Derrek Lee matched his career best for home runs with 65 games to spare. Of more concern to him is whether the Chicago Cubs can use the rest of the season to make a playoff run.
"It feels good," Lee said after hitting his major league-leading 32nd homer in a 6-5 victory Saturday over the St. Louis Cardinals. "But it was a huge game for us. We just have to find a way to put it together and keep it together."
Lee hits 32nd homer
PHOTO: AFP
The Cubs are 49-48 and in third place in the NL Central, 13 games behind the Cardinals.
"We've got to start winning eight or nine out of 10 to get into these playoffs," Lee said.
Jeromy Burnitz and Aramis Ramirez also connected, and Ramirez had three hits to help the Cubs end a three-game losing streak in 93-degree heat by beating an injury-ravaged lineup that featured only three opening day starters.
Albert Pujols was scratched with a mild left shoulder strain, although he drew an intentional walk as a pinch-hitter in the seventh ahead of Mark Grudzielanek's RBI single that cut the deficit to 6-5, and then stayed in the game.
Pujols called missing only his third start of the season a "miscommunication" after early batting practice, and said his performance proved it.
"You didn't see me swing?" Pujols said. "I feel fine. Like I say, can you guys change the subject?"
Pujols' liner to shortstop with runners on first and second turned into a game-ending double play when Abraham Nunez was caught off second.
"I was just trying to think lucky," Cubs manager Dusty Baker said. "We haven't had many breaks here."
Besides Pujols, Scott Rolen (shoulder), Reggie Sanders (broken leg) and Yadier Molina (broken hand) are on the 15-day disabled list, and Larry Walker (neck) was out of the lineup. Plus, rookie John Rodriguez, who has two homers in six games since replacing Sanders in left field, departed with a sprained right ankle in the third after doubling for the second time.
Rodriguez was injured when he tripped over an exposed nail in the dugout after the top of the third.
"Don't worry about me," Rodriguez said. "It's a one-day thing."
Still, the Cardinals have the NL's best record at 62-35 and a double-digit lead in the NL Central.
"Who cares about it?" Pujols said. "Nobody cares about it. We're winning with those guys out there, we're 11-12 games up and we don't have to worry about these guys playing the game hard."
Lee helped the Cubs win for only the 10th time in 43 games at Busch Stadium over the last six seasons. Lee is 11-for-31 during a seven-game hitting streak with five homers and nine RBIs and is batting a major league-best .370.
The weather, to Lee's thinking, was even hotter than his bat.
"That's probably the hottest game I've ever played in," he said. "It was hot, hot, hot, and humid. So, it was a tough one."
His two-run shot off Matt Morris (11-3) with two outs in the fifth sailed over the visitors' bullpen in left before clanging off a guardrail, a drive estimated at 421 feet that put the Cubs ahead 5-3.
Jerome Williams (3-3) gave up four runs, three earned, in six innings to win his second straight start. Ryan Dempster, the Cubs' fifth pitcher, worked the ninth for his 14th save in 15 chances.
Mets 7, Dodgers 5
In New York, Jose Reyes had four hits, including his MLB-leading 10th triple, to lead Pedro Martinez and New York to a comeback victory over Los Angeles.
Reyes scored three runs and stole two bases, and his triple in the seventh inning tied the score before Carlos Beltran singled him home with the go-ahead run. Reyes added an RBI single in the eighth.
Olmedo Saenz drove in three runs for the Dodgers with a double and a home run.
Phillies 2, Padres 0
In Philadelphia, Chase Utley homered for the second straight game, and rookie Robinson Tejeda allowed only two singles in six innings to help Philadelphia defeat San Diego.
The National League West-leading Padres lost their sixth straight -- and had a busy day off the field. San Diego acquired third baseman Joe Randa from Cincinnati for two minor league pitchers and optioned struggling third baseman Sean Burroughs to Triple-A Portland.
Nationals 4, Astros 2
At Washington, Tony Armas allowed only one hit in seven innings, and slumping Washington capitalized on Willy Taveras' misplay of Carlos Baerga's bases-loaded fly to center in the first inning to beat Houston.
Taveras came in on the ball, then retreated as it sailed over his head. The three-run double gave the Nationals all the runs they needed to break a three-game skid and win for just the fifth time in 17 games.
Armas (5-4) allowed only a two-run homer by Lance Berkman in the sixth to help end the Astros' six-game winning streak and improve to 4-0 at home this season.
Chad Cordero pitched the ninth for his 34th save, finishing the four-hitter and ensuring Washington will spend another day no worse than tied for first with Atlanta in the NL East.
