Game Ninety-Eight - Cubs 9 Astros 0
WP - Ryan Dempster (11-4) LP - Brandon Backe (6-10) Save - None

It took more than half the season for Ryan Dempster to record his first victory on the road....and it could not have come at a better time for his team. Dempster tossed a gem on Sunday, became the Cubs first 11-game winner of the season, ended his team's 3-game losing streak and started his second half the same way his season began....with a big win against a division rival. Dempster threw 8 shutout innings and if not for the Cubs' offense plating 5 runs in the top of the 9th would have taken the mound in search of his second complete game of the season. Dempster allowed 6 hits, struck out 7 and issued only 1 free pass on 104 pitches, 73 for strikes. Carlos Marmol pitched a perfect 9th retiring Carlos Lee, Miguel Tejada and Geoff Blum on just 8 pitches. Dempster and Marmol combined for the Cubs first shutout since May 15th and the team's fourth of the season.

The Cubs offense woke up and scored as many runs in the 1st inning on Sunday as they had in the first two games of the series. After back-to-back doubles by Kosuke Fukudome and Derrek Lee gave the Cubs a 1-0 lead, Jim Edmonds added to the lead with a 2-out single to center. Derrek Lee added a 2 RBI single in the 9th and Kosuke Fukudome hit his second double in the 9th....it was Fukudome's first multi hit game since July 9th.

Ryan Theriot and Mike Fontenot drove in 5 of the Cubs' 9 runs and were a combined 6-for-9 with 4 runs scored and 5 RBI's. Little Fontenot gave the Cubs a 3-0 lead in the 5th with his 8th home run of the season and added a 2-run double in 9th. Ryan Theriot extended his hitting streak to 13 games with his 39th multi hit game of the season. Theriot drove in Fontenot with the Cubs' 4th run in the 7th.

With the win the Cubs improved to 18 games over .500 on the season and moved to within 7 games of .500 on the road at 21-28.