Morning Box Score

By Matt Motyka in News on Jul 12, 2009 3:30PM

Cubs Beat Cards
All-Star Ted Lilly notched his 100th career win as the Cubs defeated the Cardinals 5-2 on Saturday afternoon. Lilly permitted only four hits and one run over eight innings, alleviating the pressure on Chicago’s bats. The Cardinals’ Brad Thompson did not have the same success, plunking Milton Bradley with the bases loaded in the first inning and then surrendering a two-RBI base knock to Jeff Baker as the Cubs jumped in front 3-0. St. Louis would get one back in the fourth, but Aramis Ramirez and Alfonso Soriano each picked up a run in the fifth to extend The Cubs’ lead to four. Things got interesting in the ninth as Carlos Marmol struggled with his command and a blown call at first base kept the Cardinals’ hopes alive, but Kevin Gregg stepped in to record the final out and preserve the victory. The Cubs and Cards play two today before heading into the break.

Sox Survive Twins
The White Sox fended off the feisty Minnesota Twins on Saturday night, hanging on for an 8-7 victory. The Sox stockpiled runs in the early goings while starter Gavin Floyd breezed through the first four frames, resulting in a 5-0 Chicago lead headed into the bottom of the fifth. It was then that former Sox star Joe Crede took a poke at his old team with a two-run homer to left, as Minnesota closed the gap to 5-3. Chicago responded with three runs of their own in the sixth, but the Twins put one on the board in both the seventh and eighth innings to make it a game again. The normally rock-steady Bobby Jenks looked anything but in the ninth, surrendering two runs on two hits, a hit batsman and an error before getting a double-play ball to escape with his 20th save. Offensively, Jim Thome picked up four RBI for the Sox and Gordon Beckham went 3-for-4 with a walk as Chicago amassed 14 hits in the contest. The Sox and Twins will settle the score when they play the rubber game today at 1:10.

Fire Draw with Crew
There was a lot of action at Toyota Park on Saturday but not a lot to show for it, as the Fire and the Columbus Crew settled for a nil-nil draw. Crew goaltender Will Hesmer recorded 11 saves in the match, denying Chicago several quality scoring opportunities. Columbus appeared to claim the lead in the second half, but Steven Lenhart’s header goal was nullified by on offsides call. The tie was good enough to keep Chicago in first place, despite a six-game winless streak at home. The Fire will look to end that trend when they host San Jose next Saturday.