Soriano homers, Cubs beat Diamondbacks 11-5

[May 01, 2010]  CHICAGO (AP) -- Alfonso Soriano hit a three-run homer and the Chicago Cubs connected for four in all while rallying to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 11-5 on Friday after getting pounded the previous day.

Kosuke Fukudome, Geovany Soto and Marlon Byrd added solo shots as the Cubs shook off a 13-5 beating by the Diamondbacks and stopped a three-game skid.

The big blow was Soriano's three-run drive off Rodrigo Lopez (1-1), capping a four-run sixth that put Chicago ahead 6-4 and made a winner of Randy Wells (3-0). The Cubs broke it open with three in the seventh, getting two bases-loaded walks, after Chris Snyder led off the top half with a homer.

Ryan Theriot and Fukudome started the sixth with singles, and with one out, Lopez dropped Aramis Ramirez's pop fly after colliding with first baseman Adam LaRoche.

That loaded the bases for Tyler Colvin, who drove in Theriot with a sacrifice fly to center to make it a one-run game. Soriano, who had doubled in his previous at-bat, drove the next pitch out to left-center for his third homer to make it 6-4, clapping his hands and pumping his fists as he rounded first.

Snyder chased Wells with his homer in the seventh -- his fourth overall and second in two games -- but the Cubs put this one away in the bottom half.

Derrek Lee's bases-loaded single to a diving shortstop Stephen Drew against Blaine Boyer drove in Soto, who led off with a walk, to make it 7-5. Boyer then walked Ramirez to force in another run and former Cub Aaron Heilman walked Soriano with two outs, making it 9-5.

Carlos Zambrano worked the eighth before Soto and Byrd added back-to-back homers off Kevin Mulvey in the bottom half. And Carlos Marmol pitched the ninth.

Wells allowed eight hits and five runs while striking out a season-high eight in his second straight start without a walk.

Lopez gave up six runs in six innings and faced the minimum 10 batters before Fukudome drove his fifth homer -- and second in two days -- about 10 rows into the right-field bleachers.

That came after the Diamondbacks scored three in the top of the fourth, on RBI doubles by Mark Reynolds and Cole Gillespie along with a run-scoring single by Gerardo Parra.

NOTES: LaRoche made a diving backhanded stop to rob Mike Fontenot leading off the third. ... Cubs manager Lou Piniella wasn't too concerned about Ted Lilly after he allowed six runs in five innings and was throwing in the mid-80s on Thursday. That came after he threw six shutout innings in his first start after offseason shoulder surgery. "He's going to add three or four miles an hour to his fastball," Piniella said. "Yesterday, the problem with Lilly was he got the ball up and the wind was blowing out." ... Theriot has a 10-game hitting streak.

[Associated Press; By ANDREW SELIGMAN]

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