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  Wednesday, Aug. 23 8:05pm ET
Lugo thwarts no-hitter, but Cubs get win
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME LOG

HOUSTON (AP) -- The last time Chicago's Ruben Quevedo and Houston's Wade Miller took the mound, Quevedo was hit hard and Miller pitched six hitless innings.

This time, Quevedo held the Astros hitless for 5 2-3 innings and Miller was pounded for 12 runs as the Cubs stopped a seven-game losing streak with a 15-5 victory Wednesday night.

"The difference was my location, I was able to throw for strikes," Quevedo said. "Last time was just a bad start. That game was over and I didn't think about it anymore. This just proves that when you throw it where you want it you can pitch at any level. I'm a young guy. I'm just learning how to pitch in the big leagues."

Quevedo (2-5), making his eighth major league start, didn't allow a hit until Julio Lugo's sixth-inning homer. The 21-year-old right-hander wound up allowing five runs -- three earned -- and four hits in eight innings.

On Aug. 18, he allowed nine runs in three innings against Arizona.

"The last outing I think he would rather forget," Chicago manager Don Baylor. "But this outing he had good control and good command."

The 12 runs off Miller (2-5) tied the Astros record set by Jose Lima against the Cubs on April 26. Miller lasted 4 2-3 innings, allowing 12 hits and eight earned runs.

In his previous start, Miller, who held Milwaukee hitless for six innings.

"I didn't have the control I had the last time," he said, "and things got out of hand in a hurry."

Joe Girardi had four hits, Gary Matthews Jr. had three and Mark Grace hit a three-run double as Chicago stopped a season-high, seven-game losing streak.

Rondell White had two hits and drove in a run, making him 8-for-14 with five RBI in the series.

"We stunk," Astros manager Larry Dierker said. "That guy wasn't exactly Kevin Brown out there, but he had a no-hitter going in the sixth inning."

Sammy Sosa put the Cubs ahead with an RBI single in the first, then robbed Lugo of a home run in the bottom half with a leaping catch against the right-field wall.

Houston, which tied its season high by making four errors, helped Chicago with a pair of errors as the Cubs took a 6-0 lead: Jeff Bagwell dropped a throw to first by shortstop Tim Bogar, and catcher Mitch Meluskey made a throwing error.

White and Girardi hit RBI singles, Willie Greene had a run-scoring double catch against the right field wall.

Matthews hit an RBI single and scored on Jeff Huson's two-run double for a 9-0 lead in the fifth and Grace fouled off Joe Slusarski.

"They got to Wade so fast I didn't have time to get anybody warmed up," Dierker said. "We had four errors and we had a couple more that probably have been scored errors. This was one we weren't destined to win from the beginning."

Lugo's homer came with two outs and followed walks to Bogar and Roger Cedeno.

Girardi hit an RBI single in the eighth off Jason Green for his fourth hit. Glen Barker added a two-run single in the bottom half.

Notes: Matthews was in an 0-for-15 slide coming into the series and went 4-for-6. ... Moises Alou is hitting .438 (21-for-48) in his last 13 games. ... Chicago's Eric Young snapped an 0-for-13 streak with a double in the first inning. ... Bogar has more than doubled his batting average since the All-Star break. Bogar, who hit .132 before the break, is hitting .261 (18-for-69) since play resumed. ... The 15 runs allowed by Houston is a season-high. The 15 runs scored by Chicago ties a season-high.
 


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