SAN DIEGO -- The Chicago Cubs have used a strong showing at Wrigley Field to build the majors' best record.
Now, the Cubs are finding ways to win on the road.
Alfonso Soriano hit a three-run homer and Mark DeRosa added a two-run shot to lead Chicago to a 9-6 victory against the San Diego Padres for their ninth consecutive victory Tuesday night.
By winning the first two games of the three-game set, the Cubs won their first road series since the first road trip of the season. Chicago improved to 12-13 on the road compared to an ML-best 26-8 at home.
"We are finding ways to win," DeRosa said. "We have guys who are swinging hot bats. We never feel like we're ever out of the game."
The Cubs also got a solo home run from rookie Geovany Soto as they battered Padres' pitchers for the second successive night. Chicago, which had 14 hits Monday night in a 7-6 victory, had 11 hits Tuesday.
"It shows how deep our lineup can be," DeRosa said. "It's not the same guy every night. It seems like it's a different guy coming through every night."
Chicago had failed to win in seven road series since sweeping a three-game series April 7-10 in Pittsburgh.
The Cubs, who lead the majors in runs scored, not only got a strong offensive showing, but received solid work out of the back end of their bullpen after the Padres trimmed a 9-3 lead with three runs in the eighth inning.
Bob Howry was the Cubs' third reliever in the inning when he came on with the bases loaded and one out. Howry retired Tadahito Iguchi on a ground out that scored the last run of the inning, then struck out Brian Giles.
Kerry Wood pitched the ninth for his 16th save in 20 chances.
"Howry gets two big, big outs with the meat of their lineup coming up," Chicago manager Lou Piniella said. "I was trying not to have to use both Howry and Wood."
Soto's leadoff home run in the sixth put the Cubs ahead 4-3. Two batters later, DeRosa hit a two-run homer. Both drives came off Bryan Corey (1-1).
Soriano added his 14th home run, in the eighth inning off Carlos Guevara, to make it 9-3.
"Right now, it's fun to play with the way things have been going for us," Reed Johnson said. "We are playing with a lot of confidence and it shows."
The Cubs' streak is their best since winning 12 straight from May 19-June 2, 2001. The victory also allowed Chicago (38-21) to maintain the best record in the majors.
Jason Marquis (3-3) won despite a rough outing, allowing three runs in five innings. Marquis walked five, hit a batter, committed a balk and allowed a run to score on a throwing error when he attempted to pick a runner off first base.
Marquis won for only the second time in eight starts, although he didn't get past the sixth inning for the seventh consecutive time.
Corey allowed three runs on four hits in 1 1/3 innings.
"The biggest thing about that lineup is that they really forced us to come to them," Padres catcher Michael Barrett said. "You don't see them making too many quick outs."
Adrian Gonzalez, the NL leader in RBI with 55, drove in one run for the Padres, who lost their third straight. Gonzalez had three hits.
San Diego took a 3-1 lead in the fourth on Khalil Greene's sacrifice fly. The Cubs tied the score in the fifth when Wil Ledezma walked Ryan Theriot with the bases loaded and Derrek Lee drove in a run with an infield single.
San Diego added three runs in the eighth. Kevin Hart walked pinch-hitter Tony Clark with the bases loaded. Neal Cotts then allowed an RBI single to pinch-hitter Edgar Gonzalez before Iguchi's grounder off Howry brought in the final run.
Soto's home run tied him with Brian McCann of the Braves and Mike Napoli of the Angels for the major-league lead among catchers.
Ledezma, making his fourth start in place of injured Cy Young Award winner Jake Peavy, allowed three runs on three hits in 4 2/3 innings. The lefty walked five and struck out three.
Notes
- The Cubs have their best record after 59 games since the 1977 team was 39-20.
- Gonzalez has 16 RBI in his past 10 games.
- Chicago stole a season-high six bases, including two double steals.
- The Cubs recalled right-handed pitcher Kevin Hart from Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday and optioned infielder Micah Hoffpauir to Iowa.
