National League Roundup

HOUSTON - Geovany Soto didn't get the automatic home run he deserved, but it didn't make a difference as the Chicago Cubs beat the Houston Astros, 7-2, last night.

Soto was credited with an inside-the-park homer in the fourth inning despite replays showing that it should have been an automatic home run. The ball bounced just to the right of the yellow line on the wall in left-center field. Astros centerfielder Michael Bourn scooped the ball up and threw it home, but Soto scored easily before the throw got there.

Aramis Ramirez singled and Kosuke Fukudome walked before the hit. Ramirez added an indisputable two-run homer to the back row of the stands in the left-field Crawford Boxes in the ninth inning.

Soto's was the first inside-the-park home run for a catcher since Joe Mauer of the Twins hit one against the Angels on July 21, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

The win was the Cubs' ninth in the last 11 and put them at 11 games over .500 for the first time since finishing the 2004 season at 16 over.

Ted Lilly (5-4) allowed four hits and two runs with six strikeouts in 51/3 innings for his fourth straight win.

Chicago 000 300 112–7 14 0

Houston 000 110 000–2 7 0

Chicago AB   R   H   BI   Avg.      Houston AB   R   H   BI   Avg.   

ASoriano lf 4   0   0   0   .287      Bourn cf 4   0   2   1   .200

Theriot ss 5   1   2   1   .333      KMatsui 2b 3   0   1   0   .292

DLee 1b 5   1   2   1   .292      Tejada ss 4   1   1   0   .342

ArRamirez 3b 5   2   3   2   .285      Berkman 1b 4   0   0   0   .389

Fukudome rf 4   1   2   0   .319      CaLee lf 4   0   2   1   .286

Soto c 5   1   1   3   .317      Pence rf 4   0   0   0   .282

Edmonds cf 5   0   1   0   .182      Wigginton 3b 4   1   1   0   .217

DeRosa 2b 4   1   2   0   .306      Ausmus c 4   0   0   0   .207

Lilly p 2   0   1   0   .267      Moehler p 1   0   0   0   .000

Lieber p 0   0   0   0   .000      a-Cruz Jr. ph 0   0   0   0   .122

c-Cedeno ph 0   0   0   0   .324      Byrdak p 0   0   0   0   .333

Wuertz p 0   0   0   0   ---      Nieve p 0   0   0   0   ---

Marmol p 0   0   0   0   .000      b-Erstad ph 1   0   0   0   .308

Howry p 0   0   0   0   .000      WWright p 0   0   0   0   ---

Totals 39   7   14   7         Borkowski p 0   0   0   0   ---

Totals 33   2   7   2      

a-walked for Moehler in the 5th. b-popped out for Nieve in the 7th. c-walked for Lieber in the 8th. LOB: Chicago 9, Houston 6. 2B: Theriot (9), DLee (12), Tejada (14), Wigginton (4). HR: ArRamirez (7), off Borkowski; Soto (9), off Moehler. RBIS: Theriot (13), DLee (30), ArRamirez 2 (29), Soto 3 (33), Bourn (8), CaLee (32). SB: Bourn (19), KMatsui (10), Tejada (3). S: Lilly. GIDP: Pence. RLSP: Chicago 4 (Theriot 2, Soto, Edmonds); Houston 4 (Tejada 2, CaLee 2). RA: Fukudome, KMatsui, Ausmus. DP: Chicago 1 (Theriot, DeRosa and DLee).

Chicago walks (3): ASoriano, Fukudome, Cedeno.

Houston walks (2): KMatsui, Cruz.

Chicago strikeouts (5): ASoriano 2, DLee, Soto, Lilly.

Houston strikeouts (9): KMatsui, Tejada, Berkman 3, Pence, Wigginton, Ausmus, Moehler.

Chicago IP   H   R   ER   BB   SO   NP   ERA   

Lilly (W) 51/3   4   2   2   2   6   96   5.14

Lieber (H) 12/3   1   0   0   0   0   15   3.38

Wuertz 0   2   0   0   0   0   8   3.18

Marmol (H) 1   0   0   0   0   1   13   1.55

Howry 1   0   0   0   0   2   13   5.96

Houston IP   H   R   ER   BB   SO   NP   ERA   

Moehler (L) 5   7   3   3   2   1   95   4.76

Byrdak 1   0   0   0   0   1   9   0.00

Nieve 1   3   1   1   0   1   27   3.38

WWright 1/3   1   1   1   1   0   16   4.60

Borkowski 12/3   3   2   2   0   2   23   4.50

W: Lilly, 5-4. L: Moehler, 1-1. H: Marmol, 12. H: Lieber, 2.

