Prior Leaves Cubs Win With Hurt Elbow

Mark Prior walked off the mound in the second inning with his head down and his status for his next start up in the air. <br/><br/>The right-hander left with discomfort in his elbow after pitching just

Friday, July 16th 2004, 6:06 am

By: News On 6

Mark Prior walked off the mound in the second inning with his head down and his status for his next start up in the air.

The right-hander left with discomfort in his elbow after pitching just 1 2-3 innings Thursday night, putting the Chicago Cubs in a somber mood after a 4-1 comeback win over Milwaukee.

``I don't know what I got going right now,'' Prior said.

Prior, scheduled for an MRI Friday, already missed the first two months of the season with a sore right Achilles' tendon and tender elbow.

``You can't get any more worried than sick to your stomach,'' Cubs manager Dusty Baker said.

With one out in the second, Prior got Milwaukee's Chad Moeller to hit a grounder to Derrek Lee at first. Prior started off the mound to go to first before Lee made the play unassisted.

But trainer Dave Groeschner and pitching coach Larry Rothschild knew something was wrong with Prior, quickly going out to the mound to talk to him. He was then replaced by Glendon Rusch.

``It's something I've been dealing with off and on since it happened in spring training,'' said Prior, who made just his eighth start. ``Hopefully we can get some answers this time on what it really is. To be honest, I can't tell you where I'm at or where I'm going to be.''

The Cubs are hoping that it's not the disabled list _ again.

``You're just worried for him. You don't want it to be serious,'' Lee said. ``You hope it's something he can get over quick.''

In other NL games, it was: Los Angeles 4, Arizona 3; San Francisco 7, Colorado 5; Atlanta 8, Montreal 0; New York 3, Philadelphia 2 in 11 innings; and St. Louis 7, Cincinnati 2.

At Chicago, Prior threw 30 pitches in a long first inning when he first started feeling the discomfort, and then six more in the second before leaving.

``I knew after a couple of pitches to Chad that things weren't right,'' Prior said.

After falling behind 1-0 in the first on Geoff Jenkins' sacrifice fly, Lee homered in the second to tie it and hit an RBI double in a three-run sixth for the Cubs.

Chicago's big inning started when Milwaukee shortstop Craig Counsell fumbled Jose Macias' grounder for an error.

``The ball came up on him a little bit and he just couldn't find a handle on it,'' Milwaukee manager Ned Yost said. ``That's one little rough inning.''

Rusch (5-1) allowed just three hits in 5 1-3 scoreless innings.

``Glendon came in and shut us right down,'' Yost said.

LaTroy Hawkins pitched the ninth for his 12th save in 16 chances.

Doug Davis (9-7) allowed four runs _ three earned _ and six hits in 5 1-3 innings in the loss.

Dodgers 4, Diamondbacks 3

At Phoenix, Shawn Green hit a grand slam in the eighth inning off Randy Choate, who took over after Randy Johnson struck out nine in seven scoreless innings.

Johnson, who also hit an RBI single, was pulled after 108 pitches. Brian Bruney got two outs while allowing hits to Cesar Izturis and Paul Lo Duca. Choate (0-1) then walked pinch-hitter Milton Bradley before Green's seventh career grand slam.

Wilson Alvarez (4-3) won in relief, and Eric Gagne struck out all four batters he faced for his 24th save.

Giants 7, Rockies 5

At Denver, Shawn Chacon hit J.T. Snow with a pitch with the bases loaded for the go-ahead run in San Francisco's four-run ninth.

Colorado led 4-3 behind five-plus solid innings from Jason Jennings, but Chacon (1-6) couldn't hold the lead in the ninth.

Braves 8, Expos 0

At Atlanta, Marcus Giles doubled twice in his first game in two months and Jaret Wright (7-5) won his fifth straight decision.

Giles, who broke his collarbone in a collision with Andruw Jones on May 15, went 2-for-5 to lead the Braves to their 13th win in 16 games.

Mets 3, Phillies 2, 11 innings

At New York, pitcher Roberto Hernandez couldn't handle Ty Wigginton's decisive bases-loaded comebacker.

Wigginton hit the ball back to Hernandez (1-3), who knocked it down with his bare hand but he bounced his throw home as pinch-runner Vance Wilson slid across the plate.

Jose Parra (1-0) struck out two in a hitless 11th for his first major league win since 1996 with Minnesota.

Cardinals 7, Reds 2

At Cincinnati, Albert Pujols and Scott Rolen hit two-run homers to lead St. Louis.

Matt Morris (10-6) allowed eight hits in six innings to beat Jesus Sanchez (0-2), and also singled in a run.