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GAME LOG
CHICAGO (AP) -- Jay Witasick was feeling the sweltering heat as
he ran the bases in the fifth inning. By the time he took the mound
again, his eyes were playing tricks on him and he was disoriented.
The San Diego Padres didn't take any chances with their starting
pitcher, sending him to the hospital Thursday while his teammates
closed out the 11-5 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Witasick wasn't the only one affected by the 88-degree day,
which felt about 10 degrees warmer because of the humidity.
Sammy Sosa, whose 371 consecutive games is the longest streak in
the majors, left the game after the seventh inning with cramps in
his left leg. The Cubs slugger said afterward he's fine, even doing a few
dance moves to prove it.
"If my body feels good, I would stay out there," Sosa said.
"But today, I didn't feel quite right."
Witasick was taken to Illinois Masonic Hospital after being
overcome by the heat in the fifth inning. He'll be kept overnight
for observation, and the Padres aren't sure whether he'll make his
next start or not.
"When he came up here, he didn't know what inning it was,"
Padres general manager Kevin Towers said. "He said that when he
was looking at (catcher Wiki Gonzalez), Wiki was sideways and he
was seeing black spots."
The heat didn't seem to bother Phil Nevin, who drove in four
runs and went 4-for-5. Pinch-hitter Kory DeHaan added a two-run
homer, and Gonzalez drove in a pair of runs for the Padres.
Witasick (2-1) struck out a season-high eight and gave up four
runs and six hits in five innings. He also drove in his third run
of the year.
Willie Greene hit a three-run homer for the Cubs in the first
inning, but Kevin Tapani (8-11) gave up his 34th homer of the year,
second-most in the NL. Tapani allowed seven runs and nine hits in 5 2-3 innings, his
shortest outing since going two innings May 20.
The loss finished off a miserable August for the Cubs, who were
only six games below .500 on Aug. 2. Since then, they've gone 8-19. They also lost the season series to the Padres for the first
time since 1995. San Diego won five of the teams' eight games this season.
"I'm glad Nevin's leaving town," Cubs manager Don Baylor said.
"He's had an unbelievable four days here. He's in an incredible
hot streak and he's been there for 50-some games."
Over the last 30 games, the former No. 1 pick has hit .407 with
nine doubles and 34 RBIs. He did plenty of damage against the Cubs,
going 9-for-18 with two homers and 12 RBIs in the four-game series
at Wrigley Field, including a career high-tying six runs on Monday night.
Nevin snapped his 49-game streak of reaching base with either a
hit or a walk Wednesday, and manager Bruce Bochy considered giving
him Thursday off.
No way, Nevin said. "I told him I'm not taking a day off at Wrigley Field," Nevin
said. "It's such an awesome place to play. I grew up watching the
games as a kid, listening to Harry Caray."
The Padres were trailing 3-0 in the fourth, but Nevin started a
rally with his two-run shot and the Padres kept hitting. Nevin's
homer was the 34th off Tapani this year, tying his career high. The
club record is 38 by Warren Hacker in 1955.
Gonzalez tied the game in the fifth with an RBI double, and the
Padres went ahead on Witasick's grounder.
The Cubs tied it on an RBI single by Mark Grace in the fifth,
but the Padres erupted for four runs and five hits in the sixth.
Mike Darr hit an RBI single and Gonzalez hit an RBI double to chase Tapani.
Kyle Farnsworth relieved, but he didn't have any more luck. The
first batter he faced was DeHaan, who promptly homered.
Daniel Garibay, normally a starter, pitched the ninth to give
the bullpen some relief, but instead gave up three runs and two
hits in just 1-3 of an inning. After loading the bases with a walk
to Ryan Klesko, Garibay was relieved by Todd Van Poppel, who gave
up the two-run single to Nevin.
"He's hot," Sosa said of Nevin. "This guy is amazing, he's
swinging great. Nobody gave that much credit to him, but he's
having a great year."
Game notes
Cubs OF Ross Gload, recalled from Triple-A Iowa after
Wednesday's game, was in the lineup Thursday. He went 0-for-4,
striking out twice. ... In an effort to beat the heat, home plate
umpire John Shulock draped a wet towel around his neck for most of
the afternoon. ... This was only the second time in Witasick's six
starts that the game was decided by more than two runs.
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