April 16, 2000
Florida Marlins 6, Chicago Cubs 5
CHICAGO (AP) - Cliff Floyd hit a home run that barely curved around the right-field foul pole in the 10th inning Sunday, giving the Florida Marlins a 6-5 win over the Chicago Cubs. The Marlins trailed 5-0 early before coming back. With one out in the 10th, Floyd hit a 2-1 pitch from Ruben Quevado (0-1) for a home run that brought an argument from the Cubs. First basemen Mark Grace and manager Don Baylor claimed the ball was foul. But first base umpire Mark Hirschbeck ruled it fair, and replays appeared to show he was correct. Dan Miceli (2-0) picked up the win with 1 2/3 innings of relief and Antonio Alfonseca pitched the 10th for his fourth save. Trailing 5-0 against Jon Lieber, the Marlins batted around in the fourth to tie it.
April 15, 2000
Chicago Cubs 4, Florida Marlins 2
CHICAGO (AP) - Rookie Scott Downs allowed four hits in seven innings for his first major league win as the Chicago Cubs took advantage of two Florida errors to beat the Marlins 4-2 Saturday. Mark Grace hit a sacrifice fly and two runs scored on miscues in a three-run first as the Cubs won for the fourth time in five games. Downs (1-0), called up from Double-A last Sunday, gave up two runs and struck out six. Ryan Dempster (1-2) gave up four runs -- two earned -- and four hits in 6 2/3 innings. He struck out nine, including the last two batters in the first, part of a stretch in which Dempster retired 19 in a row. The Cubs used two Marlins errors to open a 3-1 lead in the first. Kevin Millar led off the fifth with a homer to make it 3-2.
April 14, 2000
Florida Marlins 9, Chicago Cubs 4
CHICAGO (AP) - Danny Bautista hit a three-run homer and Alex Gonzalez added a two-run shot to lift the Florida Marlins to a 9-4 victory Friday over the Chicago Cubs. Sammy Sosa hit a solo homer for the Cubs. Alex Fernandez (2-1) gave up four runs, eight hits and two walks over seven innings. He struck out three. Andrew Lorraine (1-1) gave up five runs and five hits in 5 2/3 innings. Lorraine struck out a career-high eight batters. After Gonzalez gave the Marlins a 2-0 lead in the first inning with his first homer of the year, Lorraine retired 17 of the next 19 batters he faced. Mark Grace tied the game at 2 with a two-run double in the bottom of the first and he scored one out later on Damon Buford's single. Sosa hit his third homer with two outs in the fifth. The Marlins rallied for four runs with two outs in the sixth.
April 13, 2000
Chicago Cubs 3, Atlanta Braves 2
CHICAGO (AP) - Pinch-hitter Jose Nieves slapped a game-winning single to right with two outs in the ninth and the Chicago Cubs capped a three-game sweep of the Atlanta Braves with a 3-2 win Thursday. Shane Andrews, whose three-run homer Monday sparked a four-run, ninth-inning rally, was hit by a pitch from Mike Remlinger (0-1) to start the bottom of the ninth and moved to second on Jeff Reed's sacrifice. Damon Buford struck out but Nieves made just his eighth at-bat of the season count, hitting the first pitch between first and second. Mark Guthrie (2-1), who worked a perfect 1 2/3 innings of relief, got the victory on a day that started as a pitching duel between Greg Maddux and Kevin Tapani. Ricky Gutierrez hit his second homer in as many games to tie the game at 2 in the sixth off Maddux.
Wood makes rehabilitation start
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Kerry Wood took a major step toward returning
to Wrigley Field. The Chicago Cubs right-hander struck out nine
in five innings for the Single-A Daytona Cubs of the Florida
State League, and his fastball reached 97 mph in an 8-1 victory
over the Tampa Yankees on Thursday night. Wood allowed one run,
one hit and walked five -- including three on several borderline
calls in the first inning. He struck out the last six he faced
with a consistent fastball around 95 mph. "I feel good, and
that's the most important thing for me right now," Wood said. "I
didn't get my breaking pitch over like I wanted to, but I had
pretty good command of the fastball." If Wood continues to
progress as expected, he could be back in the majors as early as
May. His next start will be determined after a bullpen session on
Saturday.
