CHICAGO -- Mark Prior received relief from Kerry Wood, and the Chicago Cubs won another game from the NL Central-leading St. Louis Cardinals.
Prior (8-4) threw 123 pitches in six innings for the win while Wood had his longest stint since being sent to the bullpen -- two shutout innings with four strikeouts -- and the Cubs held on through a shaky ninth for a 5-4 victory Sunday night.
"His first couple of outings he was getting his feet wet and now I think he's real comfortable where he's at," Prior said of Wood after the two aces pitched in the same game for the first time.
"It makes it real easy when he's throwing 98 and 99. He's throwing the ball extremely well and it's fun to see him out there doing what he loves to do."
Wood made his fifth relief appearance since being sent to the bullpen to relieve the stress on his troublesome shoulder. His previous four outings all lasted one inning.
Asked if being a reliever was something might get used to, Wood said not really, even though he hasn't allowed a run and has struck out 10 in five relief outings.
"I plan on being a starter for a few more years," he said.
Following an eight-game losing streak, the Cubs won three of four games from the Cardinals in the spirited series at Wrigley Field.
Pinch-hitter Jose Macias hit a tiebreaking, two-run single in the sixth inning off Matt Morris, shortly after the Cardinals' starter was hit by a line drive.
Ryan Dempster allowed an unearned run in the ninth before getting Albert Pujols on a grounder with the tying run on second base for his 16th save in 18 chances.
Morris (12-5) was hit in the palm of his left hand near the wrist with a Jeromy Burnitz line drive, a play that started the Cubs' rally.
"It got numb right away and I was just trying to get some blood in there. I started shaking it around and feeling a little better with it," Morris said, adding he was OK.
"He did what he was supposed to, drive it up the box. Unfortunately I got in the way. I didn't even see it. It hit me pretty flush and died right in front of the mound."
After a trainer and manager Tony La Russa talked with and examined him, Morris stayed in the game. Burnitz reached on the play, Nomar Garciaparra followed with another single and after a fielder's choice, Henry Blanco walked to load the bases.
Macias then hit a two-run single up the middle to finish Morris, who dropped to 11-5 in his career against the Cubs. Morris gave up 11 hits and five runs, including homers to Corey Patterson and Matt Lawton, in 5 1/3 innings.
"I gave up a bunch of 0-2 hits. I was throwing too many balls over the plate. That's not a good formula," Morris said.
Patterson, demoted to the minors for a month and just recalled five days ago, hit a two-run homer following Garciaparra's leadoff double in the second.
Lawton hit his first homer with the Cubs since a trade from the Pirates on July 31 to make it 3-1 in the fifth. The Cubs thought they had two more when Derrek Lee's long drive near the left-field foul pole was first ruled a two-run homer before the umpires huddled and reversed the call, saying it was foul.
After third base umpire Mike Winters ruled it a fair ball, the left side of the Cardinals' infield and left fielder John Rodriguez protested and that prompted an argument from La Russa. The umpires huddled and overruled the call -- replays showed the ball clearly foul -- and that brought Cubs manager Dusty Baker out. After circling the bases, Lee had to return to the plate and flied out.
St. Louis loaded the bases in the top of the sixth on a single by Jim Edmonds, a walk to Abraham Nunez and Mark Grudzielanek's infield single that went off Aramis Ramirez's glove at third.
So Taguchi hit an RBI single and Mike Mahoney a fielder's choice grounder to tie the game at 3-3
Prior, who gave up three first-inning homers to the Cardinals on July 24 in a no-decision, yielded Mahoney's first major-league homer in the second with two outs. Mahoney, a former Cubs farmhand, entered the game batting .155.
Notes
- Prior has now given up 20 homers this season, a career high.
- Morris' six career wins at Wrigley Field ties him with Tom Glavine for most among active pitchers who've never played for the Cubs. Morris' 11 career wins against the Cubs are his most against any team. He also has 11 against the Brewers. He was denied his 100th career win.
