On a night that saw the Stanley Cup Champion Blackhawks(and the Cup itself)displayed in front of the packed house at Wrigley, both Ted Lilly and Gavin Floyd put on pitching displays.The Cubs prevented a sweep by the Sox with a 1-0 win on Chad Tracy’s RBI single which scored Alfonso Soriano in the bottom of the 7th. Lilly(2-5) tossed hit less ball through seven innings,hitting two and walking one(Floyd). In the interim, Floyd(2-7)kept the Cubs hit less through 6.2 innings while walking three(Koye Hill also reached on a Jason Nix error in the 5th). After many Blackhawks sang Take Me Out To The Ballgame, the Cubs broke the ice. Derrek Lee walked,but was thrown out trying to advance on a ball that bounced away from A.J.Pierzinski,but the Sox catcher recovered it in time to make a play. Soriano then got the first hit of the night, a line double into the LF corner,and he was driven in by Tracy who bounced a single to Gordon Beckham’s right into CF. Lilly retired Pierzynski on a grounder to second,Beckham on a pop up to first and Nix on a foul pop to third in the 8th. With a light drizzle starting to fall, pinch hitter Juan Pierre broke up the no hitter of Lilly with a line single to CF leading off the top of the 9th,and Lou Piniella quickly brought in Carlos Marmol who had been warming up.Marmol quickly fell behind 2-0,then 3-1 and walked Andruw Jones.He then balked before throwing a pitch to Alexi Ramirez putting runners at 2nd and 3rd. Ramirez fanned on three pitches.Alex Rios was walked intentionally to fill the bases for Paul Konerko who bounced one to Lee who in turn fired home for the force on Pierre for the second out.Carlos Quentin ended the game by hitting a fly ball to Marlon Byrd in CF.The save for Marmol was his 13th.
NOTES—The crowd was 40,456….There still has not been a no hitter in Wrigley Field since Milt Pappas’s near perfect game in September,1972 against San Diego…..Jones batted in the lead off position for the first time since April 10,1998 with Atlanta….This was the second one hitter the Cubs have turned in against the Sox(Mark Prior and the bullpen in 2005 vs the White Sox at U.S.Cellular Field).
LES