April 12, 2000
Chicago Cubs 11, Atlanta Braves 4
CHICAGO (AP) - Shane Andrews homered twice, including his second three-run homer in as many at-bats, and Glenallen Hill added another three-run shot Wednesday afternoon as the Chicago Cubs beat the Atlanta Braves 11-4. Kyle Farnsworth (1-1) scattered four runs and six hits over seven innings for the Cubs, who won consecutive games for the first time this season. The loss spoiled a big day for Chipper Jones, who homered twice and drove in all of Atlanta's runs. Andrews, who hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth Monday, didn't wait long to go deep. Terry Mulholland (0-2) walked Sammy Sosa and gave up a single to Hill in the first, then Andrews sent a 1-1 pitch out in left. Mulholland gave up eight runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings.
April 10, 2000
Chicago Cubs 4, Atlanta Braves 3
CHICAGO (AP) - Shane Andrews hit a game-tying three-run homer off Kerry Ligtenberg in the ninth inning and pinch-hitter Jeff Reed singled in Damon Buford with the game-winner as the Chicago Cubs stunned the Atlanta Braves 4-3 in their Wrigley Field opener Monday. Andrews drove a 1-2 pitch from Ligtenberg into the left-field bleachers for his third homer of the season. Ligtenberg (0-1) then allowed a single to Buford and was replaced by Luis Rivera. Joe Girardi sacrificed and Reed slapped a single down the left-field line. Mark Guthrie (1-1) who pitched the top of the ninth, got the victory. Andres Galarraga and Chipper Jones homered for Atlanta, which took a 3-0 lead in the fourth against Jon Lieber. Kevin Milwood blanked the Cubs through seven innings.
Cubs' Wood to make rehab start Thursday
CHICAGO (AP) - The next stop on Kerry Wood's rehabilitation tour
is Daytona, Fla. The 1998 NL Rookie of the Year, who missed all
of last season after having an elbow ligament replaced, will make
a rehabilitation start Thursday for Single-A Daytona. Wood will
throw six innings or 90 pitches. Wood had surgery last April and
has progressed steadily since then. He made one start for the
Cubs during spring training, working one inning. His most recent
start was Saturday -- exactly one year after his surgery. He gave
up three hits and one walk in five innings. He threw 51 strikes
in 74 pitches, which included sliders and curves. His fastball
topped out at 95 mph. Wood could be back in the majors as early
as May. Also Monday, Ismael Valdes pitched two innings in an
extended spring training game. Valdes, on the disabled list with
tendinitis, allowed one hit with one strikeout.
April 9, 2000
Cincinnati Reds 8, Chicago Cubs 7 (11)
CINCINNATI (AP) - Junior got that long-awaited first homer in Cincinnati, starting a late comeback that got the Reds a win, too. Ken Griffey Jr.'s two-run homer began Cincinnati's comeback from a six-run deficit, and he walked and scored the tying run in the 11th as the Reds pulled out an 8-7 victory Sunday over the Chicago Cubs. After Chicago went up by a run in the top of the inning, Matt Karchner (0-1) walked Griffey and third baseman Shane Andrews threw away Hal Morris' bunt, sending Griffey home. Alex Ochoa won it with a single to right. Junior ended the day 1-for-4 with two walks. Danny Graves (2-0) got the win despite giving up Damon Buford's RBI single in the top of the 11th. Sammy Sosa hit his second homer of the series.
Feuding at Sosa's foundation
MIAMI (AP) - Board members of Sammy Sosa's charitable foundation
are feuding over charges of mismanagement and theft at the
organization's Broward County headquarters. Arturo Sandoval, a
founder of the Sammy Sosa Charitable Foundation, told Fortune
Magazine last week that he has turned over information outlining
the allegations to the IRS in Fort Lauderdale. Sandoval, a
renowned jazz musician and the foundation's secretary, claims
money was spent on personal cars, that food and supplies are
being stored in a Miami warehouse, and that the Chicago Cubs
outfielder hasn't given any money to the foundation since
donating a $2.7 million building in 1998. That building houses a
children's clinic in San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican
Republic. The IRS does not comment on whether it is investigating
tax filings.
April 8, 2000
Cincinnati Reds 4, Chicago Cubs 3 (11)
CINCINNATI (AP) - Pokey Reese's hard-hit single off third baseman Jeff Huson drove in the winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning Saturday, giving the Cincinnati Reds a 4-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Mark Guthrie (0-1) gave up a one-out walk in the 11th to Alex Ochoa, who stole second. After Aaron Boone was walked, Guthrie struck out Benito Santiago with the infield drawn in. Matt Karchner came in and gave up Reese's single, which Huson couldn't stop. Reese's second hit of the game completed a frigid game dominated by Reds pitchers, who retired 20 Cubs in a row over one stretch. Danny Graves (1-0) pitched the last two innings for the win. Ken Griffey Jr. had an RBI single -- only his second hit for his hometown team -- and Boone and Dante Bichette hit solo homers as the Reds tied it at 3 after six innings.
