Marquis makes mark on Bucs
CHICAGO — Jason Marquis is giving the Chicago Cubs a big return on their investment.
Marquis, signed to a three-year, $21 million deal in the offseason, has won five straight starts — a stretch he calls his best ever to begin a season.
"My delivery is as consistent as it's ever been. I feel like I'm repeating the same delivery over and over again and that's the reason, I really believe, for the success," Marquis said Wednesday night after pitching a three-hitter to send the Cubs to a 1-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Marquis' second career shutout and fourth complete game could not have come at a better time for the Cubs, whose bullpen was spent following a 15-inning loss to the Pirates on Tuesday night.
Marquis (5-1), who signed with Chicago after he was left off the roster by the St. Louis Cardinals for the final two rounds of the playoffs last fall, retired the first 16 batters he faced Wednesday night.
"I knew I had a no-hitter going," he said. "I pitch to contact. Guys are going to find holes. My goal is to win ball games, not throw no-hitters."
Marquis' bid for a perfect game ended when No. 8 hitter Don Kelly slapped an opposite-field single to left with one out in the sixth. Ryan Doumit doubled with two outs in the seventh and Jose Bautista singled in the eighth.
"He was mixing his pitches well, getting ahead and throwing all of his pitches for strikes," Kelly said. "That makes it tough to square the ball up."
Marquis walked none and struck out five. He outpitched Pirates lefty Tom Gorzelanny (4-2), who gave up only six hits over seven innings, including a leadoff homer to Alfonso Soriano.
"You never think 1-0 after the leadoff hitter hits one out of the ball park," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. "Jason made it stand up. You could tell he had good stuff in the middle part of the ball game. He finished in convincing fashion."
It was the second straight strong effort against the Pirates for Marquis, who limited Pittsburgh to four hits over eight innings a week ago at PNC Park.
Marquis, who pitched a two-hitter against Washington in 2005 while with the Cardinals for his other shutout, got several line-drive outs. First baseman Derrek Lee snared two of them, including a nice lunging grab in the hole to rob Kelly of a hit in the third.
Soriano's leadoff homer extended his hitting streak to 17 games and it turned out that was all Marquis needed.
"It was a tough mistake," Gorzelanny said. "He's a very aggressive hitter, especially leading off. The one thing you don't want to do is give him a pitch to hit. I hung a changeup there and he did what he does."
