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Burrell breaks out of slump to help Phillies beat Cubs

May 12, 2007 - 5:36 AM PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) -- Pat Burrell took his season-long frustrations out on the Chicago Cubs.

Burrell hit a pair of towering home runs and tied a career high with five RBI as the Philadelphia Phillies posted a 7-2 victory over the Cubs on Friday night.

Burrell, who had been just 2-for-28 during a 10-game road trip, broke out for the 14th multi-home run game of his career. He had gone 31 games without a home run, his last coming on April 6 vs. Florida.

The righthanded slugger helped the Phillies take a 3-2 lead with a three-run blast off Chicago starter Rich Hill (4-2) in the fourth inning and stretched the lead to 5-2 with a mammoth shot to left in the sixth off Neal Cotts.

"It is nice to go out and get a couple of homers, but I have always said for me it is about driving guys in and the last couple of games we have not had a lot of guys on base so it is nice to capitalize when you get a chance," Burrell said.

Cole Hamels (5-1) was the beneficiary of the blasts. The lefthander allowed two runs and seven hits in seven innings with seven strikeouts to pick up his sixth win in his last eight home starts dating to the 2006 season. Overall, Philadelphia notched its sixth win in its last seven home games.

"He's got a good changeup," Chicago manager Lou Piniella said. "He basically pitched with two pitches - his fastball and his changeup. He's an accomplished young pitcher."

Meanwhile, Hill, who had allowed just eight runs in 41 2/3 innings this season, surrendered five runs on four hits in five innings with seven strikeouts in his shortest outing thus far.

The lefthander had been cruising along, retiring nine of the first 11 batters he faced before a bit of wildness cost him.

He allowed a leadoff walk to Aaron Rowand in the fourth. After a stolen base, Hill hit Chase Utley and Burrell made him pay by blasting a 2-2 fastball off the facade of the left field upper deck.

"I made some poor pitches, walking guys. That pretty much did it right there. Couldn't keep the team in the game, unfortunately," Hill said.

"I don't have any reason for it," Piniella said on Hill's struggles. "He was sailing along pretty well and he was throwing the ball well. But in a small park like this, you get people on via walk or you don't make people hit, you can do some damage and they did."

Burrell continued his breakout night with a two-run shot off Cotts in the sixth after Utley drew a leadoff walk. Prior to his last at-bat of the night Burrell was given a standing ovation, but flied out to center.

"You want to go out there and do good every night and sometimes it does not happen, but when it does the fans are really good about rewarding you so you give them what they want," Burrell said. Antonio Alfonseca pitched the eighth and Geoff Geary threw a scoreless ninth to close out the game.

Alfonso Soriano hit a solo homer off Hamels in the third that extended his hitting streak to career-high 19 games and gave the Cubs a 1-0 lead.

The Cubs threatened in the fifth when Soriano hit a one-out double and stole third. However, he was stranded when Hamels struck out Ryan Theriot and got Derrek Lee to ground out to end the inning and preserve the 3-2 lead.

Piniella was frustrated at the lack of clutch hitting.

"This is what we were talking about in the coaches' room (after the game)," Piniella said. "Sooner or later we gotta start getting people in. The infield was back. If you give yourself a chance, at least swing at a strike. Chase a ball in the dirt, that's not giving yourself a chance."

Aramis Ramirez hit his fourth homer of the year in the fourth for the Cubs, who lost for just the second time in their last nine games.