Marlinshome.com | Florida Marlins News, marlins Scores, Game Recaps & Commentary - <div>It wouldn't be a bad thing for a player like Cubs second baseman Ryan Theriot to lead the league in singles. But a player like Theriot, who loves to work out in strength training, should be able to do more. </div>So manager Lou Piniella had a talk with his 5-11, 175-pound shortstop a week ago in St. Louis. ''I told him, 'Don't aim the ball. Hit it in the gaps and hit for power. When you have people on base, drive the ball,''' Piniella said. ''Today, that's exactly what he did.'' In the perfect scenario, with the bases loaded, his team trailing 5-2 in the sixth Friday and mired in a scoring rut, Theriot muscled up against Florida Marlins reliever Burke Badenhop. His first career grand slam set the stage for an 8-6 victory at Wrigley Field, and hopefully more runs to come. ''Big hit by Theriot,'' Derrek Lee said, the struggling first baseman having his own better day with two hits and two runs scored. ''It really sparked us. We needed that. It makes the game so much easier when you score runs. Then the little mistakes tend to go away. ''It's still just one day. We have to build on it and get better and be more consistent.'' Scoring hasn't been simple for the Cubs , who have been living a feast-or-famine existence in the last week. They have won three games in their last six, scoring 10, 11 and eight runs in the victories. In the three losses, they scored two runs twice and were also shut out. ''I guess everyone has been searching for something right now,'' said Theriot, among the few Cubs hitting consistently with a .310 average. ''More to than just the homer, it kick-started some things. You notice we got some more runs after it [two in the seventh], so hopefully it's a start. Sometimes it only takes one good inning. ''I told myself before the at-bat to drive something in the gap. At that point, you just want to get runs in. I'd love to [hit more homers], but your game is what it is. Sometimes if I try to drive the ball, I'm not as productive as I need to be. My role is to get on base for guys like D-Lee and Rami [Aramis Ramirez]. ''Lou had a discussion with me in St. Louis because he's seen me working out and said I was plenty strong enough [to hit for power].'' Theriot's show of strength was as surprising as starter Rich Harden's struggles. The strikeout ace who had 35 in his first four starts could hardly find the plate. He walked twice as many Marlins (four) as he struck out and gave up five runs in a shaky 3? innings. ''Not the start I wanted,'' Harden said. ''My command has been the [problem], and it cost me today. Fortunately the guys picked me up, and Theriot -- you can't ask for anything more,'' Harden said. Harden's misfortune turned into a dream day for rookie David Patton (1-1), who worked two scoreless innings in relief and got the victory. ''Theriot came into the dugout [after the homer] and said, 'Are you the pitcher of record?''' Patton said of Theriot's kidding. ''It feels great.'' Positive momentum also might be on tap for reliever Carlos Marmol. The reliever put things on edge again in the eighth when he again walked the first two batters he faced, prompting a visit from pitching coach Larry Rothschild. But he struck out the next three. ''I watched some videos and the ball was flying up there,'' Marmol said. ''You have to be smart and make adjustments. I have to throw strikes.'' Comment at suntimes.com. HOW THEY SCORED Marlins FIRST Marlins first. Bonifacio was out bunting. Maybin doubled. Hermida flied out. Cantu singled, Maybin scored. One run. Marlins 1, Cubs 0. Marlins SECOND Jo.Baker doubled. Gload grounded out, Jo.Baker to third. Amezaga singled, Jo.Baker scored. Taylor sacrificed, Amezaga to second. Bonifacio singled, Amezaga scored. Two runs. Marlins 3, Cubs 0. Cubs SECOND D.Lee singled. Re.Johnson singled, D.Lee to second. Soto singled, D.Lee to third, Re.Johnson to second. Miles lined out. Fontenot popped out. On Taylor's wild pitch, D.Lee scored, Re.Johnson to third, Soto to second. Harden walked. One run. Marlins 3, Cubs 1. Marlins FOURTH Gload singled. Amezaga struck out. Taylor sacrificed, Gload to second. Bonifacio walked on a full count. Maybin walked on four pitches, Gload to third, Bonifacio to second. Hermida walked on four pitches, Gload scored, Bonifacio to third, Maybin to second. Cantu was hit by a pitch, Bonifacio scored, Maybin to third, Hermida to second. Two runs. Marlins 5, Cubs 1. Cubs FOURTH Re.Johnson walked on a full count. Soto walked on a full count, Re.Johnson