Cubs' offense attacks in many ways

PITTSBURGH - With every victory, the Cubs conjure up more reminders, some of them fond for their fans and some of them bittersweet.

The present looked pretty good Monday night, with the Cubs jumping on the Pittsburgh Pirates with 4 runs in the third inning and adding 5 in the fifth on the way to a 12-3 victory.

With the win, the Cubs improved to 81-50, marking the first time they've been 31 games over .500 since finishing as National League East champs in 1984 with a record of 96-65. They'll look to improve to 32 over .500 tonight for the first time since the star-crossed 1969 season.

"I'm not too concerned about historical landmarks," manager Lou Piniella said. "I'm interested in competing every day and being prepared to play every day."

The Cubs were all of that Monday, coming out during the afternoon for early batting practice and seeing it carry into the game.

It was a coming-out party of sorts for a couple of previously slumping hitters. Center fielder Jim Edmonds (3-for-5) broke an 0-for-18 dry spell with a triple in the second inning, and he came home on a sacrifice fly by Kosuke Fukudome, the other hitter who hasn't been heard from in awhile.

Fukudome, apparently a fast study after working on his swing the past two days, singled twice, doubled and drove in a career-high 4 runs. On Sunday, he came off the bench to hit a pinch homer after working to shorten his stride.

"During BP (batting practice), I was able to work on that pretty good, but in the game I don't think I was able to incorporate it 100 percent," Fukudome said through his translator. "It's great to have 3 hits today, but today's over. It's a different game. It starts tomorrow, so I need to keep working at it."

Piniella had a simple explanation for the quick results.

"When you're a good hitter, you can make adjustments pretty quick, it's plain and simple," he said. "And we didn't do anything except shorten the stride."

"He's looking like the hitter he was early in the season."

The Cubs sent eight men to the plate in the third against Pirates starter Jeff Karstens, with Aramis Ramirez's 3-run homer being the key. Karstens was gone after that inning. The Cubs batted around in the fifth, with Fukudome hitting a 2-run single.

The main beneficiary of the offensive outburst was Cubs starting pitcher Ted Lilly, who won his fifth straight on the road and improved to 13-7 overall.

"I felt OK," Lilly said. "It's definitely nice when you go out there and swing the bats the way we're capable of. Even that being the case, when you get a lead like that you kind of want to still bear down and make quality pitches.

"There were moments when I felt like I got away with a few. All in all, anytime we can get into the series with the first win, it's nice. It kind of sets the tone for the rest of the series."

The Cubs should beat the Pirates, who are 57-74, but Piniella isn't taking it for granted.

"Well, let me tell you, you've got to come prepared to play every day, and today, we were prepared," he said. "We swung the bats and got good pitching and won a baseball game. Anybody's capable of beating you."

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