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Cubs blast Marlins to tie NL series

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• National League playoff preview (September 30, 2003)
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• Cubs triumph over Braves (October 2, 2003)

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CHICAGO (REUTERS) — Mark Prior tossed seven innings of eight-hit ball to help the Chicago Cubs to a 12-3 rout of the Florida Marlins in Game Two of the National League Championship Series Wednesday.

Chicago’s victory tied the series at 1-1, with Game Three in Miami Friday.

“Our guys are feeling good,” said Cubs manager Dusty Baker, who led the San Francisco Giants to a World Series berth last season.

“Sooner or later your offense is going to get it together. We’re swinging the bat well as a team,” Baker told reporters.

The Cubs pushed across two runs in their first at-bats, Randall Simon driving a first-pitch fastball off Brad Penny (0-1) into left field with the bases full and two men gone.

Penny and Marlins catcher Ivan Rodriguez appeared to be at odds from the outset, with Rodriguez having to call time to go over signs.

The Cubs added to their lead in the second inning, with Kenny Lofton plating a run before Sammy Sosa crushed a ball to center to score two more.

Sosa’s blast, estimated at nearly 500 feet, had Lofton shaking his head in disbelief.

Aramis Ramirez homered to deep left to spark a three-run third before the heavy-hitting Alex Gonzalez made it 10-0 with a two-run, fifth-inning blast off former 20-game winner Rick Helling.

The Cubs scored once more in the fifth and Gonzalez went deep again in the sixth for the final Chicago run.

Derrek Lee and Miguel Cabrera had back-to-back homers off Prior earlier in the sixth to put Florida on the board.

Prior, in his second season, has been almost unbeatable since coming off the disabled list in early August, losing only once since then.