to second. Miles flied out. Fontenot singled, Re.Johnson scored, Soto to second. One run. Marlins 5, Cubs 2. Cubs SIXTH Penn pitching. Soto struck out. Miles walked. Fontenot singled, Miles to third. Hoffpauir pinch-hitting for Patton. Badenhop pitching. Hoffpauir flied out. A.Soriano walked, Fontenot to second. Theriot homered to left on an 0-1 count, Miles scored, Fontenot scored, A.Soriano scored. Four runs. Cubs 6, Marlins 5. Cubs SEVENTH D.Lee singled. Re.Johnson singled, D.Lee to second. Soto singled, D.Lee scored, Re.Johnson to third. Pinto pitching. Miles lined out. Fontenot hit a sacrifice fly, Re.Johnson scored. Two runs. Cubs 8, Marlins 5. Marlins NINTH Gregg pitching. Uggla singled. Jo.Baker grounded into fielder's choice, Uggla out. Helms pinch-hitting for Pinto. Helms singled, Jo.Baker to second. On Gregg's wild pitch, Jo.Baker to third, Helms to second. Amezaga grounded out, Jo.Baker scored. One run. Cubs 8, Marlins 6. BOXSCORE Florida AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Bonifacio 3b 3 1 1 1 2 0 .271 Maybin cf 4 1 1 0 1 1 .211 Hermida lf 2 0 0 1 3 1 .233 Cantu 1b 4 0 1 2 0 1 .358 Uggla 2b 4 0 1 0 1 0 .220 Jo.Baker c 5 2 1 0 0 2 .271 Gload rf 3 1 1 0 1 0 .233 Pinto p 0 0 0 0 0 0 -- d-Helms ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 .259 Amezaga ss-rf 5 1 1 2 0 2 .244 Taylor p 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Penn p 0 0 0 0 0 0 -- Badenhop p 0 0 0 0 0 0 -- Ha.Ramirez ss 1 0 0 0 1 0 .286 Totals 33 6 8 6 9 7 Cubs AB R H BI BB SO Avg. A.Soriano lf 4 1 0 0 1 1 .272 Theriot ss 5 1 1 4 0 0 .310 Bradley rf 5 0 1 0 0 2 .128 Gregg p 0 0 0 0 0 0 -- D.Lee 1b 4 2 2 0 0 0 .205 Re.Johnson cf-rf 3 2 2 0 1 0 .250 Soto c 3 0 2 1 1 1 .143 Miles 2b 3 1 0 0 1 0 .167 Fontenot 3b 3 1 2 2 0 0 .250 Harden p 0 0 0 0 1 0 .250 Samardzija p 0 0 0 0 0 0 -- a-Zambrano ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .267 Patton p 0 0 0 0 0 0 -- b-Hoffpauir ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .294 Cotts p 0 0 0 0 0 0 -- c-Ar.Ramirez ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .352 Marmol p 0 0 0 0 0 0 -- Gathright cf 0 0 0 0 0 0 .111 Totals 33 8 10 7 5 4 Florida 120 200 001--6 8 0 Cubs 010 104 20x--8 10 0 a-flied out for Samardzija in the 4th. b-flied out for Patton in the 6th. c-flied out for Cotts in the 7th. d-singled for Pinto in the 9th. LOB--Florida 12, Cubs 7. 2B--Maybin (4), Jo.Baker (5). HR--Theriot (1), off Badenhop. RBI--Bonifacio (6), Hermida (9), Cantu 2 (24), Amezaga 2 (4), Theriot 4 (11), Soto (3), Fontenot 2 (12). S--Taylor 2. SF--Fontenot. Runners left in scoring position--Florida 4 (Uggla 2, Cantu, Ha.Ramirez); Cubs 3 (A.Soriano 3). Runners moved up--Gload, Amezaga, Zambrano. Florida IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Taylor 5 5 2 2 3 1 89 6.23 Penn H, 1 .1 1 2 2 1 1 13 8.64 Badenhop .2 4 4 4 1 1 34 9.00 L, 1-1 BS, 1 Pinto 2 0 0 0 0 1 21 1.69 Cubs IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Harden 3.2 6 5 5 4 2 86 5.11 Samardzija .1 0 0 0 0 0 5 6.00 Patton W, 1-1 2 0 0 0 2 0 26 7.59 Cotts H, 2 1 0 0 0 1 2 20 4.50 Marmol H, 4 1 0 0 0 2 3 22 5.40 Gregg S, 2-3 1 2 1 1 0 0 23 5.91 Badenhop pitched to 3 batters in the 7th. Inherited runners-scored--Badenhop 2-2, Pinto 2-1, Samardzija 3-0. HBP--by Harden (Cantu). WP--Taylor, Gregg. Umpires--Home, Brian O'Nora; First, Fieldin Culbreth; Second, Brian Knight; Third, Jim Wolf. T--3:18. A--38,336 (41,210). THE RECAP AT THE PLATE Ryan Theriot's first career grand slam was his first homer of the season. It was the Cubs' only extra-base hit among 10, but Derrek Lee, Reed Johnson, Geovany Soto and Mike Fontenot each had two hits. Theriot's four RBI also were a career best. ON THE MOUND Rich Harden lasted only 3? innings and gave up five runs. But the bullpen did an about-face, with Jeff Samardzija, David Patton, Neal Cotts and Carlos Marmol combining for 4? scoreless innings. Kevin Gregg gave up a run in the ninth but got his first save since Opening Day. PIVOTAL POINT Theriot's homer came with two outs, giving the team the lead and a psychological boost. The Cubs were hitting only .214 as a team with the bases loaded and two outs. TODAY: VS. Marlins - 12:05 p.m., CSN, 720-AM Marlins starter: ANIBAL SANCHEZ 1-2, 4.13 ERA '08 vs. Cubs : 1-0, 1.69 Career vs. Cubs : 1-0, 1.69 How Cubs have fared: Alfonso Soriano, 3-for-13; Ryan Theriot, 0-for-3; Mike Fontenot, 1-for-2 Cubs starter: TED LILLY 2-2, 3.80 '08 vs. Marlins: Did not face Career vs. Marlins: 0-4, 5.53 How Marlins have fared: Jeremy Hermida, 4-for-6; Ronny Paulino, 6-for-10; Jorge Cantu, 3-for-12

