6/4/08 @ Padres; L 1-2; (38-22)

Greg Maddux threw seven pitches in the first inning. Len and Bob barely had time to get their voices warmed up and it was commercial break. Ted Lilly took the mound and after seven pitches he was down 0-1, had runner on second, and was down in the count 3-1 to Brian Giles. Seeing as the Cubs have won their last eight in come from behind fashion, they must have been out to set a trap for the Padres.

The plan worked…for awhile. By the fourth inning the Cubs had scored a run to tie the game. Lilly and Maddux battled for inning after inning keeping the score knotted at one apiece until the eighth inning.

At that point the Padres chased Lilly from the game. Brian Giles led off with a double and moved to third on Adrian Gonzalez’s fly ball. At that point Marmol came in to relieve Lilly. He pitched very well tonight, striking out eight Padres and walking only two. The only problem…Maddux was better. He only needed 69 pitches to get through seven innings. He was masterful.

Game reset…one out, man on second, tie game in the eighth. Marmol faced Kevin Kouzmanoff and he hit a sac fly to center. Marmol struck out Khalil Greene to end the inning but the damage was done.

In the Cub ninth, Trevor Hoffman struck out the side, interrupted only by Ryan Theriot hitting a two out single. The Padres prevailed 2-1, but the Cubs won their first road series since April.

The winning streak is over, but 9-1 over the last ten isn’t anything to be ashamed of. Now it is on to LA for a four game set with the Dodgers.