Cubs hold on to first with 8-2 win over L.A.

Cubs manager Lou Piniella packed his Wednesday night lineup with plenty of new faces in different places.

But in the end, it was the old, familiar hands who prevailed in a sorely needed 8-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers at Wrigley Field.

Aramis Ramirez hit a 2-run homer in the third inning to give the Cubs a 3-0 lead. Ryan Theriot, who was supposed to get the night off, came off the bench in the eighth and began icing the proceedings with an RBI double.

Jacque Jones followed with an run-scoring single. Mark DeRosa had a 3-hit, 2-RBI night, and it all made a winner of reliable starting pitcher Ted Lilly, who ran his record to 14-7 and came within 1 of last year's victory total.

Did we say "sorely needed" victory? After having lost the first two games of this series, the Cubs (71-67) were in danger of falling out of first place in the National League Central.

But they held their half-game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers, who pasted the Houston Astros up at Miller Park.

"We rested a few people, which we had to," Piniella said. "We'll rest tomorrow one or two more. It was a good ballgame. Lilly did a real nice job of pitching."

The Cubs have had trouble scoring runs lately, and this looked to be another one they'd have to sweat out until sending 10 men to the plate and scoring 4 runs in the eighth for a rare blowout.

"We finally broke the game open in the (eighth) inning with some good, timely hitting," the manager said. "It's something that's been missing here. Hopefully it's the start of something good for us."

Lilly started deliberately, throwing 22 pitches in the first inning, but he settled into a comfort zone and pitched scoreless baseball through 4 innings.

"My curveball was better than it's been in awhile," he said. "I had that to work in there. My changeup, I threw more of than I had probably the whole season."

By that time, his teammates had given him a 3-0 lead. Recently recalled catcher Geovany Soto put the Cubs up 1-0 in the second with an RBI single. Ramirez hit his 20th homer in the third, a 2-run shot to left against Dodgers starter Eric Stults.

"We've got to keep the same approach hitting," Ramirez said. "Hopefully we can come back against a tough guy tomorrow, Derek Lowe. We'll find out. Anytime you get this kind of pitching, and the way we hit tonight, you're going to win some games."

The Dodgers put a run across in the fifth, with the Cubs answering with an unearned run in the bottom of the inning. Piniella took no chances with Lilly in the seventh After two outs, Lilly walked No. 8 hitter Mike Lieberthal.

Piniella brought in hard-throwing righty Carlos Marmol, who gave up a run-scoring double to pinch hitter Olmedo Saenz as center fielder Felix Pie slipped and fell, allowing the ball to go to the wall. Marmol worked out of further trouble.

Bob Howry and Ryan Dempster finished up on the mound, and the Cubs got big hits from Theriot, Jones and DeRosa in the eighth.

"The greatest thing about all our guys is that in the clubhouse, everyone loves to compete," Lilly said. "We love to be in the big games, are excited to be in a position where every game counts right now."

Cubs 8, Dodgers 2

At the plate: Aramis Ramirez reached the 20-home run plateau for the fifth straight year as he connected with one on in the third inning to give the Cubs a 3-0 lead. Mark DeRosa singled twice and doubled. Craig Monroe also doubled.

On the mound: Lefty Ted Lilly won for the first time since Aug. 9. He turned in a quality star with 62/3 innings of 6-hit, 2-run ball. He threw 94 pitches, 64 for strikes. Carlos Marmol gave up an RBI double in relief of Lilly but worked out of further trouble. Bob Howry and Ryan Dempster finished.

-- Bruce Miles