Wuertz pitched to 2 batters in the 8th. IR-S: Marmol 2-0, Borkowski 2-1. IBB: off Moehler (ASoriano) 1. WP: Moehler. Umpires: Home, Ed Hickox; first, C.B. Bucknor; second, Joe West; third, Ed Rapuano.

T: 3:19. A: 32,458 (40,976).

ROCKIES 4, GIANTS 3

DENVER - Clint Barmes homered and Yorvit Torrealba added a go-ahead two-run double in the sixth, leading Colorado over slumping San Francisco.

The Giants have lost a season-high six straight games.

Colorado 000 103 00x–4 7 1

San Fran. AB   R   H   BI   Avg.      Colorado AB   R   H   BI   Avg.   

FLewis lf 3   1   2   0   .293      Taveras cf 4   0   0   0   .227

Durham 2b 4   0   0   0   .288      Barmes ss 4   1   2   1   .361

Winn rf 3   2   2   2   .299      Holliday lf 3   1   2   0   .321

BMolina c 3   0   1   0   .276      Atkins 3b 3   1   2   1   .344

1-Burriss pr 0   0   0   0   .255      Helton 1b 4   0   0   0   .268

Holm c 0   0   0   0   .268      Spilborghs rf 3   1   0   0   .293

Rowand cf 4   0   1   0   .322      JBaker 2b 3   0   0   0   .220

Aurilia 1b 4   0   1   1   .239      Herges p 0   0   0   0   .000

JCastillo 3b 3   0   1   0   .268      Buchholz p 0   0   0   0   ---

2-Velez pr 0   0   0   0   .207      b-Podsednik ph 1   0   0   0   .278

Vizquel ss 4   0   0   0   .310      Fuentes p 0   0   0   0   ---

Misch p 2   0   0   0   .000      Torrealba c 2   0   1   2   .232

Chulk p 0   0   0   0   ---      De La Rosa p 1   0   0   0   .000

a-Bowker ph 1   0   0   0   .266      Grilli p 0   0   0   0   .000

Sadler p 0   0   0   0   ---      Quintanilla 2b 1   0   0   0   .250

Hinshaw p 0   0   0   0   ---      Totals 29   4   7   4      

c-Ortmeier ph 1   0   0   0   .250

Totals 32   3   8   3      

a-grounded out for Chulk in the 7th. b-struck out for Buchholz in the 8th. c-struck out for Hinshaw in the 9th.1-ran for Molina in the 8th. 2-ran for Castillo in the 9th. E: JBaker (2). LOB: San Francisco 6, Colorado 6. 2B: BMolina (10), Holliday (13), Torrealba (7). 3B: FLewis 2 (5). HR: Barmes (4), off Misch; Winn (2), off De La Rosa. RBIS: Winn 2 (16), Aurilia (13), Barmes (16), Atkins (28), Torrealba 2 (11). SB: Winn (7). CS: Rowand (2), Velez (5). S: De La Rosa. SF: Winn. GIDP: Rowand. RLSP: San Francisco 4 (Durham, Rowand, Aurilia, Misch); Colorado 2 (Barmes, JBaker). RA: Vizquel. DP: Colorado 2 (Torrealba, JBaker and Torrealba), (Atkins, Quintanilla and Helton).

San Fran. walks (3): FLewis, BMolina, JCastillo.

Colorado walks (4): Holliday, Atkins, Spilborghs, Torrealba.

San Fran. strikeouts (6): FLewis, Durham 2, JCastillo 2, Ortmeier.

Colorado strikeouts (6): Taveras, Helton 2, JBaker, Podsednik, De La Rosa.

San Francisco IP   H   R   ER   BB   SO   NP   ERA   

Misch 51/3   5   3   3   2   3   88   5.27

Chulk (L) 2/3   1   1   1   1   1   11   2.89

Sadler 1   1   0   0   1   0   23   2.84

Hinshaw 1   0   0   0   0   2   19   0.00

Colorado IP   H   R   ER   BB   SO   NP   ERA   

De La Rosa 51/3   4   3   2   2   3   98   7.78

Grilli (W) 2/3   1   0   0   0   1   14   1.93

Herges (H) 1   1   0   0   0   1   15   2.39

Buchholz (H) 1   1   0   0   1   0   9   1.48

Fuentes (S) 1   1   0   0   0   1   15   2.29

W: Grilli, 1-0. L: Chulk, 0-3. S: Fuentes, 6. H: Herges, 4. H: Buchholz, 9. BS: Chulk, 1.

Sadler pitched to 1 batter in the 8th. IR-S: Chulk 1-1, Hinshaw 1-0, Grilli 2-1. Umpires: Home, Marty Foster; first, Angel Campos; second, Derryl Cousins; third, Eric Cooper.

T: 3:07. A: 28,362 (50,449).