It wouldn't be a bad thing for a player like Cubs second baseman Ryan Theriot to lead the league in singles. But a player like Theriot, who loves to work out in strength training, should be able to do more.

So manager Lou Piniella had a talk with his 5-11, 175-pound shortstop a week ago in St. Louis.

''I told him, 'Don't aim the ball. Hit it in the gaps and hit for power. When you have people on base, drive the ball,''' Piniella said. ''Today, that's exactly what he did.''

In the perfect scenario, with the bases loaded, his team trailing 5-2 in the sixth Friday and mired in a scoring rut, Theriot muscled up against Florida Marlins reliever Burke Badenhop. His first career grand slam set the stage for an 8-6 victory at Wrigley Field, and hopefully more runs to come.

''Big hit by Theriot,'' Derrek Lee said, the struggling first baseman having his own better day with two hits and two runs scored. ''It really sparked us. We needed that. It makes the game so much easier when you score runs. Then the little mistakes tend to go away.

''It's still just one day. We have to build on it and get better and be more consistent.''

Scoring hasn't been simple for the Cubs , who have been living a feast-or-famine existence in the last week. They have won three games in their last six, scoring 10, 11 and eight runs in the victories. In the three losses, they scored two runs twice and were also shut out.

''I guess everyone has been searching for something right now,'' said Theriot, among the few Cubs hitting consistently with a .310 average. ''More to than just the homer, it kick-started some things. You notice we got some more runs after it [two in the seventh], so hopefully it's a start. Sometimes it only takes one good inning.

''I told myself before the at-bat to drive something in the gap. At that point, you just want to get runs in. I'd love to [hit more homers], but your game is what it is. Sometimes if I try to drive the ball, I'm not as productive as I need to be. My role is to get on base for guys like D-Lee and Rami [Aramis Ramirez].

''Lou had a discussion with me in St. Louis because he's seen me working out and said I was plenty strong enough [to hit for power].''

