MLB

• Cubs try to get back on track versus Giants

  
  

  (Sports Network) - Ryan Dempster will try to put a poor performance behind him when he leads the NL Central-leading Chicago Cubs tonight in the third test of a four-game series against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park.

  Dempster battled through his shortest outing since joining the Chicago rotation on Friday against the rival White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field, yielding eight runs and seven hits in just 2 1/3 innings of work.

  The 10-3 defeat dropped Dempster to 0-3 in seven road starts this season, and 9-3 with a 3.26 ERA in 17 trips to the mound this season. Dempster was unbeaten (4-0) in six starts before taking on the Pale Hose. The left-hander and former closer is 2-6 with a 4.50 earned run average and four saves in 17 career appearances (seven starts) against San Francisco.

  Chicago, which leads the Central by 2 1/2 games over St. Louis, continued its losing ways with Tuesday's 2-1 setback in the second installment of this series. Derrek Lee was 2-for-3 with a run scored and rookie Geovany Soto picked up the lone RBI in the ninth for Chicago, which has dropped five of its last six. Starter Jason Marquis was handed the tough-luck loss after permitting two runs on four hits through seven frames.

  The Cubs haven't won consecutive road games since taking two straight from Toronto at Rogers Centre from June 14-15. They are 1-4 on a 10-game road trip and 17-24 away from Wrigley Field this season.

  San Francisco has won three of its last four games and improved to 1-1 on a seven-game homestand with Tuesday's win. Starting pitcher Matt Cain tossed eight shutout innings and fanned 10 batters to stymie the Cubs.

  Fred Lewis was 2-for-4 and scored both of San Francisco runs, while Randy Winn recorded the team's lone RBI. The Giants pushed their MLB-worst home mark to 15-25 this season.

  The Giants will hand the ball to Kevin Correia on Wednesday, and he is 1-5 with a 4.79 earned run average in his last six starts.

  Correia is 0-4 in his last six outings and last pitched at Oakland on Friday at McAfee Coliseum. Correia did not factor in the outcome of a 4-1 loss after hurling five innings of one-run ball.

  Correia, a right-hander, hasn't fared too well in his career against the Cubs. He is 0-2 with an 18.00 ERA in four relief appearances.

  Chicago and San Francisco are meeting for the first time since the Cubs won five of seven matchups with the Giants a year ago. The Cubs won two of three games as the visitor in this series from August 21-23, 2007.

  07/02 10:55:57 ET