After getting swept by the division-leading Reds and Padres at Wrigley Field, Tom Gorzelanny wanted to make something clear after a win over another first place opponent.Aramis Ramirez had three hits and two RBI, Gorzelanny pitched seven strong innings and the Cubs held on to beat the Atlanta Braves 5-4 on Saturday.The win didn’t come without another scare for the Cubs. Reliever Sean Marshall entered with the bases loaded and one out in the eighth inning. After striking out pinch-hitter Melky Cabrera, Brooks Conrad followed with a long fly off the center-field ivy. Derrek Lee and Alex Gonzalez came around to score. David Ross was held at third but was waved in when shortstop Starlin Castro dropped the relay throw for an error to make it 5-4.Marshall intentionally walked Omar Infante and hit Jason Heyward with a pitch to load the bases again. But he ended the inning by getting Martin Prado to ground out to shortshop.After giving up a three-run triple to Rick Ankiel in the ninth in Friday’s loss, Cubs closer Carlos Marmol pitched a scoreless ninth for his 22nd save in 27 opportunities.Gorzelanny (7-7) allowed one run and seven hits. He struck out nine, walked two and retired the final six batters he faced after giving up an RBI double to Alex Gonzalez in the sixth inning.Lou Piniella stayed with Gorzelanny even with a pitch-count well into the 100s because of an inexperienced bullpen.Heyward had two hits for the NL East-leading Braves, who lost for just the third time in 11 games.The Cubs ended an eight-game skid at home and won just for the second time at Wrigley Field this month. The win also stopped a five-game losing streak.Braves starter Tommy Hanson (8-9), who came into the game with a 1.93 ERA in eight starts since July 9 despite going winless in that span, allowed five runs, four earned, and seven hits. He struck out four and walked four. He is 0-4 in his last nine starts and has not won since July 3 against Florida.Kosuke Fukudome led off the first inning with a double into the left-center gap. With two outs, Ramirez lined a single to left. Fukudome scored from second as left fielder Matt Diaz’s throw was cut off by third baseman Prado. Prado had a chance to get Ramirez trying to take second on the throw, but Prado’s throw was off the mark and the ball wound up in center field allowing Ramirez to advance to third.Tyler Colvin followed with a hit to second baseman Omar Infante, Infante fielded the ball in the outfield grass and his late throw went over the head of Derrek Lee at first as Ramirez scored.In the third inning, Hanson issued back-to-back walks, then Ramirez hit a broken-bat RBI single and Colvin followed with another run-scoring single. Blake DeWitt added an RBI hit to give the Cubs a 5-0 lead.

NOTES—On Friday, Cox wasn’t sure that Piniella was ready to call it quits after the season. But before the game, Piniella confirmed he’s done managing after the season. “My circumstances have changed. I appreciate the fact that Bobby(Cox) thinks I can still. But I’m convinced that when I take the uniform off here I’m going to be home and I’m going to enjoy my family and that’s the end of it. There shouldn’t be any more discussion about this because that’s the way I feel,” said Piniella, who missed four games earlier in the month to be with his ailing mother. … Piniella expects Geovany Soto to be activated from the DL on Sunday. He’s been out with a sprained ligament in his right shoulder. … Colvin finished with two hits and two RBI.

