Ramirez hits 2 homers to back Lilly as Cubs beat Cardinals 12-3

CHICAGO – The Cubs made the most of a brief stopover at Wrigley Field.\nAramis Ramirez homered twice and had four hits to help Ted Lilly earn his 15th victory, leading Chicago over the St. Louis Cardinals 12-3 \non Monday.\nIt was just the third win in eight games for Chicago, which fell out of first place Sunday for the first time since Aug. 16 and began the Monday one game behind Milwaukee in the \nNL Central.\n“I didn’t even think about it. Whether you’re in first, second or third, you got to win baseball games,” Cubs manager Lou Piniella said before watching his team get 17 hits.\nSt. Louis, which started the day three back of the Brewers, lost its fourth straight and dropped to 69-72.\nBoth teams made a quick detour to play the makeup, caused by an Aug. 19 rainout.\nThe Cardinals came to Chicago from Arizona and didn’t land until around 11:30 p.m. Sunday. Next, the World Series champions have three games \nat Cincinnati.\nThe Cubs arrived home from Pittsburgh and head to the road for a critical swing that takes them to Houston for three games and St. Louis for four.\n“This little stretch here favors the Milwaukee situation because of the fact the two teams closest to them are playing each other,” Piniella said. “This week will tell a lot, starting today and ending Sunday. It will tell a whole lot about what is going to happen in this division and how close it will be.”\nLilly (15-7) matched his career high for victories, set last year with the Blue Jays. He allowed five hits, including homers to Jim Edmonds and So Taguchi, and struck out seven in seven innings.\nDerrek Lee and Ramirez homered in a five-run fourth and Ramirez added a second solo shot in a four-run eighth.\nJoel Pineiro (4-3) gave up two homers, three doubles and a single in a span of seven batters in the fourth. Lee led off with his 18th homer and, one out later, Ramirez followed with his 21st for a 3-1 lead.\nMark DeRosa singled and then Jacque Jones, Jason Kendall and Lilly all lined RBI doubles in succession to finish Pineiro, who had beaten the Cubs at Wrigley three weeks ago. Pineiro lasted 3 1-3 innings, his shortest outing in eight starts since the Cardinals acquired him July 31 from Boston, where he’d been a reliever.\nChicago loaded the bases in the fifth against Brian Falkenborg on a walk, double by Ramirez and hit batter, and Jones hit an RBI single to make it 7-1.\nOne pitch after Lilly knocked him down with a high-and-tight offering, Taguchi hit a two-run homer in the sixth. DeRosa had been drilled in the arm by Falkenborg the previous inning.\nKelvin Jimenez hit Kendall in the seventh, loading the bases, and Yadier Molina’s passed ball allowed Chicago’s eighth run \nto cross.\nCliff Floyd had a two-out RBI single in the first after a double by Lee. Edmonds’ 11th homer tied the game in the second.