Lee hits slam after Zambrano injured; Cubs win

[May 04, 2009]  CHICAGO (AP) -- Derrek Lee hit a grand slam shortly after Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano hurt himself while beating out a bunt single, and Chicago defeated the Florida Marlins 6-4 Sunday.

Zambrano strained his left hamstring on his leadoff hit in the fifth inning and left the game. Lee connected four batters later for a 6-2 lead.

Mike Fontenot also homered for the Cubs, who won their third straight after losing seven of nine.

John Baker homered, doubled and singled for the Marlins, who have lost 10 of 13 since starting the season 11-1.

Zambrano (3-1) allowed two runs on four hits in five innings. Known for taking big swings at the plate, he dropped down a bunt in the bottom half and stretched to beat the throw from Marlins pitcher Ricky Nolasco (1-3).

Pitcher Rich Harden pinch-ran for Zambrano, and the Cubs loaded the bases on Ryan Theriot's bunt single and right fielder Ross Gload's error on a fly ball by Kosuke Fukudome.

Lee followed with his ninth career grand slam, a shot over the center-field wall. After batting .189 in April, he had two hits Friday and homered Saturday.

Theriot went 2 for 4, but his surprising home-run streak ended at two games. He had gone 620 at-bats without a homer before his grand slam on Friday. He added a two-run shot on Saturday.

Kevin Gregg pitched a scoreless ninth for his third save. He was helped by Fukudome, who made a diving catch in right field on Emilio Bonifacio's sinking liner for the final out.

Nolasco allowed five earned runs and eight hits in six innings. A year after setting career bests with 15 wins and an ERA of 3.52, he has allowed at least four runs in all but one of his six starts this season.

Florida loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth, but Cubs reliever Angel Guzman managed to wiggle himself out of the jam while allowing just one run on a sacrifice fly by Dan Uggla.

Baker led off the eighth with a homer off Carlos Marmol to pull Florida within 6-4. Marmol then walked Hanley Ramirez with no outs, but didn't allow any more damage.

Notes: The Cubs retired No. 31 in honor of pitchers Ferguson Jenkins and Greg Maddux before the game. Both Jenkins and Maddux spent 10 years in Chicago. ... Zambrano has won five straight decisions over the Marlins ... Uggla returned to the lineup after missing Saturday's game with tightness in his left hamstring. ... Nolasco was a fourth-round draft pick of the Cubs in 2001. ... Florida has gone a club-record 16 straight games without a win by a starting pitcher.

[Associated Press]

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