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PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Moises Alou called it a must-win game, and the Chicago Cubs came through.

Derrek Lee broke a 1-for-20 slide with three hits and four RBI, and the Cubs routed the Pittsburgh Pirates 12-1 Sunday to stop a five-game losing streak.

"It felt like a do-or-die game, said Alou, who had two hits and two RBI. "Sometime you don't want to feel that way, but I felt like we had to win today. It was a tough road trip."

Carlos Zambrano (5-2) struck out eight in six innings to beat Pittsburgh for the third time this season, helping end Chicago's longest skid since Sept. 22-27, 2002. He allowed one run and eight hits, walked three and hit three batters.

Zambrano said the losing streak had him overthrowing early. He twice worked out of bases-loaded situations and stranded two runners in another inning.

"I tried to do too much the first three or four innings because we've been losing games," Zambrano said. "I didn't have control of my sinker."

A shouting match with a couple of Pirates players after hitting a batter in the third helped Zambrano regain his focus.

"Thanks to them," he said. "They woke me up."

Aramis Ramirez and Michael Barrett also had three hits apiece for Chicago, which matched its season highs for runs and hits (17).

"We always talk about getaway day victories, but that was a supreme getaway day victory there," Cubs manager Dusty Baker said. "We needed to pick up a game."

Pittsburgh had been trying to extend a winning streak to four for only the second time this season. Sean Burnett, the Pirates' No. 1 pick in the 2000 amateur draft, made his major league debut and allowed one run and four hits in five innings with three walks and three strikeouts.

Burnett said he was jittery and that feeling never left him.

"I don't remember the game, really. It was all a big blur," he said. "I was a little overanxious. Hopefully, there will be another time and I can slow it down a little."

Chicago scored seven runs in the ninth, an inning that ended with infielder Abraham Nunez on the mound to get the final out. Moises Alou had a two-run single, and Lee a two-run triple. Ramon Martinez and Aramis Ramirez each had RBI singles.

Rookie reliever Mike Johnston was ejected in the ninth after he hit Todd Walker with a pitch, and Pittsburgh manager Lloyd McClendon also was ejected. Ten Pirates batters were hit by pitches in the four-game series.

"I'm puzzled by what happened," McClendon said. "Johnston is a left-handed pitcher facing a left-handed batter. Why does he want to hit him and have to face Alou, a right-handed hitter, with the bases loaded? Plus, we didn't have enough pitching. Our bullpen was pretty fatigued."

Baker said no one was hit deliberately.

"We didn't need to. We're going bad enough already," he said. "I didn't think Johnston was trying to hit (Walker) either. I thought he was throwing the ball inside."

The loss kept the Pirates from posting their second four-game winning streak this season.

"It was a great ballgame for six innings," McClendon said. "I'll take three out of four anytime."

With the score 1-1 in the seventh, Chicago went ahead. Alou reached against John Grabow (0-2) on third baseman Rob Mackowiak's fielding error. took third on Ramirez's single off Brian Boehringer, and scored as Lee broke his bat on a single that skipped past shortstop Jack Wilson.

Michael Barrett hit an RBI double, Corey Patterson was walked intentionally and pinch-hitter Todd Hollandsworth walked on five pitches, forcing in a run for a 4-1 lead.

Chicago added a run against Salomon Torres in the eighth on Ramirez's RBI single.

Randall Simon's RBI single put Pittsburgh ahead in the second, but Lee's RBI double tied the score in the fifth. The ball bounced into the stands, preventing a second run from possibly scoring.

Game notes

Benches cleared for the second consecutive game. Zambrano hit Craig Wilson with a pitch in the third inning and Daryle Ward, who was advancing to second, appeared to shout something at the pitcher. Zambrano walked slowly toward Ward, and that drew both teams to the center of the infield. No contact was made, no one was ejected and the teams were quickly returned to their dugouts and bullpens. The Cubs haven't been swept in a four-game series by the Pirates since Sept. 16-18, 1969, at Forbes Field, two venues ago for Pittsburgh. ... Jason Kendall singled in the first to extend his hitting streak to 16 games. ... Bay made his first start of the season in CF for Pittsburgh. He went 3-for-3 with a double, two home runs and eight RBI against Zambrano last Sept. 19. Bay doubled in the fifth to snap a 0-for-12 streak. ... Burnett allowed at least one base runner in each of his five innings.