PITTSBURGH — After needing the equivalent of three games merely to win twice in Pittsburgh, what a relief this regulation game was to the Chicago Cubs. Almost as big as the relief Jon Lieber gave them.

Geovany Soto and Mike Fontenot hit two-run homers in Chicago's five-run sixth inning and the Cubs finished off a three-game sweep of Pittsburgh, winning 7-3 last night for their fifth straight victory.

Soto had three extra-base hits, including two doubles, among his second career four-hit game, and Derrek Lee also drove in two runs despite not getting a hit as the Cubs won their sixth in a row over the Pirates dating to last season.

Lieber (2-1) got the decision by pitching 4 1/3 scoreless innings in relief after starter Rich Hill needed 72 pitches to get through three innings, allowing three runs and three hits and walking four. Lieber pitched 7 1/3 scoreless relief innings in the series, three of them during a 10-8, 12-inning win Monday in the Pirates' home opener.

"Without Lieber, we really would have had problems," manager Lou Piniella said. "We were looking for innings. ... (Hill) was all over the place. There was no use keeping him in there. It wasn't going to get any better."

The Cubs certainly didn't need to look for innings earlier in the series.

After going 12 and 15 innings to win the first two games — the first time in 81 years they've needed that many innings to win consecutive road games — the Cubs won this with one big inning against the pitching-thin Pirates, who dropped their fifth in six games.

MARLINS 4, NATIONALS 3

Mark Hendrickson (2-1) allowed a run on three hits over seven innings and Jorge Cantu had three hits and drove in two runs as visiting Florida completed a three-game sweep of Washington, which has lost seven in a row.

METS 4, PHILLIES 3

Jose Reyes doubled with two outs and scored on Angel Pagan's single in the bottom of the 12th inning as New York beat Philadelphia to win the last two of a three-game series after losing nine straight to Philadelphia over two seasons.

GIANTS 5, CARDINALS 1

Kevin Correia (1-1) allowed five hits in 7 2/3 shutout innings, and Fred Lewis doubled, tripled and scored twice as host San Francisco beat St. Louis for its third straight victory after losing six of its first seven games.

REDS 4, BREWERS 1

Aaron Harang (1-1) gave up a run and five hits in eight innings, Edwin Encarnacion hit a two-run homer and Francisco Cordero earned a save against his former team as visiting Cincinnati beat Milwaukee.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

RANGERS SWEEP ORIOLES

Ian Kinsler hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning as Texas beat Baltimore, 5-4, to complete a doubleheader sweep.

In the opener, Kevin Millwood (1-2) allowed one run in seven innings to lower his ERA to 1.29 and the Rangers scored twice in the seventh in a 3-1 win.

ATHLETICS 3, BLUE JAYS 2

Travis Buck doubled home two runs in the top of the 12th inning and Joey Devine (1-0), called up from Triple-A Sacramento earlier in the day, pitched a scoreless 10th and 11th to help Oakland complete a three-game sweep of Toronto.

YANKEES 6, ROYALS 1

Andy Pettitte (1-1) gave up one run and five hits in 6 2/3 innings, and Alex Rodriguez and Melky Cabrera each homered and drove in two runs, helping visiting New York beat Kansas City in the final game of a three-game series.

RED SOX 12, TIGERS 6

J.D. Drew went 3 for 3 with two runs and two RBIs, and knuckleballer Tim Wakefield (1-0) walked five, hit two batters, allowed three hits and one earned run in five innings as host Boston handed Detroit its eighth loss in nine games.

RAYS 7, MARINERS 0

Edwin Jackson (2-0) allowed two hits in eight innings, Trever Miller pitched the ninth to complete a three-hitter, Eric Hinske homered and Mike DiFelice drove in three runs to help host Tampa Bay end a four-game losing streak.

SHORT HOPS

DIAMONDBACKS

Left-hander Doug Davis had surgery for thyroid cancer yesterday, two days after pitching Arizona to a win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

"The surgery that was completed this evening by Dr. Bob Evani was very successful," team physician Dr. Michael Lee said.