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Grand slam by Ramirez gives Cubs sixth straight win

Aug 29, 2008 - 5:07 AM CHICAGO (Ticker) -- Ryan Madson likely will not be receiving a birthday present from Cole Hamels.

Madson and Chad Durbin combined to squander an eighth-inning lead as Aramis Ramirez belted a grand slam to erase a deficit and lead the Chicago Cubs to a 6-4 triumph over the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday.

Pinch hitter Mike Fontenot sparked the five-run uprising in the eighth with a leadoff homer for the Cubs (84-50), who have won six in a row and moved 6 1/2 games ahead of the idle Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central.

Fontenot's blast came off Madson, who started the eighth in relief of Hamels and had an unhappy 28th birthday celebration. Alfonso Soriano followed with a double and Ryan Theriot singled before Phillies manager Charlie Manuel called upon Durbin (5-3), who walked Derrek Lee on five pitches to load the bases.

After taking a ball, Ramirez crushed Durbin's next offering for his 24th homer of the season, a blast on which Shane Victorino remained stationary in center field once the bat hit the ball. It was Ramirez's eighth career grand slam.

"It's a close game, so I am trying to put the ball in play," Ramirez said. "I didn't want to kill the rally by hitting into a double play. I wanted to put a good swing on it. ... I take pride in driving in runs and doing it late in the game."

"Our guys stay at it for nine innings," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. "We had to since Hamels was pitching so well. Fontenot started things, and then we added four runs right away. It's a big win and a great way to start a very important homestand for us."

Ramirez's heroics drew plenty of praise from his teammates, including starter Ryan Dempster.

"Of all the guys I've played with in my entire career, he is as clutch a player as I have ever seen," Dempster said. "Especially late in the game. He smells RBI, and it takes a special player to do that."

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel offered no excuses for his bullpen, which also blew a late lead in Wednesday's loss to the New York Mets.

"We got into a situation where we couldn't get people out. That's how it has been in many of the recent games we've lost," Manuel said. "In the eighth inning, when everything broke loose, we couldn't make pitches. We fell behind in the count, left the ball in the big part of the plate, and it was getting hammered."

Madson and Durbin also were critical of their performances Thursday.

"I was pulling every ball I threw," Madson said. "It's one of those mechanical issues I'll have to work on. It happens once in a while, and the Cubs jumped on everything I put up there."

"My pitches to Lee were in, but too far in. I can't walk him, I have to make him beat me," Durbin said. "Then I made a bad pitch to Ramirez. It was a sinker away that went back over the plate. I was hoping it was a pitch he would roll over on."

The rally spoiled a superb effort by Hamels, who limited Chicago to one run and five hits in seven innings. Seeking his third straight victory, the lefthander struck out six without a walk.

"We got a tremendous outing from him," Manuel said. "The Cubs are a great hitting team, so it goes to show you the job he was doing. He has had some tough luck all year long."

Bobby Howry (6-4) picked up the win after tossing a perfect eighth and Kerry Wood worked around a leadoff single by Jimmy Rollins in the ninth for his 28th save.

Philadelphia (73-61), which fell one full game behind idle New York (74-60) for first place in the NL East, grabbed an early lead against Dempster. The righthander, who had won three straight starts and five of his previous six decisions, yielded a one-out double by Chase Utley before Victorino delivered an RBI single three batters later for a 1-0 edge.

The run stood until the fifth, when Kosuke Fukudome singled with one out and scored on Mark DeRosa's triple to knot the game.

The Phillies wasted little time regaining the lead, plating three runs in the sixth. Jayson Werth led off the frame with a double and Pedro Feliz walked before Carlos Ruiz delivered an RBI single.

After a sacrifice by Hamels, Rollins lifted a sacrifice fly to score Feliz for a 3-1 advantage. Utley, who went 3-for-5, followed with a base hit to center field that brought home Ruiz and increased the lead to three.

"It's hard to come out and play 162 games at full speed every time," Dempster said. "(But) it seems like when the pressure gets going, our guys find a way to rise to the challenge."

Dempster, who remained 12-2 at home, was reached for four runs and eight hits in six innings. He walked four and struck out seven