Soto Powers Cubs Past Pirates 7-3

[April 11, 2008]  PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Geovany Soto and Mike Fontenot hit two-run homers in Chicago's five-run sixth inning and the Cubs finished off a three-game sweep of Pittsburgh, winning 7-3 Thursday night to run their winning streak to five games.

Soto had three extra-base hits, including two doubles, among his second career four-hit game, and Derrek Lee also drove in two runs despite not getting a hit as the Cubs won their sixth in a row over the Pirates dating to last season.

Jon Lieber (2-1) got the decision by pitching 4 1-3 scoreless relief innings after starter Rich Hill needed 72 pitches to get through three innings, allowing three runs and three hits and walking four. Lieber pitched 7 1-3 scoreless relief innings in the series.

After going 12 and 15 innings to win the first two games -- the first time in 81 years they've needed that many innings to win consecutive road games -- the Cubs won this one in regulation against the pitching-thin Pirates, who dropped their fifth in six games.

After emptying their bullpen in consecutive games, the Pirates needed a lot of innings from starter Matt Morris (0-1), who lasted seven innings but gave up 11 hits and seven runs, four earned. Morris led 3-2 going into the sixth, but quickly fell behind when Kosuke Fukudome walked and Soto followed with a drive to straightaway center for his second homer.

Morris might have gotten out of the inning with only two runs scoring, but Ryan Theriot, who had singled, was safe at third on a steal attempt when third baseman Jose Bautista dropped Ronny Paulino's throw that arrived well ahead of the runner. Theriot then scored on Reed Johnson's single, and Fontenot made it 7-3 with a two-run, two-out drive into the right field seats -- the third homer off Morris in two starts.

Morris might not have pitched so deep into the game if the Pirates' bullpen had been more rested, but he wound up throwing 113 pitches. Morris has lost six of his last seven decisions against the Cubs and seven of his last nine after starting his career 10-2 against them. 

Xavier Nady and Bautista hit sacrifice flies in the Pirates' three-run first inning.

Notes: There were 36 innings in the three-game series. The Cubs scored at least six runs in all three games of the series and have scored 35 runs in their last five games. ... Chicago's winning streak is its longest since winning seven in a row last June 22-29. ... The Cubs had as many extra-inning victories (2) in the series as they did last season, when they were 2-8 when playing more than nine innings. ... Until this series, Chicago hadn't won back-to-back road games of more than 12 innings since 1927, when they beat Boston in 18 innings (May 14) and 22 innings (May 17). ... Soto also had a four-hit game against the Cardinals on Sept. 16.

[Associated Press; By ALAN ROBINSON]

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