KANSAS CITY—-The White Sox and Royals series opener at Kaufman stadium was postponed due to rain Friday night and will be now played as part of a twi-night double header Saturday evening.   Umpire Joe West has already cost the White Sox fines this season, but on Friday night the feeling was that West – who was the crew chief for the start of the series with the Royals – may have cost them even more this time around.Despite bad weather in the Kansas City area projected throughout the evening, it was West’s decision to start the game between the Sox and Royals. A game that lasted a total of five hitters before it was first delayed, and then eventually postponed.That left the Sox angry, as well as scrambling with how to handle Saturday’s traditional double-header, which will start at 6:10 p.m. Because of the exclusive TV rights FOX has a day-night doubleheader was ruled out.How it affected the Sox specifically? Well, Edwin Jackson, who was arguably the hottest starting pitcher the Sox had going, threw seven pitches, on top of the usual pre-game warm-up, so that basically took him out of the equation for coming back Saturday and pitching. The Sox announced that Freddy Garcia would start Game 1, but they were scrambling to find a Game 2 starter. It will either be a roster move or a bullpen game, with Tony Pena the likely candidate to start. Either way, it makes Jackson a non-factor for almost a week and a half from when he pitched last until when he takes the mound again, and will put a strain on a bullpen that already has question marks with how much overtime they’ve put in as of late. The real kicker? After starting Game 1 at 6:10 and then Game 2 30 minutes after Game 1 ends, the Sox have to comeback on Sunday morning for a 1:10 p.m. first-pitch against Zack Greinke.Thanks to the Minnesota Twins winning a laugher over an Angels team that looks like its ready for the offseason, the Sox will play the three-game marathon starting the evening 4 ½ games back.Friday’s decision making was poor at best. For conspiracy theorists it could go even a step further. It was West that was responsible for the Mark Buehrle “balk game’’ back on May 26 in Cleveland, when Buehrle was called for a balk by West, it was argued by Guillen, who was then tossed. An inning later, West called Buehrle for a second balk, leading to Buehrle’s ejection.Both Guillen and Buehrle made it very clear how they felt about West afterward on that day.

“Because he’s a f—ing a—hole, that’s what he is,’’ Guillen said of West. “I just went out to ask him … I wasn’t asking about the balk because you’re not allowed, anytime you go out there to ask about balk or whatever. The thing I went out to ask him about was why he was embarrassing Buehrle. I’m not going out to argue about the balk because the rule, but I went out to ask him why he’s embarrassing Buehrle and he give me one of this [dismissing him with his hands]. When you’re a professional and you have to respect the managers, the way we’re supposed to respect the umpires, they are supposed to respect back. … sometimes he thinks f—ing people pay to watch him f—ing umpire. He’s the type of guy that wants to control the game, it’s good for the game, and to me one of the best umpires in the game, no doubt. But in the meanwhile, those years are on his shoulders and kind of heavy and showing people who he is.’’

Buehrle fired off this gem: “I did the same move the toss right before that and [West] didn’t call a balk on it. I think he’s too worried about promoting his [Country Music] CD and I think he likes seeing his name in the papers a little bit too much instead of worrying about the rules.’’

Both Buehrle and Guillen were fined, as was West.No wonder Friday was a head-scratcher.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Saturday night, Philip Humber will make his first big league start of the season for the Royals in the opener against Freddy Garcia. Bryan Bullington goes in the second game for Kansas City, while the White Sox are undecided.The teams played for 9 minutes Friday night before heavy storms hit Kauffman Stadium. Sean O’Sullivan retired the White Sox in order in the first. After Gregor Blanco walked to lead off the bottom of the inning, the count was 1-1 with Jason Kendall at the plate when the tarp was placed on the field.After waiting 91 minutes with no let up in the rain, West postponed the game.The Sox trail first-place Minnesota by 4½ games in the AL Central and comes to Kansas City after losing two of three to the Twins. “When you go there [Minnesota] and play the way we did and then you say, ‘Wow, we’re going to Kansas City,’ it’s the opposite,” White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. “People thought we were going to kick Baltimore’s butt. Very good surprise — we lost the series. We go to Detroit — we lost the series.We better bring our best game here, because it could be a very disappointing weekend. We’d better be prepared to fight. We better be prepared to win this weekend. It’s not going to be easy.”

　

“You can see the difference with a winning team,” said Lee, who was dealt to Atlanta on Wednesday after nearly seven seasons with the Cubs. “When you’re playing well, you have the confidence.”

