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Ramirez, Lee power Cubs past Cardinals

Sep 11, 2007 - 12:44 AM CHICAGO (Ticker) -- Aramis Ramirez and Derrek Lee know the importance of each contest in a September pennant race. They proved it Monday afternoon.

Ramirez homered twice and Lee added another blast as the Chicago Cubs powered past the St. Louis Cardinals, 12-3, in a makeup game of a rained-out contest from August 19 between two contenders in the crowded National League Central.

Ted Lilly hurled seven strong innings for the Cubs (73-70), who are one-half game behind the Milwaukee Brewers (73-69) for first place in the division. The Cardinals (69-71) are 3 1/2 games behind. The Brewers face the Pittsburgh Pirates later Monday night.

"Our offense was pretty upset by the way we played over the weekend," Lilly said. "I knew that the team would be fired up after losing (Sunday's) game. They definitely took it out on the St. Louis pitching."

Chicago used a five-run fourth inning to snap a 1-1 tie with Lee and Ramirez both homering in the frame. It was a much-needed performance for the Cubs, who lost two of three to the Pirates this weekend after dropping three of four to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

"We needed this win bad," Lee said. "After losing three of four to L.A. and two of three to Pittsburgh, we needed to get this win before we went out and completed this road trip."

But in this one, Chicago's two big sluggers went 7-for-10 with three RBI. Ramirez, however, made sure to praise the rest of his teammates.

"This is a team. This isn't me, Derrek, or (Alfonso) Soriano," Ramirez said. "We need to pitch, we need to hit and do it as a team. That's the only way to win."

Lee led off the fourth with a towering blast to left-center field and, after Cliff Floyd popped up to second base, Ramirez belted his 21st blast of the season to center off Cardinals starter Joel Pineiro (4-3) to make it 3-1.

After Mark DeRosa singled, Jacque Jones, Jason Kendall and Lilly strung together three consecutive run-scoring doubles to cap the scoring in the frame and give the Cubs a five-run cushion.

"That was a thing of beauty," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. "We hit the ball for power, we hit the ball in the gaps, and we hit with men in scoring position. That's what we needed - a game like this one."

Jones added an RBI single in the fifth to make it 7-1.

One inning later, So Taguchi blasted a two-run shot to cut the Cardinals' deficit to four.

Lilly (15-7) allowed three runs and five hits while striking out seven without walking a batter. Bobby Howry pitched the eighth and Michael Wuertz hurled the ninth to finish out the game.

Pineiro yielded six runs and eight hits in 3 1/3 innings. He struck out three without walking a batter.

"In the fourth inning, I was leaving all my pitches up," Pineiro said. "They just hit everything I threw, and they hurt me."

Jim Edmonds also homered for the Cardinals, who managed just five hits.

"This was a game that got out of control early," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "Then it got ugly."