Theriot's show of strength was as surprising as starter Rich Harden's struggles. The strikeout ace who had 35 in his first four starts could hardly find the plate. He walked twice as many Marlins (four) as he struck out and gave up five runs in a shaky 3? innings.

''Not the start I wanted,'' Harden said. ''My command has been the [problem], and it cost me today. Fortunately the guys picked me up, and Theriot -- you can't ask for anything more,'' Harden said.

Harden's misfortune turned into a dream day for rookie David Patton (1-1), who worked two scoreless innings in relief and got the victory.

''Theriot came into the dugout [after the homer] and said, 'Are you the pitcher of record?''' Patton said of Theriot's kidding. ''It feels great.''

Positive momentum also might be on tap for reliever Carlos Marmol. The reliever put things on edge again in the eighth when he again walked the first two batters he faced, prompting a visit from pitching coach Larry Rothschild. But he struck out the next three.

''I watched some videos and the ball was flying up there,'' Marmol said. ''You have to be smart and make adjustments. I have to throw strikes.''

Comment at suntimes.com.

HOW THEY SCORED

Marlins FIRST Marlins first. Bonifacio was out bunting. Maybin doubled. Hermida flied out. Cantu singled, Maybin scored. One run. Marlins 1, Cubs 0.

Marlins SECOND Jo.Baker doubled. Gload grounded out, Jo.Baker to third. Amezaga singled, Jo.Baker scored. Taylor sacrificed, Amezaga to second. Bonifacio singled, Amezaga scored. Two runs. Marlins 3, Cubs 0.

Cubs SECOND D.Lee singled. Re.Johnson singled, D.Lee to second. Soto singled, D.Lee to third, Re.Johnson to second. Miles lined out. Fontenot popped out. On Taylor's wild pitch, D.Lee scored, Re.Johnson to third, Soto to second. Harden walked. One run. Marlins 3, Cubs 1.

Marlins FOURTH Gload singled. Amezaga struck out. Taylor sacrificed, Gload to second. Bonifacio walked on a full count. Maybin walked on four pitches, Gload to third, Bonifacio to second. Hermida walked on four pitches, Gload scored, Bonifacio to third, Maybin to second. Cantu was hit by a pitch, Bonifacio scored, Maybin to third, Hermida to second. Two runs. Marlins 5, Cubs 1.

Cubs FOURTH Re.Johnson walked on a full count. Soto walked on a full count, Re.Johnson to second. Miles flied out. Fontenot singled, Re.Johnson scored, Soto to second. One run. Marlins 5, Cubs 2.

Cubs SIXTH Penn pitching. Soto struck out. Miles walked. Fontenot singled, Miles to third. Hoffpauir pinch-hitting for Patton. Badenhop pitching. Hoffpauir flied out. A.Soriano walked, Fontenot to second. Theriot homered to left on an 0-1 count, Miles scored, Fontenot scored, A.Soriano scored. Four runs. Cubs 6, Marlins 5.

Cubs SEVENTH D.Lee singled. Re.Johnson singled, D.Lee to second. Soto singled, D.Lee scored, Re.Johnson to third. Pinto pitching. Miles lined out. Fontenot hit a sacrifice fly, Re.Johnson scored. Two runs. Cubs 8, Marlins 5.

Marlins NINTH Gregg pitching. Uggla singled. Jo.Baker grounded into fielder's choice, Uggla out. Helms pinch-hitting for Pinto. Helms singled, Jo.Baker to second. On Gregg's wild pitch, Jo.Baker to third, Helms to second. Amezaga grounded out, Jo.Baker scored. One run. Cubs 8, Marlins 6.

BOXSCORE

Florida AB R H BI BB SO Avg.

Bonifacio 3b 3 1 1 1 2 0 .271

Maybin cf 4 1 1 0 1 1 .211

Hermida lf 2 0 0 1 3 1 .233

Cantu 1b 4 0 1 2 0 1 .358

Uggla 2b 4 0 1 0 1 0 .220

Jo.Baker c 5 2 1 0 0 2 .271

Gload rf 3 1 1 0 1 0 .233

Pinto p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --

d-Helms ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 .259

Amezaga ss-rf 5 1 1 2 0 2 .244

Taylor p 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Penn p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --

Badenhop p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --

Ha.Ramirez ss 1 0 0 0 1 0 .286

Totals 33 6 8 6 9 7

Cubs AB R H BI BB SO Avg.

