Cubs ace's next start: Sunday vs. Phillies

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- If Chicago Cubs manager Dusty Baker really

wants to know why Greg Maddux's quest for 300 wins has been so

quiet, all he has to do is listen to his selfless right-hander.

After beating the Milwaukee Brewers 7-1 Tuesday night for his

299th career victory, Maddux shied away from the attention that

will accompany his attempt to join the exclusive club.

AP

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"It's not about me. It's about us doing what we can to get into

the postseason," Maddux said. "Let's just stay focused on what we

have to do as a team. The last thing that I want to be is just any

kind of distraction."

Maddux will try to become the 22nd pitcher in major league

history to win 300 games when he faces the Phillies at Wrigley

Field on Sunday. He would be the first National Leaguer to

accomplish the feat since Philadelphia's Steve Carlton on Sept. 23,

1983.

Maddux isn't thinking about history, but about October.

"I really believe that it's not about me, OK? I mean, I believe

that two or three years from now, if I was to win 300 games, I'd be

the only one happy about it. I think that if we were to do well in

the postseason I would think 10 years from now people would still

be happy about that," Maddux said.

"I feel like eventually I'm going to get there, but the main

goal is to still be playing in October."

Before the game, Baker mentioned the lack of hoopla surrounding

Maddux's rather quiet quest.

"It's been one of the quietest approaching 300s that I've ever

seen," Baker said. "I know when Roger [Clemens] was approaching

300 last year in New York, that was like every day it was big

headlines."

Baker said he's glad Maddux, who spent the best years of his

career in Atlanta, will get the chance to win his 300th at Wrigley

with the team that gave him his start in baseball.

"That would be great, to hopefully win 300 where he started,"

Baker said.

Maddux might be downplaying it, but his teammates aren't. Todd

Walker said it will be one of his own career highlights.

"You think about that stuff. It's something you will always

remember. I was on the field when [Paul] Molitor hit his 3,000th

hit," Walker said. "I still remember it like it was yesterday."

Maddux (10-7) gave up one earned run and four hits in a crisp,

79-pitch outing that lasted six innings at Miller Park. He walked

one and struck out six in winning his third straight start for the

first time in more than a year.

Sammy Sosa homered and doubled in a run and Walker also homered

off Ben Sheets (9-8), who lost his season-high third straight game,

a stretch in which he's received just one run of support from the

Brewers' feeble offense.

The Brewers (48-51) lost their season-high fifth straight game

and fell a season-high three games below .500.

They usually count on their All-Star ace to halt their skids,

but Sheets got into trouble right away, allowing four hits in the

first inning.

Sosa doubled home Walker, who led off the game with a double,

and scored on Derrek Lee's sharp single to make it 2-0. Even Aramis

Ramirez's double-play liner to shortstop was hit hard.

Walker led off the fourth with his 12th homer, and Sosa followed

an out later with his 21st for a 4-0 lead. It was Sosa's 41st homer

off Brewers pitching and his fourth off Sheets, against whom he is

13-for-29 (.448) lifetime.

Sheets gave up four earned runs on seven hits with no walks and

eight strikeouts in seven innings.

The Brewers extended their slump with runners in scoring

position to 3-for-58 over their last eight games, including seven

losses. They were 0-for-3 Tuesday night.

"For me, an offensive slump is kind of like the flu,"

Milwaukee manager Ned Yost said. "It's miserable while you're

going through it, but sooner or later you get over it."

Maddux, who is 9-2 in his career against Milwaukee, got into

trouble just once, when he loaded the bases in the first inning.

But he got Brady Clark looking at strike three to end the inning.

Russell Branyan, acquired from Cleveland on Monday, sent

Maddux's only mistake 480 feet for a solo homer in the sixth.

Branyan also made two outstanding plays at third base in place

of slumping Wes Helms.

"I don't really know what my role is going to be here, but it

was good to get that first hit out of the way," Branyan said.Game notes
Jon Leicester, Kent Mercker and Kyle Farnsworth combined

for three innings of scoreless relief, securing the win for Maddux.

... Maddux's last three-game winning streak came last season with

Atlanta, from July 10-22. ... Brewers 2B Junior Spivey will learn

Thursday whether he needs season-ending surgery on his left

shoulder, which he injured on a headfirst slide into first base in

Pittsburgh on July 2.