Cubs beat Houston Astros 4-3
Aramis Ramirez hit a tie-breaking two-run homer in the sixth inning to help Jason Marquis get his 11th victory Saturday as the Chicago Cubs beat the Houston Astros 4-3.
Ramirez's 19th homer, his first since Aug. 15, followed a single by Derrek Lee as the Cubs took a 3-1 lead against rookie lefty Troy Patton, who was making in his second major league start.
Lee also homered, hitting his 16th in the eighth inning off reliever Chris Sampson to put the Cubs up 4-2.
The Cubs started the day leading the NL Central by 1 1/2 games. The Astros, now nine games back, had a three-game winning streak snapped.
Marquis (11-8) went 6 2-3 innings, giving up two runs and five hits. Relievers Carlos Marmol and Bob Howry combined for 1 1-3 innings of perfect relief, and Ryan Dempster pitched around a home run by Carlos Lee in the ninth for his 24th save in 26 chances.
Patton (0-2) allowed just one hit through the first five innings and was staked to an early lead on Luke Scott's 16th homer, a solo shot in the second. He lasted six innings, allowing three runs and three hits.
Scott also had an RBI grounder in the seventh to score Carlos Lee, who had doubled and moved up on an infield out, to make it 3-2.
Alfonso Soriano walked with two outs in the third and tied the game at 1-1 with some alert baserunning after Ryan Theriot's double, Chicago's first hit. Soriano was initially held up at third but when center fielder Hunter Pence's relay throw got by the infielders for an error, catcher Brad Ausmus went up the line to stop the ball. Soriano raced by him to score with a hard slide, beating Ausmus' throw to Patton at the plate.
Notes:@ Patton got his first major league hit, a single in the third ... Ramirez's homer was the first for the Cubs with a runner on base since Daryle Ward hit a grand slam Aug. 18. ... Manager Lou Piniella said Steve Trachsel, acquired Friday in a trade from Baltimore, would start against the Dodgers on either Tuesday or Wednesday. ... Carlos Lee's homer was his 27th of the year.