Lee, Zambrano lead Cubs to 12-3 win over slumping Reds

[April 17, 2008]  CHICAGO (AP) -- Derrek Lee homered, Carlos Zambrano pitched seven solid innings while helping himself with three hits and the Chicago Cubs jumped to an early lead Wednesday night in beating the Cincinnati Reds 12-3.

The Cubs scored four runs in the first and six in the third to give Zambrano an early cushion on another blustery night at Wrigley Field with the wind gusting out at 20 mph.

Zambrano (2-1) allowed eight hits and two runs. Chicago, meanwhile, hit Josh Fogg (1-2) hard and sent the Reds and ex-Cubs manager Dusty Baker to their fifth straight loss.

After Cincinnati's Adam Dunn hit a long homer in the eighth off reliever Kevin Hart, fans at the old neighborhood park not only threw one ball back -- as is a tradition -- they littered the field with 15 baseballs, momentarily halting play.

Chicago didn't miss leadoff hitter Alfonso Soriano, who went on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday with a strained right calf, an injury he sustained in the first inning of Tuesday night's 9-5 win when he caught a fly ball.

Bases-loaded doubles by Kosuke Fukudome in the first and Geovany Soto in the third were key hits Wednesday night. Zambrano had the third three-hit game of his career -- two singles and a double -- and an RBI.

Lee, who entered batting .368, also collected two singles and a walk. He hit 22 homers a year ago -- but only one in the first month of 2007. He already has six this season. His solo shot, his second homer in two nights, started the six-run third.

Fogg then loaded the bases for the second time in three innings as the Cubs had two walks and a single before Soto delivered a two-run double for a 7-1 lead. Reed Johnson greeted reliever Mike Lincoln with a sacrifice fly, Zambrano had an RBI single and a sixth run scored on a wild pitch.

In the first, Fogg gave up a double to Ryan Theriot and a single to Lee before hitting Aramis Ramirez with a pitch to load the bases. Fukudome doubled past first for a 2-0 lead and Mark DeRosa followed with another two-run double.

Fogg was charged with nine runs and seven hits in two-plus innings.

The Reds had a big inning working in the top of the second when Dunn walked with one out and Edwin Encarnacion blooped a single to left. Joey Votto then hit a high, wind-blown fly to left that DeRosa -- playing in place of Soriano -- misjudged. The ball hit the warning track and went for a ground-rule RBI double.

But with runners at second and third, Zambrano grabbed Javier Valentin's hard comebacker and was able to catch Encarnacion off third. He was tagged out in a rundown. Cubs shortstop Theriot then saved another run by going behind second on a high bouncer by Fogg to throw him out and end the inning.

Jeff Keppinger doubled in a run in the seventh for the Reds.

Notes: Zambrano, who is a switch-hitter who sometimes pinch-hits, was 0-for-8 entering the game. He batted .247 last season. ... Reds reliever Jeremy Affeldt struck out five in two innings of work. ... With Soriano sidelined, Mike Fontenot played second and led off. The versatile DeRosa, who usually plays second, moved from left to third base in the seventh inning.

[Associated Press; By RICK GANO]

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.