Wells gets 1st win, Cubs beat Indians 6-2

[June 22, 2009]  CHICAGO (AP) -- Randy Wells pitched into the seventh inning for his first major-league win, Geovany Soto homered and Jake Fox drove in three runs to lead the Chicago Cubs to a routine 6-2 victory over the Cleveland Indians and their fourth straight win.

Derrek Lee extended his hitting streak to 18 games, tying a career high, and the Cubs cruised to an easy win after taking the previous three in their final at-bat.

This time, they didn't need any late theatrics to send the Indians to their season-high sixth straight loss.

Back-to-back extra-inning wins gave way to this: The Cubs taking control early after rallying for extra-inning wins Friday and Saturday and finally giving Wells (1-3) the support he needed.

Soto got things started when he gave the Cubs a 1-0 lead in the second with his fifth homer. Fox drove in Ryan Theriot with a sacrifice fly in the fourth and capped a four-run fifth with a two-run, bases-loaded double against Jeremy Sowers (1-5), sucking the drama out of this one.

Wells allowed two runs and five hits in 6 2-3 innings. He left to a loud ovation with a 6-1 lead after getting knocked out in the fourth against Minnesota nine days earlier. Now, he finally has a win after posting a 2.55 ERA in his first seven starts following his call-up from Triple-A Iowa last month.

Kevin Gregg preserved the win after things got a little tense in the ninth.

He came on with runners on first and third and one out and promptly threw a wild pitch before striking out Ben Francisco and retiring Trevor Crowe on a grounder for his 11th save in 13 chances.

Wells led off the fifth with a single and scored from third with one out on a bases-loaded single by Lee, who has now reached base in 28 consecutive games. Sowers then walked Soto to force in another run, and Fox chased him with a double off the center-field wall that made it 6-0.

That ended a brutal day for the lefty, who allowed seven hits and six runs and is now 0-3 in five starts since being recalled from Triple-A Columbus. It was a rough weekend for the Indians, who led in the first two games only to see longtime Cub Kerry Wood blow save opportunities.

Those dramatic wins came on the heels of a nail-biter with the crosstown White Sox in which the Cubs rallied from four down to win 6-5 in the ninth on Alfonso Soriano's single.

NOTES: The Indians held 1B Ryan Garko out of the lineup because of a sprained left wrist. ... The Cubs placed RHP Angel Guzman on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right triceps and recalled RHP Kevin Hart from Triple-A Iowa on Sunday. ... Chicago held OF Reed Johnson out of the lineup because of tightness in his back.

[Associated Press; By ANDREW SELIGMAN]

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