Marquis uses bat, arm to lead Rockies past Cubs

[April 16, 2009]  CHICAGO (AP) -- Jason Marquis hit a two-run single off Rich Harden to put Colorado ahead against his former team, then pitched the Rockies over the Chicago Cubs 5-2 Wednesday.

Marquis (2-0), who spent the previous two years with the Cubs, was booed during introductions before Monday's home opener and again several times Wednesday. He hit a bases-loaded single in the second and allowed one run and five hits in seven innings.

Manuel Corpas pitched a hitless eighth and Huston Street got in trouble in the ninth, allowing a leadoff home run to Derrek Lee followed by a walk to pinch-hitter Mike Fontenot and a single to Reed Johnson.

Jason Grilli came in, and Fontenot was thrown out by Chris Iannetta trying to advance on a breaking ball in the dirt that put away from the catcher. Geovany Soto then hit into a game-ending double play, giving Grilli his second career save and first this year.

Seth Smith homered for the Rockies, who completed a two-game split on a cold afternoon with the wind blowing in.

Harden, rested for much of spring training to aid a balky shoulder, allowed four runs, five hits and four walks in three innings, his shortest outing since July 7, 2007, when he went 2 2-3 innings for Oakland against Seattle. He struck out eight but threw 92 pitches.

Harden has 18 strikeouts in two starts, but the Cubs lost both games.

After Harden struck out his first four batters, Colorado loaded the bases on a pair of walks and an infield single. Clint Barmes then struck out, but Marquis singled to center on a ball Johnson couldn't come up with on a dive. Johnson did throw out Iannetta at third to end the inning.

Marquis, the 2005 NL Silver Slugger winner at pitcher, has a .211 batting average, five homers and 43 RBIs in 446 career at-bats.

Smith homered in the third, and Colorado made it 4-0 when Todd Helton doubled and Alfonso Soriano misplayed Garrett Atkins' single to left.

Pinch-hitter Micah Hoffpauir doubled in a run for the Cubs in the fifth, but pinch-hitter Dexter Fowler made it 5-1 with an RBI double in the eighth.

Notes: With every player, manager and coach wearing No. 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson, Cubs manager Lou Piniella joked he might confuse Kosuke Fukudome's interpreter. "I'll yell, `Hey 42' and he's going to be looking around," Piniella said. ... The game time temperature also was 42. ... The Cubs held Aramis Ramirez out for the second straight game with a sore lower back. Milton Bradley missed his second full game with a strained right groin. Bradley will be out a few more games. ... Soto made his first start since the second game of the season. He had been out with shoulder soreness. ... Colorado OF Brad Hawpe missed the game because of a strained left hamstring.

[Associated Press]

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