Late Efforts Fall Short as Braves Lose to Cubs 3-2

Despite a very well pitched seven innings by Derek Lowe to keep the Braves in the game, Atlanta simply couldn't overcome the three runs that the Cubs put up in the second inning. Randy Wells pitched a great game and the Braves' efforts against the Chicago bullpen fell short to end the winning streak at six games.

The messy second inning began when Derek Lowe walked Tyler Colvin, which Alfonso Soriano followed with a blast to straightaway center field to give the Cubs a 2-0 lead. Still with no men out in the inning, a Dan Uggla bobble under the pressure of trying to nab the speedy Tony Campana allowed the center fielder to reach. Campana stole second and was balked to third by Lowe. A little squib to Dan Uggla off the bat of pitcher Randy Wells allowed Campana to score giving the Cubs a 3-0 advantage and end the Cubs' scoring on the night, though Lowe had to labor through more batters in the inning. Nine Cubs came to the plate in the inning and Lowe had to throw a whopping forty pitches just to get three outs (five outs really thanks to Uggla's error and another careless one by Chipper).

Meanwhile, Randy Wells was pitching a gem. Wells retired the first ten men he faced on the night before allowing an infield hit to Prado in the top of the fourth that ultimately led to nothing for the Braves. Wells then allowed nothing more until the top of the seventh. Freddie barely missed a homer to right field, but Tyler Colvin made the catch with his back in the ivy. Chipper Jones then took care of Wells' shutout with a solo shot to center, ending Randy Wells' night on the mound. In the following inning, Alex Gonzalez hit a shot of his own to make the game 3-2 in favor of the Cubs.

Marmol came in to close out the game for the Cubs and led off with a plunk of Dan Uggla, but the Braves weren't able to do much more and the game ended at a score of 3-2. I must note, that Chip Caray performed a great rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," rocking Harry Caray glasses, rooting for "the Bravos," and paying his respects to Ron Santo. The Braves look to start another winning streak tomorrow afternoon as Brandon Beachy takes on Matt Garza.