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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Chicago Cubs ace Mark Prior had mixed results from his rehabilitation start with the Triple-A Iowa Cubs on Thursday.

	Prior

Take out the first inning, and Prior looked pretty good with three hits and two runs in five innings against the Albuquerque Isotopes. The only problem was he gave up five runs and six hits in the first inning to take the 7-5 loss.

For the night, Prior threw 88 pitches and finished with seven strikeouts and one walk. He also hit a batter.

"In the first inning, I kind of got away from my game plan of being aggressive with my fastball," said Prior, who has been nursing a sore elbow. "For whatever reason, I didn't throw the fastball early on."

He said he started throwing off-speed after leadoff hitter Mark Little drilled a line drive that just missed clearing the wall to open the first. Later in the inning, Jason Stokes put one off the top of the left-center wall. Two of the six hits in the innings were bloops that fell short of the outfielders.

Little led off the second with another double that short-hopped the wall in left, but that was the last hard-hit ball Prior gave up.

"After the first inning, I started going in a lot more," Prior said. "And I think it was effective."

He looked particularly strong finishing up after walking a batter and hitting another to open the fifth. One runner was cut down trying to steal, then he got the final five outs handily, including three strikeouts.

Prior said he felt strong throughout the game.

"I didn't feel like I lost a whole lot," he said. "In the fifth inning when I walked a guy and hit a guy, I got a little lazy with the mechanics."

Last season, Prior started on the disabled list with Achilles tendon and elbow problems and missed two months. This year, the elbow inflammation that sidelined him in spring training and had bothered him since early March has healed but managers wanted to give him more time to build up endurance and open a spot for another pitcher on the active roster.

The Cubs had said if all went well in Albuquerque, Prior could start against San Diego on April 12.

Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press