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  Tuesday, Aug. 1 2:20pm ET
Astacio's 12 strikeouts tie career high
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME LOG

CHICAGO (AP) -- Eric Young sensed the Chicago Cubs would be in trouble when the Colorado Rockies didn't trade Pedro Astacio.

Pedro Astacio
Astacio

"You knew it was going to be a battle out there," Young said of Astacio, whose name was mentioned in trade rumors before Monday's deadline. "I was hoping he would be traded. I was hoping he'd be gone."

Astacio (9-7) showed why he was so much in demand, matching his career-high with 12 strikeouts, and Todd Hollandsworth hit a go-ahead RBI single in his Colorado debut to lift the Rockies to a 2-1 victory Tuesday.

National anthem singer dies
after first-inning heart attack
CHICAGO -- The man who sang the national anthem at the start of Monday's Cubs-Rockies game suffered a heart attack during the first inning and later died.

Percy McRae, 65, of Long Island, N.Y., was taken from Wrigley Field to Illinois Masonic Hospital, where he died at 7:57 p.m., said Joe Krause, an investigator at the Cook County medical examiner's office.

McRae was in town for a national letter carriers convention and attended the game with members of the group.

He suffered from hypertensive cardiovascular disease, Krause said.
-- Associated Press

"It was my time to pitch. I can't control (trades). This is a business," Astacio said. "Nothing can happen anymore, so we don't have to worry."

Hollandsworth, acquired from Los Angeles for Tom Goodwin on Monday, broke a 1-1 tie in the eighth to lift the Rockies to their sixth win in 20 games since the All-Star break.

"He's got a lot of ability," Rockies manager Buddy Bell said. "You don't get to be National League Rookie of the Year by being lucky."

Astacio held the Cubs to two hits, both by Young -- who was traded by the Rockies to Los Angeles for the pitcher in August 1997. Young doubled to start the first and singled to lead off the sixth.

"He changed speeds well and used his fastball. He has pinpoint control and that's why he gets strikeouts," Cubs manager Don Baylor said of Astacio, who also walked four over seven innings.

Astacio struck out the side in both the second and third innings. It's the third time Astacio has struck out 12, most recently on Sept. 14, 1997, at Atlanta.

"I'm not a strike 'em out pitcher, I'm a groundball pitcher," Astacio said.

"I think Pedro was a little bit concerned about being traded," Bell said. "I tried to explain to him that it's a compliment. We're all replaceable, unfortunate but true. We didn't actively go out and try to move him. We turned down a lot of good players."

With one out in the eighth, Neifi Perez singled off Kyle Farnsworth (2-5) and advanced on Jeff Cirillo's groundout. Todd Helton was intentionally walked, and Felix Heredia hit pinch-hitter Larry Walker to load the bases.

"That's not what I was looking for," Baylor said.

Hollandsworth greeted Tim Worrell with a single to left to score Perez.

"I had a great opportunity to help get this team a big 'W,' " Hollandsworth said. "It's what we needed in a big way. I'm grateful to contribute."

It was only the Cubs' second loss in their last 11 games and they now are 14-5 since the All-Star break.

Gabe White pitched two perfect innings for his second save.

Brian Hunter walked to lead off the Rockies first against starter Daniel Garibay, advanced on a sacrifice, stole third and scored on an errant throw by catcher Jeff Reed.

The Cubs answered in the first when Young doubled to lead off, stole third and scored one out later on Mark Grace's groundout.

With the bases loaded and two outs in the sixth, Astacio struck out Damon Buford to end the inning.

Garibay, who was in the Mexican League for seven years before this season, gave up four hits and three walks in seven innings of his first major league start. The left-hander, recalled from Triple-A Iowa to fill Scott Downs' spot after he was traded to Montreal, struck out six.

"He kept them off balance and pitched a great game," Reed said. "You've just got to tip your hat to Astacio."

Garibay was 2-3 with a 4.94 ERA in 21 previous appearances with the Cubs and his longest outing prior to Tuesday was 3 2/3 innings June 22 against Atlanta.

Game notes
LF Rondell White, acquired Monday from Montreal, was not expected to join the Cubs until Thursday in San Diego so he can attend to personal business. ... Helton ended an 0-for-17 stretch against the Cubs with a single in the sixth. ... Commissioner Bud Selig, who stopped by Wrigley Field, said Monday's flurry of trades were a result of the disparity between the low- and high-revenue teams. Selig quoted an economist, saying, "If you spend, there's no guarantee you'll win. If you don't (spend), you have no chance." He reiterated that only three of 30 teams are in the black financially. "The only thing that can stop the renaissance that's going on in baseball is ourselves," he said. "We've had eight work stoppages since 1970 and we have to find a different way."
 


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