Pittsburgh, PA (Best E Casino) - Carlos Zambrano tossed seven innings of two- run ball and had an even better game at the plate, recording four hits and two runs batted in, as the Chicago Cubs exploded for 19 hits in a 12-3 romp over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Zambrano (7-1) allowed just six hits and one walk while fanning six to extend his personal unbeaten streak to eight games.

"I felt good," Zambrano said. "There's nothing wrong with my shoulder, obviously. I was able to hit 94-95 (mph), and locate my fastball. The key has been throw first pitch strikes and be able to throw the good pitches when I'm in trouble."

Reed Johnson homered, doubled twice, knocked in four runs and scored a pair, while Aramis Ramirez was 3-for-4 with three runs scored to halt Chicago's two- game skid. Mark DeRosa also notched two doubles in a three-RBI effort.

Zach Duke (2-3) was shelled for ten hits and five runs -- four earned -- in his four-inning start for the Pirates, who have dropped four of their last five and the opener of this three-game set. Nate McLouth roped a two-run triple, while Jason Bay added a single and three-bagger in the setback.

"It gets frustrating," Duke said. "I know we're capable of beating them. We just have to prove it. We just have to play well enough to beat them. That's just it, we're not playing well enough to beat people here (at PNC Park)."

The Cubs scored at least one run in seven frames thanks to their leadoff hitter reaching base in eight of their nine at-bats.

Alfonso Soriano opened the game with a double off the right field wall. The reigning National League Player of the Week limped coming around first, but stayed in the game. Derrek Lee brought him in two batters later when Xavier Nady couldn't haul in a diving grab in right field, and scored when Doug Mientkiewicz booted a grounder at third.

Zambrano, who is 12-for-35 (.343) at the plate this season, added to the two- run lead in the second by sending an RBI single up the middle, while DeRosa's RBI double and Lee's run-scoring groundout in the third and fourth innings, respectively, put Chicago ahead by five.

In the fifth, reliever Sean Burnett didn't fare much better than Duke in his first inning of work, allowing a leadoff double followed by a bases on balls. After a visit to the mound, Johnson met a 2-1 fastball and took it over the left field wall for a commanding 8-0 Cubs edge.

The Pirates managed to get a couple back in the bottom half behind McLouth's two-run triple off the right field wall, but DeRosa's sacrifice fly in the sixth extended the lead to 9-2.

After a scoreless seventh, the Cubs added three in the eighth behind consecutive run-scoring at-bats from DeRosa, Johnson and Zambrano, and Adam LaRoche brought in the Pirates' third and final tally with a sacrifice fly to center off reliever Jose Ascanio.

Game Notes

The Cubs have won nine of ten from Pittsburgh this season...Geovany Soto was the only Cubs starter without a hit...Soriano and Ronny Cedeno each recorded two hits for the Cubs, while Chris Gomez tallied two for the Pirates...In the second game of the series on Saturday, the Cubs will throw Jason Marquis (2-3) against Phil Dumatrait (1-2)...Attendance: 32,656.