Wood throws 74 pitches in fifth start
MESA, Ariz. (AP) - Kerry Wood threw 74 pitches in an extended
spring training start Saturday for the Chicago Cubs, another step
in his comeback from a torn elbow ligament. Wood, the National
League's rookie of the year in 1998, made his fifth
rehabilitation start exactly one year after he had reconstructive
surgery performed on his elbow by Dr. James Andrews. Wood went
five innings Saturday, giving up three hits and one walk while
striking out eight. He threw 51 strikes in 74 pitches, which
included sliders and curves. His fastball topped out at 95 mph.
April 7, 2000
Chicago Cubs 10, Cincinnati Reds 6
CINCINNATI (AP) - Sammy Sosa hit a two-run homer deep to center field in his first at-bat and added a sacrifice fly to the warning track as the Chicago Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds 10-6 on Friday night. Sosa outshined Ken Griffey Jr. in their first head-to-head meeting in the regular season since 1991. While Sosa broke out of an 0-for-16 slump with his first homer of the season, Junior struck out, grounded out twice, popped out, and hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded in the ninth. Rick Aguilera got the final out for his second save. The Cubs scored a season-high in runs and Andrew Lorraine (1-0) beat the Reds for the first time in three career starts. The Cubs rolled up six runs over four innings against Pete Harnisch (0-1), who was pitching on three days' rest for the first time since June 1996.
Cubs activate Hill, call up Garibay
CINCINNATI (AP) - The Chicago Cubs activated outfielder Glenallen
Hill from the disabled list Friday and swapped one rookie
reliever for another. The Cubs called up left-hander Daniel
Garibay from Triple-A Iowa and optioned right-handed reliever
Danny Young. They also optioned infielder Cole Liniak to Iowa to
make room for Hill. Garibay, 27, has never pitched in the majors.
He switches spots with Young, 28, who was impressive in spring
training but struggled in his first major league callup. Young
appeared in four of the Cubs' five games, giving up seven runs,
five hits and six walks in three innings. Hill, the Cubs' career
leader in pinch homers with eight, went on the 15-day disabled
list March 23 with a strained left hamstring. Hill took fielding
practice before Friday's 10-6 win over the Cincinnati Reds and
looked good to manager Don Baylor, who plans to start him during
the series.
April 6, 2000
St. Louis Cardinals 13, Chicago Cubs 3
ST. LOUIS (AP) - J.D. Drew hit two home runs, including a grand slam, as the St. Louis Cardinals completed a dominating sweep of the Chicago Cubs with a 13-3 victory Thursday. Fernando Tatis, Drew and Mike Matheny homered in consecutive at-bats in a seven-run third against Kyle Farnsworth (0-1), with Tatis' homer a three-run shot. Drew hit his first career grand slam in a five-run fourth that gave the Cardinals a 13-2 lead. The Cubs were outscored 30-8 in the three-game series while getting swept by St. Louis for the first time since Aug. 7-9, 1998. Garrett Stephenson (1-0) limited Chicago to three runs on four hits in seven innings, striking out five and walking one. Farnsworth lasted three innings, giving up eight runs on seven hits.
April 5, 2000
St. Louis Cardinals 10, Chicago Cubs 4
ST. LOUIS (AP) - So who needs Mark McGwire? The St. Louis Cardinals haven't had their big gun yet, but that hasn't kept them from overpowering the Chicago Cubs the first two games. Jim Edmonds made up for a quiet opener with a home run, double and three RBIs in a 10-4 victory Wednesday night. Ray Lankford also homered for the Cardinals, who have outscored the Cubs 17-5 the first two games with five homers. Pat Hentgen (1-0), part of the Cardinals' all-new rotation, allowed three runs in 5 2/3 innings. He allowed six hits and struck out one. The Cardinals, who outhit the Cubs 22-12, got five straight hits in the first off loser Jon Lieber (1-1), including doubles by Edgar Renteria, Fernando Tatis and Craig Paquette, and Edmonds' homer.
April 4, 2000
Cubs sign pitcher Ayala to minor league deal
(AP) - The Chicago Cubs signed relief pitcher Bobby Ayala Tuesday
to a minor league contract. The right-hander will join the Cubs'
Triple-A affiliate in Iowa. Ayala, 30, spent the final month of
the 1999 season with the Cubs after being released by Montreal.
