Ramirez hits 2 HRs as Cubs' offense stays hot

The Cubs went to work with a rare leg up on a series when they took on the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field Tuesday night.

Monday's 9-4 victory was the Cubs' first in a series opener (not including a makeup game at Pittsburgh) since May 25.

Since then, it was 11 series in a row without a Game 1 win.

Aramis Ramirez gave the Cubs another leg up with a pair of 2-run homers as they beat the Diamondbacks again, this time 6-4.

"We haven't had much success winning the first game, and we've struggled to win series," manager Lou Piniella told reporters before the game. "When you're below .500, that's usually the norm.

"But let's hope that things change. We swing the bats, put runs on the board, things can change rather quickly in baseball. That's what we're hoping for."

After Carlos Silva and the Cubs fell behind 1-0 in the second inning Tuesday, the offense came alive in the sixth, getting 4 extra-base hits and scoring three times to take a 3-1 lead.

Kosuke Fukudome led off the sixth with his second homer in two games. Later in the inning, Ramirez hit his first 2-run homer.

Piniella kept Fukudome in the leadoff spot for a second straight game. Tyler Colvin batted fourth and played center field, giving Marlon Byrd a break.

Silva opened by throwing strikes, as is his custom. However, it was a 10-pitch walk in the second to Mark Reynolds that led to Arizona's first run. Adam LaRoche doubled to left-center, with Reynolds making it to third. Stephen Drew went after a first pitch and drove Reynolds home with a sacrifice fly to left.

The Cubs were quiet against Arizona starter Barry Enright until Fukudome launched his eighth homer of the year, a drive to right-center. Ryan Theriot followed with a double to center, but he was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a triple.

Derrek Lee doubled, also to center. After Colvin struck out, Ramirez hit his seventh homer, a ball that carried to left-center.

Silva worked 6 innings, and he looked fidgety on the mound in the fourth, when trainer Mark O'Neal came for a visit. After putting runners on first and third with nobody out, Silva struck out Reynolds and got Drew to bounce into a double play.

Bruce Miles' game tracker Cubs 6, Diamondbacks 4Good and bad: Shortstop Starlin Castro hit his second triple in two games. He also committed his 12th error of the season on Chris Young's routine grounder in the eighth inning. Long time coming: Second baseman Ryan Theriot picked up his first RBI since June 20 with a seventh-inning single.