Tue Jul 1 02:06:38 2008

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DeRosa's big day helps Cubbies sink Giants

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San Francisco, CA (Sports Network) - Mark DeRosa went 3-for-4 with a grand slam, a two-run homer and finished with nine total bases, as the Chicago Cubs busted out of their recent slump with a 9-2 thrashing of the San Francisco Giants.

Matt Murton had two doubles and two RBI for the Cubs, who snapped a four-game skid with the win. Kosuke Fukudome was responsible for the other Chicago RBI.

Ted Lilly (9-5) got the win as he hurled eight-plus innings and was touched for just two runs on seven hits while fanning five.

Rich Aurilia was 2-for-4 and drove in both of San Francisco's runs. The Giants had a two-game win streak snapped with the setback.

Barry Zito (3-12) took the loss as he was hit around for five runs -- four earned -- on six hits with six strikeouts and five walks in five innings of work.

"It's real frustrating," Zito said. "There's no excuse. I had good (expletive) out there. I kind of slipped in and out, attacking the first hitter and then walking the next two guys trying to find the corner."

The Cubbies struck first in the second inning. Jim Edmonds led off with a walk and Murton flied out, but Ronny Cedeno made it first and second as Jose Castillo botched a throw to first. Lilly then struck out, but Fukudome connected on an RBI single up the middle.

Chicago tacked on two more runs in the third. Geovany Soto hit a one-out single to left and DeRosa walked before Edmonds whiffed for the second out. Murton, though, belted a double to right which plated two runs and the Cubs were ahead 3-0.

Soto led off the fifth inning with a double and DeRosa followed with a home run to center, increasing Chicago's lead to 5-0.

The Cubs added plenty of insurance in the eighth off Billy Sadler. Ryan Theriot, Derrek Lee and Soto all worked walks to load the bases, and DeRosa crushed his third career grand slam over the fence in center for a 9-0 Cubs advantage.

Lilly gave up a leadoff single to Randy Winn in the ninth and pinch- hitter John Bowker also worked a base hit, forcing him from the game in favor of Kerry Wood.

Wood got Aaron Rowand to chase the third strike for the first out, but Aurilia crushed a two-run double over the head of a diving Edmonds to put the Giants on the board. Travis Denker worked a walk to keep the rally going, although Emmanuel Burriss went down swinging for the second out. Steve Holm then flied out to Edmonds in center to seal the win.

Game Notes

The Cubs are 17-23 away from Wrigley Field this season and will visit the division-rival Cardinals for three games at Busch Stadium on this current swing...Zito is 0-8 at home this year with a 7.33 ERA...DeRosa is 9-for-12 in his last six games with all five of his June home runs coming in California...SF is 6-15 vs. the NL Central this season, while Chicago is 19-5 vs. the NL West...The Giants are an MLB-worst 14-25 at home this season...Chicago and San Francisco are meeting for the first time since the Cubs won five of seven meetings last season...The Cubs won two of three games as the visitor in this series from August 21-23, 2007.