DeRosa caps huge comeback with 2-run longball
Lou Piniella tried to give up.
Attempted to concede Colorado's first road win in 10 games.
All but called the guys who run the center-field scoreboard and told them to hoist the "L" flag early.
But with the wind blowing out Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field -- and the home team riding a cresting wave of confidence that comes with the majors' best record -- Piniella's tacit surrender had no chance.
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With the Cubs trailing by 8 runs primarily due to 3 homers by the Rockies, Piniella removed Derrek Lee and Geovany Soto after the fifth inning.
"I wanted to rest a few more guys today," said Piniella, who gave cleanup hitter Aramis Ramirez the entire day off.
Of course, Piniella's move promptly triggered the franchise's biggest rally in years.
Micah Hoffpauir, Lee's substitute, ignited a 3-run sixth with a leadoff double high off the wall.
Then Henry Blanco, Soto's backup who hadn't delivered a homer in 130 plate appearances, sparked a 6-run seventh with his first longball since September 2006.
When the turnstiles finally stopped spinning and the 39,686 fans finally stopped screaming, the Cubs owned 4 homers in an 11-batter span and a 10-9 triumph over the hapless Rockies.
Kosuke Fukudome and Jim Edmonds cracked back-to-back homers in the sixth -- Edmonds' first as a Cub -- and Mark DeRosa provided the team's only lead with his 2-run shot to the third row of the left-center bleachers.
"A normal day, that ball probably doesn't go out," DeRosa said. "But as soon as I hit it here today, I knew it was gone.
"Those are moments you never forget. It's still May, but #8230;"
But the Cubs (34-21) are going so well in so many ways, Comcast SportsNet's postgame poll asked simply, "Are the Cubs a team of destiny?"
If not destiny, they're at least a team inspiring a lot of decibels.
"When DeRosa's ball went out of the ballpark, that's the loudest this place has been all year," Piniella said. "By far. It was almost deafening."
For the first five innings, though, Cubs fans spoke up only when opportunities came to boo Edmonds.
A few leatherlungs harassed the former Cardinal after his weak tapper to first in the second inning.
A lot more boos rained down in the third when Edmonds, arriving late on a ball that seemed to be for Alfonso Soriano, failed to make a basket catch on Garrett Atkins' flyball to the track.
That led to 3 unearned runs and a 7-0 Colorado lead.
But Edmonds stroked a single in the fourth to set up the Cubs' first run, parachuted a solo homer into the center-field juniper bushes in the sixth and smacked a 2-run double in the seventh.
When DeRosa followed the double with his go-ahead homer, Edmonds raised his fists in celebration as if he has been a Cub all along.
"I hope sooner or later (the fans see me as a Cub)," Edmonds said. "Sometimes out in the outfield, I think I'm still wearing red and white."
But Edmonds, who owned 3 singles in 24 at-bats in a Cubs uniform prior to Friday, will keep wearing blue and white if he keeps producing.
"I was really happy to see Edmonds swing the bat like he did today," Piniella said. "We need that. That would be a big lift for this baseball team. And today, he contributed big time."
Cubs 10, Rockies 9
At the plate: The Cubs rode the southwest winds for 2 homers apiece in the sixth and seventh innings to turn a 9-1 deficit into a 10-9 win. Kosuke Fukudome, Jim Edmonds and Henry Blanco delivered against Colorado starter Aaron Cook, while Mark DeRosa's game-winning homer came on a 3-2 slider from Manny Corpas. Edmonds went 3-for-4 with 3 RBI.
On the mound: Ted Lilly never felt comfortable and lasted just 3 innings for his fourth consecutive non-quality start. He surrendered 8 hits, 2 homers and 7 runs, though only 4 of the runs were earned. Scott Eyre (2-0) picked up the win after striking out his only batter. Carlos Marmol fanned the side in the eighth on 10 pitches while Kerry Wood shrugged off a leadoff walk to earn his 13th save.