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Soto powers Cubs over Pirates

Aug 27, 2008 - 4:22 AM By Chris Adamski PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- The Chicago Cubs have had their way with the Pittsburgh Pirates this season, but not many have had more success in the season series than Geovany Soto.

Soto went 3-for-5 and drove in a career-high seven runs as the Cubs posted a 14-9 victory over the Pirates on Tuesday.

Of Soto's 78 RBI this season, 18 have come against the Pirates, who have lost 13 of the 17 meetings between the teams. Soto became the first Cubs player to plate seven runs in a game since Aramis Ramirez did so at Philadelphia on September 18, 2006.

"It feels really good," Soto said. "I'm just trying to stay on the ball and go out and try not to do too much and have good at-bats for my team. Every inning was a battle tonight, but as a team, we grinded it out and got the win."

In this one, Soto delivered his 20th home run and a pair of three-run doubles. Alfonso Soriano went 3-for-6 with two runs scored and Derrek Lee had two RBI and scored twice for Chicago, which won its fourth in a row.

"What a big night (Soto) had," Chicago manager Lou Piniella said. "He's just a clutch, clutch hitter. He swings the bat, and with men on base, he bares down."

The game, which ended a minute shy of four hours, featured three errors, 14 pitchers, 38 players, three wild pitches and, of course, awful pitching.

"This one was a long one, but our guys battled," Piniella said. "They kept coming back, but it wasn't easy. It really wasn't one of our better games, but look, it's in the win column, and that's what your care about. Give these guys credit for really staying after it."

The Cubs trailed twice but took control of the game with a seven-run eighth that included one of Soto's doubles and consecutive bases-loaded walks by Pirates reliever Craig Hansen (0-2).

Mike Fontenot and Soriano began the inning with singles and Ryan Theriot walked to load the bases for Lee, who also drew a free pass to force in a run and tie the contest at 8-8. Hansen then walked Ramirez to give Chicago the lead, and Reed Johnson greeted Sean Burnett with an RBI single.

After Burnett retired the next two batters, Soto and Fontenot hit back-to-back doubles to cap the outburst, giving the Cubs a

14-8 bulge.

Sean Marshall (3-3) notched the win by tossing a scoreless seventh inning after a shaky start by Carlos Zambrano.

Chicago's ace allowed six runs, eight hits and four walks with three strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings but hit an RBI single during his team's four-run fourth.

"I just have to work some on my delivery," said Zambrano, who has allowed 23 earned runs in 26 2/3 innings this month. "The most important thing here is, we're winning, and that's all that matters."

It was the 13th consecutive start in which Zambrano has had at least one hit and eighth straight time he has registered an RBI.

It is the longest streak by a Cubs pitcher since Ferguson Jenkins' 12-game run in 1971.

Nyjer Morgan had three hits and Adam LaRoche, Doug Mientkiewicz and Jack Wilson recorded two RBI apiece for Pittsburgh, which has lost six in a row.

Pittsburgh took a 3-0 lead in the first inning as LaRoche hit a two-run double and scored on Freddy Sanchez's single. After Lee's RBI groundout in the third got the Cubs on the board, they got to Pirates starter Ian Snell in a big way in the fourth, when Soto had a three-run double and came around on Zambrano's base hit for a 5-3 advantage.

Snell, who is 3-10 since April 12, surrendered five runs, five hits and four walks. He struck out two and threw 95 pitches in four innings.

"They're not the best in baseball for no reason," Snell said. "They find a way to get to the win.

"There's no excuse to lose a three-run lead that the offense came out and gave us. We came back, but we just made some bone-headed mistakes that cost us that game. There were times we should have scored two or three more runs and we didn't."

Ryan Doumit's two-out single in the fourth scored Luis Rivas to get Pittsburgh within one, but Chicago answered in the fifth as Mark DeRosa doubled in a run. After the Pirates tied it with two in their half of the inning, Soto's solo blast in the sixth gave the Cubs a 7-6 edge.

Pittsburgh went ahead, 8-7, on a two-run triple by Mientkiewicz in the bottom half.

"Obviously, this is a tough game to lose," Wilson said. "We were right in it. We had a chance to seal it up, and we had one bad inning. You can't give a team like that any kind of open door."