Chicago Cubs' Derrek Lee heads to first after hitting a three-run home run that also scored Koyie Hill and Ryan Theriot during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros Friday, April 16, 2010 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)Charles Rex Arbogast/The Associated Press
Derrek Lee hit a three-run homer and Carlos Silva pitched seven strong innings Friday, leading the Chicago Cubs to a 7-2 victory over the Houston Astros.
Ryan Theriot drove in the go-ahead run for the Cubs with a seventh-inning squeeze, and Kosuke Fukudome added a sacrifice fly before Lee capped the six-run inning by hitting Jeff Fulchino's 3-2 pitch over the left-field wall for his third home run of the season.
Silva (1-0) allowed five hits, no walks and no earned runs in his second straight stellar start. Since coming over from Seattle in the trade for Milton Bradley, Silva has surrendered only one earned run without a walk in 13 innings.
Felipe Paulino (0-1) allowed only one run and four hits through six innings before Marlon Byrd doubled leading off the seventh. Alfonso Soriano followed with a double to tie it at 2-all.
After walks to Mike Fontenot and Koyie Hill loaded the bases, Tim Byrdak relieved Paulino and got pinch-hitter Xavier Nady to pop out. Theriot bunted the next pitch and the ball seemed ready to roll foul, but first baseman Pedro Feliz tried to make a play and everybody was safe.
Then came the cascade of runs, sending the Astros to their ninth loss in 10 games. Houston has still managed only 21 runs this season, by far the fewest in the majors.
Silva helped himself with a double in the third inning that scored Hill. The pitcher's only other RBI - and only other double - was on Aug. 25, 2003, at Montreal when he was still with Philadelphia. It was just the fourth career hit for Silva and first since June 21, 2006.
Two mistakes in the fourth inning by Fukudome, normally an outstanding right fielder, helped Houston take a 2-1 lead.
Byrd came over from center and called for Hunter Pence's fly into the gap, but Fukudome also tried for the catch and knocked the ball out of his glove. After the play, Fukudome tapped his chest to apologize to Byrd, who was charged with a two-base error.
Fukudome then failed to catch Chris Johnson's sinking liner and the ball skipped all the way to the wall for an RBI triple. Tommy Manzella followed with a single.
Carlos Lee singled in the sixth to snap a career-worst 0-for-18 slump, but Houston's $100 million cleanup hitter - who has averaged 109 RBIs the last seven seasons - is still hitting just .103 and has yet to drive in a run.
Soriano and third baseman Aramis Ramirez robbed Lee of hits his first two times up, and he was visibly frustrated after striking out in the eighth.
NOTES: The Cubs have homered in their last 20 games against the Astros, the longest streak against one team in franchise history. ... Astros 1B Lance Berkman, on the DL after arthroscopic knee surgery March 13, is expected to make his first rehab appearance Saturday at Triple-A Round Rock. He could return to Houston's lineup Tuesday. ... Astros RHP Sammy Gervacio (sore shoulder) is scheduled to pitch a rehab outing Monday at Round Rock. ... Chicago LHP Ted Lilly (shoulder surgery) will make one more rehab start, Monday at Class A Peoria, before returning to the Cubs' rotation the following week.