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Giants-Cubs Preview

May 4, 2009 - 6:29 AM By ALAN FERGUSON STATS Writer

San Francisco (12-11) at Chicago (13-11), 8:05 p.m. EDT

The Chicago Cubs finally started to hit without Aramis Ramirez in the lineup.

With their leading hitter expected to return and start Monday night, the Cubs try for a season-high fourth straight victory as they face the San Francisco Giants at Wrigley Field.

Ramirez, batting a team-best .352 with three home runs and 14 RBIs, sat out six games with a strained left calf. The Cubs scored two runs or fewer four times in those contests.

Ramirez made a pinch-hitting appearance Friday night, but Chicago started to produce offensively in his absence over the weekend, scoring 20 runs during three straight wins over Florida.

In Sunday's 6-4 victory, Derrek Lee hit his ninth career grand slam for his second home run in as many games, while Mike Fontenot, the starter at third with Ramirez out, homered for the fourth time in seven contests.

Ryan Theriot extended his hitting streak to six games by going 2-for-4.

"We're putting some runs on the board with a little more consistency, and we're winning with a little more consistency," manager Lou Piniella said.

Ramirez, who has a hit in his last seven starts, is batting .160 (4-for-25) in his previous seven games against San Francisco. His recent performance versus the Giants at Wrigley Field, however, has been a different story.

In his last six home games against San Francisco, Ramirez has hit .348 (8-for-23) with seven RBIs.

With Ramirez ready to go, Piniella hinted he might tweak the batting order, although he's expected to keep Kosuke Fukudome in the No. 3 spot.

"I think we're going to change the combination a little bit when we get (everybody) back," Piniella told the team's official Web site. "It'll be nice to get everybody back in the lineup and playing."

Piniella's club faces a staff that has a 3.68 ERA - third best in the NL - but is at 5.79 on the road, where San Francisco is 2-7. The Giants (12-11) have posted a 5.22 ERA in dropping five of their last seven at Wrigley.

San Francisco will give the ball to Jonathan Sanchez (1-1, 2.60 ERA), who hasn't allowed an earned run in his last 12 2-3 innings. In his previous start Tuesday night, the left-hander gave up two unearned runs in a 5-3 loss to visiting Los Angeles.

In his only career appearance against Chicago, Sanchez threw a scoreless inning of relief July 19, 2007, at Wrigley.

Despite scoring five runs in a three-game set against Colorado - one in each of the final two contests - the Giants took the series Sunday with a 1-0 victory in 10 innings. Barry Zito pitched seven innings and Rich Aurilia's single gave San Francisco its ninth win in 12 games.

"This year is all about not worrying about stats or whatever," Zito said. "It's about getting wins for the team."

Ryan Dempster (1-1, 5.40) will try for his first victory over San Francisco as a starter. Dempster won twice in relief versus the Giants in 2005, but he's 0-7 in nine starts against them and posted a 6.83 in the last five.