Major League Baseball

Cubs 5, Giants 3

Published Mar. 31, 2010 12:59 a.m. ET

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Chad Tracy celebrated his addition to the Cubs' opening-day roster with a two-run homer in the eighth inning, leading Chicago over the San Francisco Giants 5-3 Tuesday.

Tracy edged out veteran infielder Kevin Millar for the final spot earlier in the day. He homered off Guillermo Mota, making a bid for a short role in the Giants' bullpen.

Former Cubs player Mark DeRosa gave the Giants a 3-2 lead with a two-run homer in the fourth. The Cubs tied it in the seventh on Mike Fontenot's single.

Cubs rookie outfielder Tyler Colvin, also a newcomer to the Cubs' roster, had a pair of hits and raised his spring average to .457.

Aaron Rowand continued his productive spring with two doubles and a single and is batting .479 for the Giants.

Rowand is among the first players in the batting cage beyond the right-field fence each day, taking swing after swing after swing. The extra work has paid off for the man who will be the team's leadoff hitter.

Rowand hit .261 with 15 home runs and 64 RBIs in 2009. With the final out of the season, he vowed to improve by the time the team broke spring camp in 2010 and he is near that goal.

It began with advice from hitting coach Hensley Meulens and fine-tuning his approach.

``It?s about going up there every day and trying to be consistent,'' said Rowand, a .280 lifetime hitter. ``It?s about making adjustments, keeping my head still, being in a better position to see the ball and not chase pitches.''

Giants manager Bruce Bochy said Rowand is having a great spring.

``He has made the adjustments. He is more upright in his stance and is using the whole field. He is playing with a lot of confidence right now,'' Bochy said.

Right-hander Todd Wellemeyer, formerly on the Cubs, moved closer to getting the No. 5 spot in the Giants' rotation. He gave up three runs on five hits while pitching a spring-high seven innings. He walked one and struck out four.

Wellemeyer said he still hasn't officially been told that he has locked up that spot. He is 3-0 with a 2.00 ERA and will pitch Sunday's exhibition finale against Seattle.

``I couldn't ask for much better results than I have had,'' Wellemeyer said. ``I am clear-headed and I have a lot of my arm strength back and can attack the zone a little more.''

NOTES: DeRosa showed he is adjusting to playing left field by throwing Marlon Byrd out at the plate in the seventh inning as he tried to score on a single by Fontenot. ... Giants RHP Tim Lincecum will make his final start of the spring today against Oakland in a minor league game. ... Cubs closer Carlos Marmol pitched 1 1-3 innings and John Grabow came on to get his second save.

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