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The
Chicago Cubs
found out what it was like to score again. They now want to re-experience winning.
Chicago (14-15) will try to end a five-game losing streak and get back to .500 when it continues a four-game weekend series
at Petco Park on Sunday against the
San Diego Padres
, looking for their first eight-game winning streak in almost a year.
The Cubs dropped the series opener 1-0 on Friday on rookie
Josh Barfield
's RBI single in the 11th inning. On Saturday, backup catcher
Rob Bowen
's homer off
Bob Howry
that barely cleared the right field fence leading off the bottom of the 10th gave San Diego a 2-1 win.
''It felt good off the bat, but in this park you never know, so I'm sprinting all the way around until they tell me it's a
home run,'' Bowen said.
San Diego (15-14), which is trying to move two games over .500 for the first time this season, has not won eight in a row
since May 11-20.
''This is what we're capable of doing,'' pitcher
Jake Peavy
said. ''We're going to play a lot better baseball. Sure, we'll take some lumps along the way but we want to climb back in
this things, stay close and get back in the postseason (race).''
The winning streak moved San Diego within 2 1/2 games of Arizona and Colorado, which are tied for first in the NL West.
The Cubs ended a 28-inning scoreless streak when
Aramis Ramirez
hit his fifth homer in the fourth. But 10 runners were stranded in the contest - a big reason why the Cubs have struggled
recently.
Four games into a nine-game road trip which ends later this week against
Barry Bonds
and the
San Francisco Giants
, Chicago has stranded 40 runners and is batting .047 (2-for-42) with runners in scoring position.
''It's beyond description,'' manager
Dusty Baker
said. ''We left a lot of guys out there. We had a lot of chances. We're just not getting the hit at the right time.''
Chicago's
Jacque Jones
struck out four times Saturday, stranding four runners, three in scoring position.
''I had some opportunities to help the team win and I didn't do anything at all to help the team,'' he said.
The Cubs will turn to a struggling rookie to help end the skid.
Angel Guzman
(0-1, 5.91 ERA) makes his first road start and third overall in search of his first major league win.
The right-hander, called up from Triple-A Iowa on April 23, faced Pittsburgh on Tuesday and was shelled in allowing six runs,
six hits and three walks with seven strikeouts in an 8-0 loss.
In the first inning, he had two walks, hit a batter and uncorked a wild pitch that helped Chicago take a 2-0 lead.
This will be his first career appearance against San Diego.
The Cubs' offense could come alive again when they face
Woody Williams
(2-1, 3.06), who gets the start for San Diego. The right-hander has eight career losses in 14 appearances against Chicago
- the most against any team.
Williams earned his first win since April 11 in his last start. He limited the Giants to two runs and five hits with a walk
and three strikeouts in San Diego's 5-3 victory.
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