BREWERS 6, CUBS 4
at Phoenix
Monday, March 10

Cubs at the plate: Aramis Ramirez's first-inning double knocked in Ryan Theriot, who led off the ballgame with a single, and Kosuke Fukudome, who had walked. Josh Kroeger's single knocked in Ramirez. For the day, Ramirez finished with two hits and two RBIs.

Brewers at the plate: Gabe Kapler continued to bang the baseball around Maryvale Baseball Park. Kapler, giving Ryan Braun a rest in left field, had a single and double in the first two innings. His RBI double capped the scoring in a four-run second. Corey Hart and Alcides Escobar also chipped in with a pair of hits.

Cubs on the mound: Left-hander Rich Hill struggled. He gave up a pair of hits in the first inning and then came back in the second and gave up four more hits and four runs, which wiped out a 3-0 lead Hill had gotten in the first. He gave up at least two hits in every inning. He lasted 2 2/3 innings, leaving with the bases loaded. Tim Lahey and Shingo Takatsu were both effective in relief.

Brewers on the mound: Right-hander Dave Bush looked shaky early. He gave up three hits and three runs in the first. But Bush righted himself from there and held the Cubs hitless over the next three innings. Left-hander Manny Parra held the Cubs scoreless on one hit in the fifth, sixth and seventh.

Cactus League records: Cubs 5-8; Brewers 9-4

Up next: Right-hander Ben Sheets will start Tuesday for the Brewers against the Giants. Sheets will face right-hander Matt Cain in a game set to start at 3:05 p.m. CT in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Carlos Zambrano is slated to start Tuesday for the Cubs when they play host to Oakland at HoHoKam Park at 3:05 p.m. Zambrano, the Cubs' Opening Day starter, was pushed back a day to avoid facing the Milwaukee Brewers in spring and again in the regular-season opener.