• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Zambrano sharp as Cubs pound Pirates

May 24, 2008 - 3:51 AM By Dave Assad PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

PITTSBURGH (Ticker) - There must be something about the Pittsburgh Pirates that brings out the best in the Chicago Cubs hitters.

The Cubs recorded a season-high 19 hits in their 12-3 rout of the Pirates on Friday at PNC Park.

Chicago, which has won nine of 10 against Pittsburgh, has the highest scoring offense in the National League - but it is especially rough on the Pirates.

The Cubs are batting .311 with 13 home runs while averaging 8.1 runs per game against Pittsburgh.

"The Pirates have nice talent and they've been playing well," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. "We've had our way early in the year, but (we) play them quite a few more times and have got to keep playing.

"They play hard and you know we've been fortunate. How do you explain that we've lost 11 games in a row to the Florida Marlins? Sometimes these things happen and you don't have explanations for them."

Five Cubs starters (Reed Johnson, Ryan Theriot, Geovany Soto, Alfonso Soriano and Mark DeRosa) were hitting at least .333 going into the game against Pittsburgh.

Four out of the five had at least one hit on Friday.

Johnson led the way with three hits and four RBI, including a three-run home run in the fifth inning. DeRosa added two doubles and three runs batted in.

"Reed Johnson has been a nice addition for us," Piniella said. "He's a professional kid and a team guy. He's been a nice pickup for us (from Toronto) since the end of spring training."

The Cubs scored at least one run in each of the first six innings. Five of those scores came off Pirates starter Zach Duke (2-3), who also gave up 10 hits in four innings.

"It's tough to get hitters out when you're throwing everything right down the middle," Duke said. "That's the long and short of it."

Pirates manager John Russell was not pleased by Duke's performance.

"He left some balls out over the plate that they got to and it kind of snowballed on him a bit," Russell said.

Chicago ace Carlos Zambrano (7-1) also got into the hitting act with a career-best four hits to raise his average to .343. Zambrano's four hits were the most by a Cubs pitcher since Lew Burdette had four against the San Francisco Giants on July 23, 1964.

"Somebody told me that," Zambrano said. "It's good. It's a good feeling and hopefully I can continue to do a good job and do some damage at the plate."

Piniella was impressed by his big righthander's hitting prowess as well.

"It goes to show you that when he concentrates what he's capable of doing," Piniella added. "Four hits in a game? That's hard for an everyday player to do, much less a pitcher."

On the mound, Zambrano allowed two runs, six hits and a walk while striking out six in seven frames to win his sixth straight decision. The 6-5, 255-pound righthander surrendered a two-run triple to Nate McLouth in the fifth, but is now 6-1 lifetime in nine career starts in Pittsburgh.