Phillies Drop Doubleheader

The Chicago Cubs` pitchers have a little bit of swagger when they come to the park these days.

It`s no longer Kerry Wood and four other mopes. Send out any one of the starters, and he`ll take the mound certain he`s going to win. And when he`s done, the next in line is going to want to do him one better.

That`s how it was Wednesday. A few hours after Kevin Tapani became the NL`s first three-game winner, Jason Bere joined him as the Cubs swept a doubleheader. Chicago beat the Philadelphia Phillies 4-3 in the first game, and 5-3 in the second.

"All five of us have taken the ball and done our job," Bere said. "We`re showing up now at the park knowing we have a chance to win each and every day. That`s what you need to be there at the end."

The doubleheader sweep was the Cubs` first since July 19, 1997, when they beat the Colorado Rockies at Wrigley Field. Chicago`s 10-5 record is its best after 15 games since 1995.

"We set a goal in spring training to get off to a good start," Cubs` manager Don Baylor said. "We`re not dealing with the negatives, just dealing with the positives. And I think we`re seeing some of the results."

Like any good team, it starts with the pitching staff. Bere held the Phillies scoreless for eight innings before giving up a pair of walks to the start the ninth.

He was replaced by Mike Fyrhie, and Rob Ducey hit an RBI single. Jeff Fassero relieved and gave up a two-run double to Mike Lieberthal before getting the last out for his second save of the day and eighth of the year.

"Unless my arm`s dragging on the ground, I`ll take the ball," said the 38-year-old Fassero, who had 10 career saves before this season.

Bere allowed two runs and four hits in eight-plus innings. He struck out eight.

"I`ve never had a shutout. I definitely thought about it," said Bere, whose longest career outing is 8 1-3 innings. "Maybe I tried a little too hard, and it didn`t work out."

Bill Mueller hit a solo homer in the first inning, his third, and Rondell White started a three-run fourth inning with a solo shot of his own. Todd Hundley and Ricky Gutierrez also drove in runs in the fourth, as the Cubs chased Phillies starter Randy Wolf (0-3). Julio Zuleta added an RBI in the fifth.

Wolf gave up four runs and six hits in four innings. He struck out five and walked one. Wolf got to pitch in front of his brother, Jim Wolf, who was the third-base umpire in the game.

"Wolf was up and over the middle of the plate," Phillies manager Larry Bowa said. "With major league hitters, that`s a bad combo. They`re going to do something with it."

Gutierrez, Mueller and Zuleta also had RBIs in the first game, as did Sammy Sosa. But it was Tapani who really shined.

He limited the Phillies to one run, Pat Burrell`s solo home run in the second inning. While that raised his ERA to 0.96 from 0.69, that`s still good enough for second-best in the majors.

Atlanta`s Greg Maddux hasn`t allowed an earned run in 20 innings this season.

Tapani struck out six and didn`t allow a walk in 5 2-3 innings.

"I`m happy with the way I`m throwing the ball and I`m giving us a chance to win ball games," Tapani said. "I`ll take it."

The Phillies blew a chance for a big rally in the eighth, thanks to a questionable call by third-base umpire Paul Schrieber. With men on first and second, Doug Glanville laid down a bunt. Cubs catcher Joe Girardi picked up the ball and threw to third, forcing out Jimmy Rollins.

But replays clearly showed Rollins was safe. Third-base coach John Vukovich and Bowa both argued the call, but to no avail.

Bruce Chen (0-1) gave up four runs _ three earned _ and five hits in five innings. He struck out four and walked one.

"We left 32 men on in three games. That`s definitely not a good stat," Bowa said. "We`re leaving men on base and our starting pitchers have given up 16 homers in 14 games. ... Not only did we have opportunities, but we had them with the right people up."

After going their first 13 games without a triple, the Cubs got two in the first inning to set up their first two runs. Young led off with a triple and scored on Mueller`s sacrifice fly. White then tripled, scoring on Sosa`s groundout.

Notes:
The teams were snowed out Monday. ... Jeremy Crandall, a crewman on the U.S. spy plane that was detained for 11 days in China, threw out the first pitch before the first game. Crandall also sang the "Seventh Inning Stretch" during the second game. ... The Phillies-Cubs doubleheader was the first since June 15, 1990, at Veterans Stadium. ... Sosa struck out five straight times, including his last three at-bats in the first game and his first two in the second.

(Copyright 2001 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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Author: 6 ABC - Action News (AP)