Chicago Cubs pitcher Jon Lieber is congratulated by catcher Joe Girardi after the Cubs' 2-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        CHICAGO — Jon Lieber didn't have to worry about much offense, but got what he needed from Fred McGriff. McGriff homered twice, and Lieber pitched a three-hitter as the Chicago Cubs defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 2-1 Friday in the major leagues' fastest game of the season.

        Lieber (6-4) struck out seven in his 21st career complete game and third this season.

        “I want to finish every time I am out there,” Lieber said. “It is just my mentality.”

        The game took only 1 hour, 49 minutes to play.

        There were no walks and only six combined hits — three of which were home runs — in the game.

        The Chicago right-hander made only one mistake, a home run to J.D. Drew, the second batter of the game. Drew hit Lieber's first pitch to him for his 11th homer of the season.

        Lieber was surprised that Drew was able to hit it out of the park.

        “I thought he hit it hard, but I just thought it would be a fly ball,” said Lieber.

        Drew also was amazed that the ball carried out.

        “I thought here is a line-drive out,” he said.

        Lieber retired the next 10 Cardinals. Between the fifth and the eighth innings, he retired 15 of 16 and didn't allow any runners to reach second base.

        “I didn't talk to him, I didn't talk to Larry (Rothschild), I didn't ask him how many pitches he had thrown today, said Cubs manager Don Baylor. “I just knew he had the best stuff all year.”

        Drew said he and his Cardinals teammates had to adjust to the strike zone.

        “You see what the strike zone is,” Drew said. “He (home plate umpire Mark Hirschbeck) doesn't love a lot of people. I think everyone knows that.”

        Woody Williams (4-3) retired the first 12 Cubs until McGriff tied it in the fifth inning with a homer into the right-field bleachers. It was the first home run Williams allowed in 22 innings.

        In the seventh, McGriff hit his second of the game and 13th this season to make it 2-1. It was the third time this season McGriff homered twice in a game, and his 39th career multiple home-run game.

        Williams allowed only three hits and struck out seven in seven innings. Besides McGriff's homers, the only other Cubs hit was a single by Lieber.

        “He was outstanding,” said Cardinals manager Tony La Russa. “But McGriff beat him twice. It was the kind of game when the team with the fewest mistakes wins. We made a couple of pitching mistakes.”

        Notes: Cardinals manager Tony La Russa attended Jack Buck's funeral in St. Louis earlier Friday, and flew to Chicago in time for the game. ... Chicago RHP Kyle Farnsworth was fined an undisclosed amount for missing Monday's game against Texas. Farnsworth was in Orlando for the expected birth of his first son. He has been granted permission to miss Saturday's game against the Cardinals. ... The teams combined for only three runners left on base.

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