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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
CHICAGO (AP) -- Jon Lieber dedicated Sunday's victory to his newborn
son, Jared. But it might have been his neighbor, Jim Blackman, who
deserved the credit.
Lieber pitched a four-hitter to win his fifth straight decision
and Sammy Sosa hit his 32nd home run as the Chicago Cubs beat the
San Francisco Giants 3-1.
|  | | Cubs workhorse Jon Lieber won his fifth straight start and has gone at least seven innings in 20 of 23 starts. |
Lieber went home to Mobile, Ala., after his last start July 25
to be with his wife, Jessica, who gave birth Thursday to the
couple's second child.
Blackman, who lives a few houses from the Liebers, caught the
Cubs pitcher so he could maintain his scheduled sidework.
"He's a heck of a catcher," said Lieber, who didn't return to
Chicago until Saturday night. "I was a little worried, to be
honest. It's been a lot of travel and it's been nonstop. Guys told
me today, 'When's your flight tonight? We'll see you in another
five days.' "
"He really never missed a beat," Cubs manager Don Baylor said
of Lieber.
Sosa hit a solo homer with two outs in the seventh off Felix
Rodriguez to lift the Cubs to their 15th win in the last 19 games.
Sosa raised his NL-leading RBI total to 93.
"Sosa's homer was big. We couldn't bunt and go for the tie in
the eighth because of that," Giants manager Dusty Baker said.
Over his last 22 games, Sosa is batting .372 with 11 homers and
24 RBI.
Lieber (10-5) matched his win total of last year and is one shy
of his career high set in 1997. The right-hander walked one in his
fifth complete game, striking out eight.
"Lieber is a great example of how to pitch," Baker said.
"It's strike one, and then you foul one off. It's like everybody's
going up to the plate with two strikes on them."
Lieber has pitched at least seven innings in 20 of his 23
starts, and it was the 19th time he has walked two or fewer batters
in a game.
Kirk Rueter (7-7) lost his second straight start, giving up two
runs -- one earned -- and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings. Rueter left
with tightness in his back after he tried to make a leaping grab of
a ball hit by Eric Young leading off the seventh. He is day to day.
Rueter first injured himself fielding Young's leadoff bunt in
the first and never loosened up after that play, Baker said.
"He just went out there on blood and guts," Baker said.
"It was tight the whole game but I've pitched before when I
wasn't 100 percent," said Rueter, who didn't expect to miss his
next start.
The Giants have only lost eight of their last 26 games.
"If we keep getting this kind of pitching, we'll be fine,"
Baker said. "But when you're cold, you make everybody look like Cy
Young."
The Cubs hit four straight singles with one out in the fourth to
take a 2-0 lead with the runs scoring on hits by Jose Nieves and
Joe Girardi.
Armando Rios hit his seventh home run with two outs in the
Giants fifth to make it 2-1.
Eight of the Cubs' last 11 games have been decided by one or two
runs. Chicago also has won six of its last seven series and split
the seventh.
Game notes
Lieber is the first Cubs pitcher to have a winning streak
longer than three games since Kevin Tapani won seven in a row Aug.
4-Sept. 15, 1998. Lieber's five complete games are the most by a
Cubs pitcher since 1992. Greg Maddux went the distance nine times
that year and Mike Morgan completed six. ... Nieves was caught
stealing in the second. It was the first stolen base attempt
against Rueter since April 29, which was Rueter's fifth start.
Sunday was his 20th start. ... Cubs SS Ricky Gutierrez had to leave
the game in the fifth because of a tight left quadriceps. His
status is day-to-day.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
San Francisco Clubhouse
Chicago Cubs Clubhouse
Cubs conditionally acquire OF White from Expos
RECAPS
Baltimore 10
Cleveland 7
Tampa Bay 7
Kansas City 6
NY Yankees 7
Minnesota 4
Oakland 5
Boston 2
Seattle 10
Toronto 6
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Atlanta 6
Houston 3
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NY Mets 4
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Chicago Cubs 3
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