Marmol entered with a 3-2 lead and walked three of the first four batters he faced. After Melky Cabrera struck out, Ankiel lined a 2-2 pitch into the right-field corner.Atlanta leads the majors with 22 wins in its final at-bat and Ankiel, who arrived last month in a trade with Kansas City, was happy to finally do the honors. He entered the game with only three RBI since joining the team.Lee received a standing ovation before his first at-bat and went 0 for 4. He struck out, flied out and lined out against best buddy Ryan Dempster before striking out against Marmol for the first out of the ninth.Dempster stepped off the mound in the first inning so Lee could enjoy the applause. He waved his helmet to the crowd before flying out on the first pitch, stranding a runner at third.”I was happy to hear the crowd give him the ovation he deserved,” Dempster said. “I thought I respected him a lot, and then you really realize the respect you have for a guy like that. I’m excited for him. He’s going to a first-place team, playing with a great bunch of guys for a great manager. And he’s got a chance to go to the playoffs and win a World Series.”

The Cubs lost their eighth straight home game — their longest skid in four years — and fifth consecutive overall.

“A tough stretch,” said Dempster, who pitched eight strong innings but was denied his fourth straight victory. “Sometimes you find ways to lose instead of finding ways to win.”

Marmol (2-3) walked Martin Prado, Brian McCann and Alex Gonzalez before Ankiel’s hit. It was his fifth blown save in 26 chances.

“You just can’t walk people with a lead,” Lou Piniella said. “We walk three of them, and that’s what cost us the ballgame.”

Billy Wagner retired three straight hitters after Darwin Barney’s leadoff single in the Chicago ninth, earning his 30th save and No. 415 for his career. He struck out two to move into a tie with Jesse Orosco for the most Ks by a left-handed reliever with 1,169.Ankiel also made a nice catch in center field to rob Starlin Castro in the first and later threw out Koyie Hill trying to stretch a single into a double.Dempster allowed two runs and four hits, retiring the last nine batters he faced. He is 3-0 with a 1.65 ERA in four starts this month.Peter Moylan (5-2) pitched a perfect eighth in relief of Jair Jurrjens, who gave up three runs and nine hits in seven innings for Atlanta.Hill singled in a run in the second, but Atlanta tied it in the third on Omar Infante’s home run and grabbed a 2-1 lead on Gonzalez’s RBI double in the fourth — the final hit allowed by Dempster.Aramis Ramirez homered in the bottom half for the Cubs and doubled in Marlon Byrd in the sixth. Ramirez has 12 homers and 33 RBI in his last 37 games after failing to produce in the first half of the season.

NOTES—Tyler Colvin will play first base for the first time during next week’s series at Washington, Piniella said. The Cubs want to see if Colvin, who last played the position as a college sophomore, is a legitimate option at first for next season. Piniella said he wanted Colvin’s first games there to come on the road, away from the Chicago spotlight….The Miller Lite sign located on a rooftop past right field usually features a statement that taunts the opposition. Friday, though, it paid tribute to Cox, who is retiring after the season: “BRAVO BOBBY! CHEERS TO 29 YEARS!”

ROSEMONT—Renee Montgomery scored 20 points and the Connecticut Sun held off the Sky 78-71 Friday night.The win was the second straight for the Sun (17-16) who will miss the playoffs for the second straight year. “I don’t care if the game isn’t going to get us to the playoffs, the game isn’t going to do anything, but it’s still about to pride,” Montgomery said. “We are out there, people are coming to see you play and you need to perform.”  Epiphanny Prince scored 19 points for the Sky (14-19), who were eliminated last week.Connecticut’s 66-55 lead dwindled to one point midway through the fourth quarter, but consecutive buckets from Tan White, Asjha Jones and Tina Charles provided breathing room. Jones finished with 16 points for the Sun, who missed the WNBA playoffs for the second straight year, established control in the third quarter with an 18-2 run that erased a seven-point Sky halftime lead. “We gave up an 8-0 run to start the quarter,” Chicago coach Steven Key said. “It’s something that has been a negative thing for all us all season. We work hard to get a lead and then we give something back as a gift. We can’t do that.”

