Morning Box Score

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Sep 23, 2010 1:00PM

Cubs Blank Giants
For the 16th straight game, the Giants held their opponents to under three runs but it didn't matter because they scored, well, none as the Cubs shutout San Francisco 2-0. Randy Wells scattered six hits and struck out six over 7.2 innings for his eighth win of the season and Carlos Marmol came in in the top of the eighth to get the Cubs out of a jam; Marmol slammed the door shut with a 1-2-3 ninth for his 34th save of the year. Offensively, the Cubs got a boost from Kosuke Fukudome who delivered a solo homer in the third and Koyie Hill scored on a wild pitch in the fifth. Interim manager Mike Quade said the Cubs, who are utilizing a large number of youngsters in the season's final month, still have something to play for: "The rally cry right now is, 'Look, we've got 12 left, and give everything we've got for 12. That's not just 22-year-olds [on the team] -- that's 30-year-olds as well. How you get that out of those guys I think depends on how you use them, and I think you'll get it out of them if you use them correctly." And right now, the Cubs are playing spoiler for the Giants who are locked in the throes of their own pennant race. The two teams square off once more this evening (6:05 p.m., CSN).

Sox (Finally) Snap Skid
The White Sox rallied late and finally broke through into the win column once more, snapping their losing streak with a 4-3 win over Oakland. The Sox entered the top of the ninth down 3-2 and were down to their last out with a runner on second when Mark Kotsay singled in the tying run. The next batter, Mark Teahen, doubled in Gordon Beckham (pinch-running for Kotsay) to give the Sox the 4-3 lead. In the bottom of the inning, it looked like Oakland would mount their own two-out rally, putting two men on base, but Chris Sale, the third pitcher of the inning, was able to record the final out and help the Sox snap their skid. Matt Thornton got the win in relief as Edwin Jackson (7 IP, 3R, 6K) got a no-decision. No matter how dramatic, the freshly eliminated White Sox were just happy to get the win. Quipped Ozzie, "I forgot how to shake the players' hands after the game." The Sox get a day off before they head down the California coast to open up a weekend series in Anaheim tomorrow night (9:05 p.m., WGN).