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          Sosa, Alou, Patterson homer in support

          Jul 17, 2004

            CHICAGO (AP) -- Greg Maddux must like July 17.

            Maddux pitched a six-hitter for his first complete game in
            exactly one year and his first shutout in precisely three years,
            earning his 297th win and leading the Chicago Cubs over the
            Milwaukee Brewers 5-0 Saturday.

            Maddux took advantage of unseasonably cool weather and a 15 mph
            wind.

            "As far as a day to pitch on, this was as easy it gets," he
            said. "It was cool, the wind was blowing in and all the mistakes
            were hit at guys."

            Maddux (8-7) got his 35th shutout, his first since a six-hitter
            against Tampa Bay on July 17, 2001. The 38-year-old right-hander
            pitched his 104th complete game, his first since an eight-hitter
            against the New York Mets last year -- also on July 17. Maddux
            retired eight of his first nine batters and struck out the side in
            the eighth.

            "He said ordinarily he doesn't go that far, but he said he felt
            great," Cubs manager Dusty Baker said. "Some days, your limits
            are higher than others, and today was a high limit day for him."

            Maddux got seven straight groundouts starting in the fifth
            inning.

            "There was a lot of balls down the middle, but they were hit
            right at people," Maddux said. "A few of the double-plays today
            were mistake pitches. Sometimes the ball bounces your way."

            Sammy Sosa hit his 556th homer and Moises Alou also homered for
            the Cubs.

            Ben Sheets (9-6), who entered with 16 scoreless innings and wins
            in three straight starts, gave up two runs and six hits in seven
            innings with eight strikeouts.

            "All day was bad location," Sheets said. "I got away with
            plenty of mistakes. You can't throw 10, 20 mistakes and get away
            with it. Two of them were hit hard. The wind probably kept two more
            in."

            Sosa hit his 17th homer of the season in the first, a drive
            against a wind blowing in at 15 mph. Alou added his 20th in the
            fourth.

            "He must have really crushed that to get it against that
            wind," Baker said.

            Todd Walker scored on Luis Vizcaino's wild pitch in the eighth,
            and Corey Patterson hit a two-run homer.

            Game notes
            Milwaukee LF Geoff Jenkins made a leaping catch in the ivy
            on Derrek Lee's fly ball in the second inning. ... Brewers SS Craig
            Counsell missed the game with a bruised right knee. ... Cubs 3B
            Aramis Ramirez is expected to be back in the lineup Sunday. He
            missed 11 straight games with a groin strain. ... Cubs RHP Mark
            Prior threw for about five minutes on a flat surface before the
            game. "He threw pretty much without pain," pitching coach Larry
            Rothschild said. "He threw breaking balls, he threw some fastballs
            with arm acceleration to them, and everything came off pretty
            well." ... Milwaukee 2B Matt Erickson got his first major league
            hit in the eighth inning.