  

NOTES—Twins SS Nick Punto left the game in the fifth inning after straining his left hamstring on a slide into second base. It’s the same injury that landed him on the DL earlier this month. Gardenhire said Punto will be examined by team doctors on Friday….J.J. Putz left the game in the eighth inning with right knee inflammation. He is listed as day-to-day…..Buehrle got some help on defense, too, getting a great diving stab from ageless 3B Omar Vizquel to save a run.

　

 

DERRICK LEE IS LATEST CUB TO LEAVE IN CURRENT HO– USE CLEANING.

 

One of baseball’s top pinch hitters, Stairs,a Cub in 2001, was making his 12th start for the Padres — his 12th team in 18 seasons. He didn’t seem at all rusty when he faced Casey Coleman in the first inning with the bases loaded, doubling off the top of the left-field wall to give Richard all the support he would need.Long considered a defensive liability, Stairs also made a run-saving catch in left field in the second inning.Gonzalez hit a solo drive in the third for his 23rd homer and fifth in his last six games at Wrigley. Gonzalez, who also singled and walked three times, has a career .329 average in Wrigley.Gonzalez scored for the third time on Andrew Cashner’s eighth-inning wild pitch and Chase Headley added a sacrifice fly in the ninth.Coleman (0-1) allowed three runs and six hits over 4 1/3 innings in his first start for the Cubs. The right-hander was followed by five more rookies, setting a single-game franchise record on the mound.Alfonso Soriano and Jeff Baker hit consecutive doubles in the second for the Cubs, but that was all they could muster against Richard (11-5), who improved to 4-0 in his last five starts.It didn’t matter to him that he defeated a beaten-down team.  

NOTES—San Diego improved to 36-25 on the road and 25-12 in day games….Padres CF Tony Gwynn left in the sixth inning with what the team called a sprained right wrist. He was injured while fouling off a pitch….Before Wednesday, Richard was 1-6 with a 5.61 ERA in day-game starts, compared to 20-9 and 3.90 at night…..Slumping Cubs rookie Tyler Colvin will return to the outfield Thursday after getting a four-game “breather,” manager Lou Piniella said…..The announced attendance at Wrigley was a season-low 33,267 which appeared much slower.  

Jon Garland pitched seven innings and Jerry Hairston Jr. drove in the game’s only run in the first inning and the San Diego Padres beat the Cubs 1-0.The NL-West leading Padres won for the eighth time in nine games and moved five games ahead of the second-place San Francisco Giants.Heath Bell pitched a scoreless ninth for his major league-leading 36th save in 39 opportunities, but not before nearly allowing a game-ending two-run home run in the ninth to Blake DeWitt.After allowing a leadoff single to Aramis Ramirez, Bell struck out the next two batters. DeWitt followed a long fly ball to right and Ryan Ludwick went into the ivy and ended the game with a leaping catch.Garland (12-8) allowed four hits and pitched around three walks with three strikeouts. He retired the last 12 batters he faced. He surpassed his win total from last season. The right-hander has pitched 17 scoreless innings dating to three starts. He has only allowed five hits in his last 12 innings. The Padres, who had just three hits in the game, improved to a season-high 24 games over .500 (71-47).The Cubs have lost eight of its last nine home games.The discusted fans response….”BOOOOOO!”. Padres reliever Mike Adams pitched out of trouble in the eighth. With runners on first and second and one out, he induced Marlon Byrd to ground into a double play.Cubs starter Randy Wells (5-11), who allowed six earned runs in his last start at San Francisco, rebounded to pitch seven strong innings. He allowed one run and three hits, struck out six and walked three and hit a batter. Hairston led off the game with a single and advanced to second on Miguel Tejada’s walk. One out later, Wells hit Ludwick to load the bases. Hairston scored on Chase Headley’s groundout.

NOTES—Derrek Lee missed his second game with a bulging disc in his back. He is listed as day-to-day. … Padres 2B David Eckstein is expected to begin a rehab assignment with Single-A Fort Wayne on Wednesday. He has been on the DL with a right calf strain since July 21.