Ex-Cubs combine to haunt old team

Ex-Cubs combine to haunt old team

By The Associated Press

CHICAGO – Three former Chicago Cubs came back to hurt their old team.

Former Cub Ricky Nolasco got his first major league win and Joe Borowski picked up his third save, leading the Florida Marlins over Chicago 7-5 on Wednesday.

Borowski, a former Cubs closer, struck out two and walked one in the ninth. Pinch-hitter Wes Helms had a tiebreaking, two-run double in the eighth inning for Florida, which stopped a three-game losing streak under first-year manager Joe Girardi, a former Cubs catcher.

“You don’t know how bad I was hoping I got to pitch in this series,” said Borowski, who is in his first year with Florida. “I spent five great years here. It’s always fun to pitch against guys you’ve played with and you’ve known for that long.”

With the game tied at 3, Cubs reliever Scott Williamson (2-1) walked Josh Willingham leading off the eighth, balked pinch-runner Eric Reed to second and threw a wild pitch that moved the runner to third.

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Mike Jacobs struck out, but Williamson loaded the bases with walks to Dan Uggla and Chris Aguila.

Bobby Howry relieved and Helms, batting for Matt Treanor, hit a two-run double that fell in front of a sliding John Mabry in shallow right field, near the foul line. Mabry had just entered with Howry as part of a double switch that removed Jacque Jones.

“I lost the ball in the sun,” Mabry said. “Nobody feels worse about it than me. I tried to slide to create an angle, and I still didn’t get it out of the sun.”

Helms thought it was a guaranteed sacrifice fly when it left his bat.

“That’s what I was trying to do,” he said. “I didn’t want to hit into a double play there. That’s one thing you don’t want to do.”

Miguel Olivo added a sacrifice fly to make it 6-3. Cubs pitchers issued eight walks, and the Marlins turned them into six runs.

“All day it was just a matter of us cutting down on the walks,” Cubs manager Dusty Baker said. “It seemed like every time we walked someone, they scored.”

Marlins pitchers allowed just four hits.

Nolasco (1-0), acquired by Florida in December’s deal that sent Juan Pierre to Chicago, struck out four in two scoreless innings and allowed one hit. The Cubs finished with four hits.

“I guess that’s the way things were meant to happen, getting the (first) win,” Nolasco said. “Coincidentally it was against the Cubs. I’ll take that.”

Angel Guzman started for Chicago in his major league debut and allowed three runs, six hits and four walks in five innings with five strikeouts.

Marlins starter Scott Olsen gave up three runs -ÿtwo earned – and one hit in five innings. He walked three.

A combined 10 pitchers allowed 14 walks.

“Sometimes you have some young pitchers who get too fine,” Girardi said. “And you have to bring them back in the zone and understand that you expand the zone when you get ahead, not before you get strike one.”

After the game Williamson said he was confused by first base umpire Bruce Froemming’s balk call.

“I don’t know what I did, but obviously Bruce must know what it was. Why don’t you go ask him,” Williamson said. “It’s a move I use all the time. Obviously it changed the inning for me a little bit.”

Matt Murton hit a two-run, two-out single off Franklyn German in the bottom of the eighth, cutting the lead to 6-5. With runners on first and second, Matt Herges relieved and struck out Jerry Hairston Jr.

Jacobs singled in a run in the ninth against Scott Eyre.

Aramis Ramirez homered in the second, but Florida took a 3-1 lead in the fourth on Willingham’s two-run homer and Treanor’s RBI single.

Olsen walked the bases loaded with one out in the fourth and Hairston hit a weak grounder to second. But shortstop Hanley Ramirez’s throw to first trying to complete a double play sailed into the stands as two runs scored.

Notes: X-rays were negative on Cubs C Michael Barrett, who jammed his right middle finger sliding headfirst into second base Tuesday night. Henry Blanco started at catcher. … Olsen, a suburban Chicago native, was making his seventh career start and third this season. … Ramirez went 2-for-2 with two walks.