He had a combined record of 1-7 with a 3.51 ERA in 66 games last
year. The reliever is 37-44 with a 4.78 ERA in 406 games with
Cincinnati, Seattle, Montreal and the Cubs.
Sosa Foundation denies Fortune report of near bankruptcy
(AP) - The vice president of the Sammy Sosa Foundation based in
the Dominican Republic denied a Fortune magazine report that the
fund is on the verge of bankruptcy. "All of this is slander
against a man who has done nothing more than help the most
needy," Domingo Dauhajre said Tuesday. "I am worried that this
problem could affect Sosa on the playing field." Fortune said it
appears Sosa has given little money to the foundation, a charge
Dauhajre denied. He did not say how much Sosa has contributed or
the total assets of the foundation, but said Sosa has donated
$15,000 since January for a dental health program in his hometown
of San Pedro de Macoris. Fortune reported that Sosa gave the
foundation Plaza 30-30, a shopping complex in San Pedro de
Macoris appraised at $2.7 million, earning a U.S. federal tax
deduction of at least $1 million.
April 3, 2000
St. Louis Cardinals 7, Chicago Cubs 1
ST. LOUIS (AP) - Mark McGwire's aching back was the only bad news for the St. Louis Cardinals on Opening Day. McGwire was a late lineup scratch Monday. His replacement at first base, Craig Paquette, lined a three-run homer in the first inning, and his replacement in the cleanup slot, Fernando Tatis, also had an RBI single, a walk and two steals in a 7-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Cardinals starter Darryl Kile struck out Sammy Sosa twice and also got him on an infield popout. Slammin' Sammy also fanned in his final at-bat. Cubs starter Kevin Tapani (0-1), who gave up five runs in four innings, couldn't use the Tokyo trip as an excuse. The team left him behind on the two-game Japan split with the New York Mets so he'd be rested for his first start. Kile (1-0) allowed one run on two hits in six innings.
Fortune: Sosa's foundation is near bankruptcy
(AP) - Sammy Sosa's charitable foundation in the Dominican
Republic is near bankruptcy, and the Chicago Cubs outfielder has
hardly given it any cash, Fortune magazine reports. Sosa gave a
building, appraised at $2.7 million, to the not-for-profit
foundation, earning a federal tax deduction of at least $1
million, the magazine said. While the magazine said there is no
evidence Sosa has given the foundation a significant amount of
cash, Fortune said Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals, his
home-run rival, contributed $100,000. The magazine said many
tenants in the building, including Sosa's sisters, didn't pay
rent. The sisters run a boutique, a disco and a beauty shop in
the building, Fortune said. Adam Katz, one of Sosa's agents, told
the magazine, "I can virtually assure you that there has been no
impropriety."
March 30, 2000
New York Mets 5, Chicago Cubs 1 (11)
TOKYO (AP) - The New York Mets are sure glad they decided to take Benny Agbayani on this little detour. Agbayani, ticketed for the minors in 10 days, hit a grand slam in the 11th inning Thursday and the Mets beat the Chicago Cubs 5-1 for a split of their season-opening series in Japan. Agbayani's two-out drive to dead center field made it a disappointing major league debut for loser Danny Young (0-1). Young retired the first two batters of the 11th, but Todd Zeile singled, and walks to Rey Ordonez and Melvin Mora loaded the bases for Agbayani. The Cubs stranded a pair of runners in the ninth and left the bases loaded in the 10th when Dennis Cook (1-0) struck out Henry Rodriguez. Rickey Henderson added a stolen base and sacrifice fly in the fifth for New York.
March 29, 2000
Chicago Cubs 5, New York Mets 3
TOKYO (AP) - Baseball truly turned international Wednesday, and the Chicago Cubs took advantage of Mike Hampton's nine walks to beat the New York Mets 5-3 in the first major league game played outside North America. A mostly quiet, sellout crowd announced at 55,000 in the Tokyo Dome watched the earliest regular season opener ever and saw Shane Andrews and Mark Grace homer for the Cubs. Mike Piazza hit a two-run shot for the Mets. Jon Lieber (1-0) kept in control, pitching seven neat innings and allowing one run and five hits for the win. Traded to New York after going 22-4 for Houston, Hampton (0-1) lasted only five innings. The Cubs ended a string of three straight losses in openers and beat the Mets for the first time in six tries on Opening Day.