Brandon Backe (8-7) gave up four runs in the first, ending a 21-inning scoreless streak by Houston's starting pitchers.
Scott Kazmir pitched seven strong innings and Alex Gonzalez hit a solo homer, leading the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to a 3-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday.
"Good pitching, good defense and just enough timely hitting," Tampa Bay manager Lou Piniella said.
Damon Hollins snapped a seventh-inning tie with an RBI single off Ponson (7-9), subject of trade talks between the Orioles and San Diego Padres despite being 0-5 in six starts since last winning on June 18.
"He pitched good enough to win the game. We just didn't score any runs," Baltimore manager Lee Mazzilli said of Ponson. "We got one hit after the first inning until Miggy hit the home run. We're not hitting."
Kazmir (5-7) allowed one run and four hits, struck out seven and walked three.
Tigers 2, Twins 1, Game 1
Twins 5, Tigers 2, Game 2
At Detroit, Scott Baker allowed five hits in seven innings and Justin Morneau homered and drove in two runs as Minnesota beat Detroit in the second game of a day-night doubleheader.
Mike Redmond also had two RBIs in the second game, helping the Twins earn a split.
After Detroit won the opener 2-1, Baker (1-1) outpitched Justin Verlander (0-2) in a matchup of top pitching prospects who were making their second major league starts.
Jesse Crain pitched a scoreless eighth and Joe Nathan worked the ninth for his 27th save in 30 chances, completing the six-hitter.
In the first game, Sean Douglass (3-0) started two key rundowns and pitched seven strong innings for the Tigers, while Curtis Granderson hit a go-ahead homer in the seventh.
Fernando Rodney pitched the eighth and Kyle Farnsworth finished for his fourth save in six tries.
Carlos Silva (7-4) took the loss. He allowed both runs on eight hits, walking one and striking out three.
Red Sox 3, White Sox 0
At Chicago, Manny Ramirez homered and Boston's Wade Miller earned his first win since May 30 by pitching seven sharp innings.
Miller (3-4) was 0-3 in his previous eight starts, but he foiled White Sox rallies with timely pitches and allowed just five hits. He walked four and struck out four.
Mike Myers and Mike Timlin combined on a scoreless eighth, and Curt Schilling finished the seven-hitter for his second save in three chances.
Ramirez's 27th of the season -- he won Thursday's series opener with a ninth-inning solo shot -- increased his major league-leading RBI total to 89.
Blue Jays 9, Royals 4
At Kansas City, Shea Hillenbrand and Eric Hinske each hit two-run doubles in a six-run fifth inning as Toronto beat Kansas City.
The Blue Jays sent 10 men to the plate in the fifth and took advantage of three walks, Donnie Murphy's error and a wild pitch to break open the game. The Blue Jays have scored an American League-high 126 runs in July.
Dave Bush (1-5), just recalled from Triple-A Syracuse, earned his first victory since Oct. 1. The right-hander was 0-5 in 10 starts to begin the season with Toronto before being sent to the minors on May 29.
Kyle Snyder (0-1) allowed six runs on eight hits and two walks in four-plus innings of his first big league start since Aug. 5, 2003. He did not pitch last season after having shoulder surgery.
Athletics 5, Rangers 4
At Arlington, Texas, Eric Chavez hit one of Oakland's four solo homers, and the Athletics stretched their winning streak to five by beating Texas.
Nick Swisher, Dan Johnson and Jay Payton also connected off starter Ricardo Rodriguez (2-2) as Oakland matched its season high for homers. The surging A's have built a 3 1/2-game lead over the Rangers for second place in the AL West.
Kirk Saarloos (6-6) allowed four runs and seven hits in 5 2-3 innings to help the A's beat the Rangers for the sixth time in seven meetings since the break.
Angels 8, Yankees 6
At Anaheim, California, Vladimir Guerrero hit a three-run homer to spark Los Angeles to its third come-from-behind win in a row over New York.
Guerrero drove Kevin Brown's pitch over the center-field fence to give Los Angeles a 4-3 lead in the third inning, and the Angels added four more runs to chase Brown (4-7) in the fourth.
Jason Giambi hit a two-run homer -- his 16th of the season and 11th in 16 games.
The AL West-leading Angels won for the fifth time in six games this season against the Yankees, who fell 2 1/2 games behind Boston in the AL East.
Rookie Ervin Santana (5-4) went five innings and allowed four runs -- three earned -- and seven hits.
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