo, denying Chicago's attempts to pull even. Injuries and the national soccer stage have depleted the Fire's roster recently, as Wilman Conde, Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Gonzalo Segares and Bakary Soumare were all out of action on Friday. The Fire will look to bolster their number-one position when they face second-ranked DC United next Saturday.
AP Photo/Al Behrman