Saturday, May 31, 2008

Cubs Rally From 9-1 Down To Beat Rockies 10-9


Chicago Cubs' Mark DeRosa, right, celebrates with Jim Edmonds after hitting a two-run home run against Colorado Rockies during the seventh inning of a baseball game Friday, May 30, 2008 in Chicago. The Cubs won 10-9.(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Jim Edmonds and Mark DeRosa delivered key hits and the Chicago Cubs overcame an eight-run deficit, rallying past the Colorado Rockies 10-9 Friday for their fifth straight victory.

With the wind blowing out at 15 mph, the hitters ruled at Wrigley Field. There were seven total home runs, and Jeff Baker hit a team-record four doubles for the Rockies.

Down 8-0 in the fourth inning still trailing 9-1 in the sixth, the Cubs came back and sent Colorado to its fifth loss in a row.

DeRosa and Henry Blanco hit two-run homers and Edmonds had a two-run double during a six-run burst in the seventh that put Chicago ahead.

Edmonds earlier hit his first home run since joining the Cubs this month. He finished with three hits and atoned for an error in center field.

DeRosa's go-ahead shot off reliever Manny Corpas was the Cubs' fourth homer of the afternoon. Todd Helton, Chris Iannetta and Jeff Spilborghs homered for the Rockies.

Scott Eyre (2-0) got the win by getting the final out of the seventh inning. Kerry Wood pitched the ninth for his 13th save in 17 chances.

Aaron Cook and Corpas (0-3) couldn't hold the lead for the defending NL champions, now last in the West.

Coming off a four-hit, complete game win over the Mets, Cook was in control until the sixth when Kosuke Fukudome and Edmonds hit consecutive home runs that made it 9-4.

Blanco's first homer since Sept. 22, 2006, pulled the Cubs closer in the seventh. Cook went 6 1-3 innings, allowing 10 hits and leaving after giving up a single to Micah Hoffpauir.

Blanco and Hoffpauir entered the game in a sixth-inning double switch and were pivotal in the rally.

Corpas gave up a single to Fukudome before Edmonds' made it 9-8. DeRosa then homered to left-center, his fifth of the season, and sending the crowd of 39,686 into a frenzy.

Cubs starter Ted Lilly gave up eight hits and seven runs in three innings in his shortest outing of the season. Outscored 14-4 in the first inning of their previous six games, the Rockies took a 4-0 lead with Helton's three-run homer the big hit.

Baker, who entered the game in an 0-for-13 slump that had dropped his average to .188, had doubles in the first, third, fifth and seventh innings.

Edmonds and left fielder Alfonso Soriano appeared to have some confusion over who would take Garrett Atkins' high fly in the third, and Edmonds dropped it for a two-base error. One out later, Iannetta homered for a 6-0 cushion.

Baker hit his second double and scored on Omar Quintanilla's RBI single through the box for a 7-0 lead in the third.

Spilborghs homered off Jon Lieber in the fourth. Quintanilla had another RBI single to score Baker in the fifth.

DeRosa had a bases-loaded sacrifice fly for the Cubs in the fourth.

Notes:@ Edmonds began the season with San Diego, was cut and joined the Cubs on May 15. ... Helton's first four homers were all solo and all came at Coors Field. ... Cubs starters Aramis Ramirez and Ryan Theriot were out of the starting lineup for rest. ... Cubs pitching coach Larry Rothschild missed the game for a family obligation and bullpen coach Lester Strode handled his responsibilities.

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