Well, the wait is finally over for Matt Garza. He scored his first win of the season on Saturday night on the road against the Diamondbacks, after a sterling eight inning performance in which he gave up three runs on six hits and just two walks. He struck out ten. Garza had been frustrated earlier in the year, being denied a win after a few good starts by the inability of the Cubs’ bullpen to hold his lead.
Ian Kennedy of the Diamondbacks was also good on the night, but Garza was simply better. Kennedy pitched 7.2 innings, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk. He also struck out six.
The game, which was tied heading into the eighth, turned on well executed small ball and RBIs by the young Cubs hitters Starlin Castro and Darwin Barney. A pair of back-to-back RBI singles gave Carlos Marmol just the insurance he needed to close out the game with his seventh save of the 2011 campaign.
Also notable on Saturday night was Alfonso Soriano’s 10th home run of the season. With his ninth home run the previous night, Soriano set a new record for the most home runs hit by a Cubs player in the month of April.
The Cubs and the Diamondbacks will finish their series on Sunday, as the Cubs try to take three of four. First pitch will be at 3:10 P.M., CDT.