Cubs beat Braves 3-2 in 11 innings on hit batsman

[June 13, 2008]  CHICAGO (AP) -- Jeff Ridgway hit pinch-hitter Reed Johnson with the bases loaded in the 11th inning and the Chicago Cubs beat the reeling Atlanta Braves 3-2 Thursday.

The Braves have lost six straight and can't seem to win away from Turner Field. They fell to 7-24 on the road this season and have lost their last 21 one-run games on the road since August, matching the longest such streak in major league history.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Kansas City lost 21 straight one-run games on the road from 2000-01.

Chicago's Jim Edmonds tied it at 2 with a one-out solo homer in the ninth, setting the stage for the comeback victory.

Aramis Ramirez drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the 11th off Manny Acosta (3-5) and moved up on Brian McCann's passed ball. The Braves intentionally walked Kosuke Fukudome and Geovany Soto followed with a single to left. Third base coach Mike Quade started to wave Ramirez home and then gave him a late stop sign.

With the bases loaded, Ridgway replaced Acosta and hit Johnson with his first pitch to force in the winning run.

Kerry Wood (3-1) struck out four in two scoreless innings to get the win.

Edmonds lined a 1-0 pitch from Blaine Boyer just over the fence and into the basket in left field in the ninth, his third homer of the season and second since joining the Cubs last month.

Tim Hudson went 6 2-3 innings for Atlanta, allowing seven hits and a run. Hudson was on his way to his eighth win of the season before Boyer, who entered the game in the eighth, picked up his third blown save of the year and the Braves' ninth in 19 chances.

Carlos Zambrano worked seven-plus innings for the Cubs, and was charged with two runs and eight hits.

Zambrano, who had a meltdown in the dugout during his last start in Los Angeles when he threw two water coolers after yielding seven runs, gave up a two-run homer to Jeff Francoeur in the second.

The NL Central-leading Cubs played their first game since losing Alfonso Soriano, who could out for six weeks with a broken hand. Soriano was hit by a pitch from Jeff Bennett on Wednesday night.

Braves slugger Chipper Jones went 1-for-5 with an intentional walk in the 11th, and his average dipped five points to .414.

Hudson took a five-hit shutout into the seventh. Ramirez hit a leadoff single and reached second when shortstop Yunel Escobar had trouble handling Fukudome's grounder before firing to first to get the out.

Ramirez went to third on Soto's single and scored on Edmonds' sacrifice fly to cut Atlanta's lead to 2-1.

After issuing a four-pitch walk to Mark Teixeira to start the eighth, Zambrano angrily barehanded the return toss from catcher Soto. Reliever Scott Eyre then surrendered a double to McCann and intentionally walked Francoeur to load the bases.

Eyre bounced back to strike out two straight and Carlos Marmol fired a called third strike past pinch-hitter Omar Infante.

Notes: The teams wore replica uniforms from the 1948 season. The Braves were in Boston at the time and won the NL pennant. The Cubs finished in last place. ... Eyre made his 32nd straight appearance -- 13th this season -- without allowing a run to set a Cubs record. He had shared the mark with Ryan Dempster, who had 31 straight from Aug. 16, 2005 until April 19, 2006.

[Associated Press; By RICK GANO]

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