(Best E Casino) - Alfonso Soriano tries to continue his offensive onslaught this afternoon when the Chicago Cubs play the rubber match of their three-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field.

Soriano has been on a tear since the Cubs started their 10-game homestand back on May 9, going 20-for-37 with seven home runs and 15 RBI, while raising his batting average from .188 to .295 in that time.

Soriano's heroics were not enough in the second game of this set on Saturday, as Nate McLouth's two-run homer in the ninth inning lifted Pittsburgh to a 7-6 win. McLouth finished 3-for-5 and drove in three runs for the Pirates, who have won nine of their last 12 games overall.

Zach Duke gave up eight hits and four runs in 6 1/3 innings for Pittsburgh, but did not factor into the decision. Damaso Marte (3-0) pitched a perfect eighth to pick up the win.

Freddy Sanchez also had three hits and scored two runs, while Adam LaRoche went 2-for-5 with a run scored and a run batted in for Pittsburgh, which beat Chicago for the first time in 11 tries dating back to last season.

Soriano hit a pair of home runs for the second consecutive game and finished a perfect 5-for-5 at the plate. Soriano hit two solo shots and added an RBI single for Chicago, which fell to 7-2 on its season-high homestand. He is 7- for-9 so far in this series with four homers and seven RBI.

Starter Carlos Zambrano lasted only four-plus innings for the Cubs and was tagged for five runs -- four earned -- on seven hits with three walks and three strikeouts. Carlos Marmol (1-1) surrendered the two runs in the ninth to absorb the loss.

Getting the call for the Pirates today will be left-hander Phil Dumatrait, who is 1-1 with a 3.96 ERA. Dumatrait received a no-decision on Tuesday against the St. Louis Cardinals, as he allowed three runs and four hits in six innings of the Bucs' 8-4 win.

Dumatrait has faced the Cubs five times (one start) and is 0-1 against them with a 7.36 ERA.

Chicago will counter with right-hander Jason Marquis, who has lost his last three starts. Marquis absorbed the loss on Tuesday against San Diego, as the Padres battered him for four runs and nine hits in 5 2/3 innings, dropping him to 1-3 on the season, while raising his ERA to 5.26.

Marquis' lone win this season came against the Pirates and he is 6-5 lifetime versus them with a 4.04 ERA in 19 games, 15 of which have been starts. On April 19, Marquis held Pittsburgh to a run and six hits in six innings to get the win.

Chicago has won seven of its eight matchups with the Pirates this season and has also won eight of their last 11 at home versus the Bucs.