Advertisement
Werth hit another home run against the Cubs and Moyer got his 12th win, leading the Phillies to a 5-3 victory that salvaged a split of their four-game series at Wrigley Field.
“It speaks volumes for this club,” Werth said after Philadelphia’s second straight win against the team with the best record in the NL. “We’ve been playing good all year. ... I think especially to split the series here in Chicago, against the Cubs, at home, I think it says a lot.”
Werth hit a two-run double in the first and a solo drive in the fifth for his 21st homer of the season. Werth, who went deep twice and drove in four runs in Philly’s 5-2 win Saturday, is 11-for-21 with four homers and 10 RBIs against the Cubs this season.
In the four games at Wrigley Field, he was 7-for-13 with three homers and seven RBIs.
Chicago was without ace Carlos Zambrano, who was scratched to give him some time to rest his tired arm. He’ll pitch again Tuesday against the Astros.
The Cubs left 10 runners on base and 19 total in the last two games of the series. They also managed 11 singles and no extra-base hits for the second straight game.
The missing offense left manager Lou Piniella a little testy. Asked if it was frustrating, Piniella said: “Why is it frustrating? Why should it be. Are we supposed to win every day? I don’t think so.”
How about the tendency to leave runners on?
“Listen if we could get guys in every time we got men on base, we’d be 162-0 and that’s not going to happen,” he said.
But then Piniella’s voice rose in anger when asked if he was OK with his team’s effort.
“What the hell am I supposed to be? Not OK?” he asked.
The Phillies remained a game behind the NL East-leading Mets, who won 6-2 against the Florida Marlins. The Cubs’ NL Central lead was trimmed to 4½ games over Milwaukee, which blanked Pittsburgh 7-0 on Sunday.
Moyer (12-7), the 45-year-old left-hander who started his career with the Cubs in 1986, gave up eight hits and two runs in 5 1-3 innings, and the Phillies bullpen worked its way out of a couple of jams.
“In any situation if you can minimize damage and limit it to singles, it forces them to have to hit the ball more often to score runs and they scored two,” Moyer said.
“It was nice to close the door there and keep it where it was and for us to add on runs.”
Moyer left after Kosuke Fukudome singled and Ronny Cedeno walked in the sixth. Chad Durbin entered and struck out pinch-hitter Ryan Theriot before Alfonso Soriano popped out to end the inning.
In Chicago’s eighth, pinch-hitter Henry Blanco delivered a two-out RBI single against J.C. Romero to make it 5-3 and another pinch-hitter, Daryle Ward, greeted Ryan Madson with another single. But Madson struck out Soriano with two on to end the threat.
Brad Lidge then worked a perfect ninth for his 33rd save in as many chances.
Sean Marshall (3-4), subbing for Zambrano, allowed three of his five runs in the first inning. He walked two and surrendered nine hits in 5 1-3 innings.
Marshall walked Chase Utley in the first and the Phillies came through with three straight two-out hits — singles by Ryan Howard and Shane Victorino and the two-run double by Werth.
Making just his fifth start of the season and first in two weeks, Marshall gave up Werth’s long homer with two outs in the fifth that made it 4-2. After a leadoff double by Carlos Ruiz and a sacrifice by Moyer in the sixth, Jeff Samardzija relieved and Jimmy Rollins greeted him with a sacrifice fly.
A bright sun helped the Cubs score twice in the third.
After Mark DeRosa and Geovany Soto opened with singles, a fielder’s choice grounder left runners at first and third. Cedeno hit a high fly to center that Victorino lost in the sun at the last minute as the ball dropped for an RBI single. With the Phillies playing for a bunt, Marshall grounded an RBI single to center, trimming the lead to 3-2.
Notes:@ The oldest player in the majors, Moyer has given up three runs or less in 15 straight starts. He is now 3-0 in his career against the Cubs, who drafted him in the sixth round in 1984. He was 28-34 pitching for the Cubs from 1986-88. ... When rosters expand Monday, the Cubs are expected to activate veteran RHP Jon Lieber (foot) from the disabled list and add pitchers Angel Guzman and Michael Wuertz, infielders Micah Hoffpauir and Casey McGehee and catcher Koyie Hill, all of whom have been at Triple A. Additionally, LHP Rich Hill was recalled from Triple-A Iowa on Sunday and put on the disabled list with a lower back strain. ... The Cubs finished August 20-8, their most wins in any month since going 20-10 in August 1984. ... Piniella said reliever Chad Gaudin wasn’t available because of a sore back.
