Gossip Corner: Cubs Rally

As Lou Piniella leads the Cubs into the playoffs for a second straight year, he is not heaping 100 years of expectations on his team, but his goal is clear.

Chicago’s thrilling comeback victory before a wild crowd at Wrigley Field kept the Cubs in first by one game over Milwaukee, which beat Houston 6-0.

Ryan Dempster has gone from starter to elbow surgery to closer and back to starter, and his team-leading 17 wins earned him the NLDS Game 1 start.

Mark DeRosa hit a go-ahead single against a five-man infield — tying his career best with his fifth hit of the game — as the Chicago Cubs rallied for three runs in the ninth inning to beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-6 Monday night and hang onto first place in the NL Central.

Aramis Ramirez is the Cubs’ nominee for the Hank Aaron Award, which recognizes the best offensive performers in each league, and you can help him win.

The following are trademarks or service marks of Major League Baseball entities and may be used only with permission of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. or the relevant Major League Baseball entity: Major League, Major League Baseball, MLB, the silhouetted batter logo, World Series, National League, American League, Division Series, League Championship Series, All-Star Game, and the names, nicknames, logos, uniform designs, color combinations, and slogans designating the Major League Baseball clubs and entities, and their respective mascots, events and exhibitions.

DeRosa hit a sharp grounder to the right of the mound, and second baseman Brandon Phillips couldn’t come up with the ball as the winning run scored.

Aramis Ramirez then drove a ball to right-center that center fielder Norris Hopper couldn’t reach with a dive, and the ball went all the way to the wall for a two-run triple.

Photo: Lou Piniella makes his 12th trip to the postseason, and seventh as a manager.

Pinch-hitter Daryle Ward was walked intentionally, and Cincinnati then used five infielders, bringing Hopper in from center field.

Tickets to see the Cubs face the Dodgers at Wrigley Field in the NLDS are available on StubHub, the official fan-to-fan ticket marketplace of the Cubs.

The Reds protested the game, saying Chicago manager Lou Piniella made an illegal double switch in the sixth inning because he did not go directly to the plate umpire.

Ken Griffey Jr.’s RBI single made it a two-run cushion.

Get the latest MLB news, live Gameday Audio, video highlights, ringtones, wallpaper, and more on the go.

Following an error by Lee, who dropped DeRosa’s throw from second to first on Hopper’s bunt single in the fifth, Cincinnati went ahead 4-3 on RBI singles by Keppinger and Phillips plus a broken-bat, run-scoring forceout by Adam Dunn.

Hopper’s RBI grounder put the Reds ahead in the third, but Floyd and DeRosa hit back-to-back two-out homers in the bottom half for a 3-1 lead.

For the second year in a row, the Cubs have won the National League Central, and you can buy the gear from the celebration at Wrigley right now.

With runners at the corners and one out, Dunn beat the replay throw as the Cubs attempted a double play.

Pledge your allegiance join the Cubs Club today.

Photo: Carlos Zambrano, who struggled in his last two starts, is a top storyline.

The Cubs trailed 6-4 when Ryan Theriot worked out a leadoff walk off Reds closer David Weathers , and Derrek Lee followed with a single.