George bracket: Cubs (69) defeat Phillies (09) in seven games

Game One: 09 Phillies 7, 69 Cubs 6 (10 innings)
WP: Madson (1-0)
LP: Regan (0-2)
HR: Rollins (2), Ibanez (3), Banks 2 (3), Howard (1)

Game Two: 69 Cubs 4, 09 Phillies 3
WP: Selma (1-0)
LP: Blanton (2-1)
Save: Aguirre (1)
HR: Hundley 2 (3), Howard (2)

Game Three: 09 Phillies 7, 69 Cubs 6
WP: Madson (2-0)
LP: Jenkins (2-2)
Save: Lidge (4)
HR: Banks (4), Jenkins (1)

Game Four: 69 Cubs 13, 09 Phillies 4
WP: Holtzman (2-0)
LP: C Lee (0-1)
Save: Nye (1)
HR: Hundley 3 (6), Rollins (3), B Williams (1), Howard (3), Utley (3)

Game Five: 69 Cubs 5, 09 Phillies 1
WP: Hands (1-1)
LP: Park (0-1)
Save: Abernathy (1)
HR: Santo (6), Banks (5), Howard (4)

Game Six: 09 Phillies 7, 69 Cubs 3
WP: Blanton (3-1)
LP: Jenkins (2-3)
HR: Werth (1), Santo (7)

Game Seven: 69 Cubs 7, 09 Phillies 6 (10 innings)
WP: Regan (1-2)
LP; Lidge (0-2)
HR: Banks (6), Beckert (1), Santo (8)

This series began with an extra inning game. It ended with an extra inning game. In between, it featured plenty of power.

Game One, in Wrigley Field, was a pitchers duel for seven innings, with Bill Hands and the Cubs holding a 2-1 lead over Cole Hamels and the Phillies. In the top of the eighth, Hands retired the first two men, only to allow four straight singles followed by a homer by Raul Ibanez. But Brett Myers, handed the 6-2 lead in the ninth inning, opened the frame by walking Billy Williams. Ron Santo singled and Ernie Banks homered to make the score 6-5. Two outs later, pinch-hitter Jim Qualls singled home Randy Hundley for the tie.

Ryan Howard greeted Phil Regan in the top of the 10th with his first homer of the tournament, and Ryan Madson, who had finished the ninth, made that lead stand up in the bottom of the inning.

The Cubs never trailed Game Two behind Dick Selma and Hank Aguirre, Randy Hundley hit a two-run homer in the second inning, Howard evened the score at 3 with a two-run shot in the seventh,and Hundley responded in the bottom of the inning with a solo homer. Aguirre threw two perfect innings for the save.

The series shifted to Citzens Bank Ballpark for Game Three, and runs were plentiful. The Phillies scored one in the first inning and two more in the second off Fergie Jenkins. Banks clubbed a two-run homer as the Cubs tied it in the fourth. Jenkins hit a homer of his own in the seventh as the Cubs took a 5-3 lead, but the Phillies scored four unearned runs in the eighth (errors by Glenn Beckert and Don Kessinger) and hung on for the win.

Game Four was Randy Hundley Power Day. The Cubs catcher hit three homers: a solo homer in the second for a 1-0 lead; a solo homer in the sixth that made it 5-2; and a grand slam later in the sixth to cap a nine-run inning off Cliff Lee and Chad Durbin, Ken Holtzman gave up four runs on three homers in six innings, and Rich Nye finished with three scoreless frames for the long save. Every Cubs starter scored at least one run.

The Cubs went on to take Game Five behind a strong start from Hands: Seven innings of three-hit ball. He was pulled for a pinch-hitter in the top of the eighth as the Cubs broke a 1-1 tie against Chan Ho Park, who had bailed starter Cole Hamels out of the seventh.

Back in Wrigley, the Phillies extended the series by pummeling Jenkins for five runs in five innings, highlighted by a three-run homer by Jayson Werth. Werth had four RBIs for the game. Joe Blanton allowed just two runs in seven innings.

Game Seven lived up to the drama inherent in a Game Seven. Ibanez singled home Chase Utley in the third for a 1-0 lead against Holtzman, pitching on short rest. Beckert hit an unlikely two-run homer in the bottom of the inning for the lead. Banks hit another two-run homer in the fourth, and Ron Santo another in the fifth, all off Jamie Moyer, and the Cubs had a 6-1 lead after six innings.

The Phillies rallied for three in the seventh to chase Holtzman, with RBI doubles from Ben Francisco (subbing for the injured Werth) and Ibanez. The Phillies picked up a run in the eighth off Aguirre to make it 6-5 Cubs, and tied it in the ninth. Howard led off with a triple off Aguirre. Regan entered to fan Franscisco and get Ibanez on a grounder on which Howard could not advance. But with two outs, Carlos Ruiz doubled Howard home.

Regan and Madson held the game there into the bottom of the tenth, when Brad Lidge entered for the Phillies. He got pinch-hitter Qualls and Kessinger to start the inning, but then walked Beckert. Williams doubled, and Beckert beat Shane Victorino's throw to the plate with the run that won the series.

Player of the series: Randy Hundley and Ernie Banks each hit five homers. But Hundley was 14-for-22 with eight runs scored and nine RBIs, and the honor goes to him.

Player availability: Cubs bullpen fully available.

Projected rotation: Hands-Jenkins-Holtzman-Hands-(Jenkins)-(Holzman or Selma)-(Hands)