A.Soriano lf 4 1 0 0 1 1 .272

Theriot ss 5 1 1 4 0 0 .310

Bradley rf 5 0 1 0 0 2 .128

Gregg p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --

D.Lee 1b 4 2 2 0 0 0 .205

Re.Johnson cf-rf 3 2 2 0 1 0 .250

Soto c 3 0 2 1 1 1 .143

Miles 2b 3 1 0 0 1 0 .167

Fontenot 3b 3 1 2 2 0 0 .250

Harden p 0 0 0 0 1 0 .250

Samardzija p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --

a-Zambrano ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .267

Patton p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --

b-Hoffpauir ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .294

Cotts p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --

c-Ar.Ramirez ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .352

Marmol p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --

Gathright cf 0 0 0 0 0 0 .111

Totals 33 8 10 7 5 4

Florida 120 200 001--6 8 0

Cubs 010 104 20x--8 10 0

a-flied out for Samardzija in the 4th. b-flied out for Patton in the 6th. c-flied out for Cotts in the 7th. d-singled for Pinto in the 9th.

LOB--Florida 12, Cubs 7. 2B--Maybin (4), Jo.Baker (5). HR--Theriot (1), off Badenhop. RBI--Bonifacio (6), Hermida (9), Cantu 2 (24), Amezaga 2 (4), Theriot 4 (11), Soto (3), Fontenot 2 (12). S--Taylor 2. SF--Fontenot.

Runners left in scoring position--Florida 4 (Uggla 2, Cantu, Ha.Ramirez); Cubs 3 (A.Soriano 3). Runners moved up--Gload, Amezaga, Zambrano.

Florida IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA

Taylor 5 5 2 2 3 1 89 6.23

Penn H, 1 .1 1 2 2 1 1 13 8.64

Badenhop .2 4 4 4 1 1 34 9.00

L, 1-1 BS, 1

Pinto 2 0 0 0 0 1 21 1.69

Cubs IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA

Harden 3.2 6 5 5 4 2 86 5.11

Samardzija .1 0 0 0 0 0 5 6.00

Patton W, 1-1 2 0 0 0 2 0 26 7.59

Cotts H, 2 1 0 0 0 1 2 20 4.50

Marmol H, 4 1 0 0 0 2 3 22 5.40

Gregg S, 2-3 1 2 1 1 0 0 23 5.91

Badenhop pitched to 3 batters in the 7th.

Inherited runners-scored--Badenhop 2-2, Pinto 2-1, Samardzija 3-0. HBP--by Harden (Cantu). WP--Taylor, Gregg.

Umpires--Home, Brian O'Nora; First, Fieldin Culbreth; Second, Brian Knight; Third, Jim Wolf. T--3:18. A--38,336 (41,210).

THE RECAP

AT THE PLATE

Ryan Theriot's first career grand slam was his first homer of the season. It was the Cubs' only extra-base hit among 10, but Derrek Lee, Reed Johnson, Geovany Soto and Mike Fontenot each had two hits. Theriot's four RBI also were a career best.

ON THE MOUND

Rich Harden lasted only 3? innings and gave up five runs. But the bullpen did an about-face, with Jeff Samardzija, David Patton, Neal Cotts and Carlos Marmol combining for 4? scoreless innings. Kevin Gregg gave up a run in the ninth but got his first save since Opening Day.

PIVOTAL POINT

Theriot's homer came with two outs, giving the team the lead and a psychological boost. The Cubs were hitting only .214 as a team with the bases loaded and two outs.

TODAY: VS. Marlins

- 12:05 p.m., CSN, 720-AM

Marlins starter: ANIBAL SANCHEZ 1-2, 4.13 ERA

'08 vs. Cubs : 1-0, 1.69

Career vs. Cubs : 1-0, 1.69

How Cubs have fared: Alfonso Soriano, 3-for-13; Ryan Theriot, 0-for-3; Mike Fontenot, 1-for-2

Cubs starter: TED LILLY 2-2, 3.80

'08 vs. Marlins: Did not face

Career vs. Marlins: 0-4, 5.53

How Marlins have fared: Jeremy Hermida, 4-for-6; Ronny Paulino, 6-for-10; Jorge Cantu, 3-for-12