Cubs trample Buerhle in first, hold on to beat ChiSox

CHICAGO (AP) -- Angel Pagan looked like a man ready to party.

The rookie wore a pinstriped suit, shades and a silver chain with a cross after hitting his first two career homers on his 25th birthday. And the Chicago Cubs held off the Chicago White Sox 15-11 Sunday afternoon to avoid a three-game sweep.

"There is no better gift than that one," Pagan said.

Michael Barrett and Carlos Zambrano homered off Mark Buehrle during a seven-run first inning in which the Cubs had seven of their season-high 20 hits.

Buehrle (9-5) allowed a career-high 11 runs and 13 hits over five innings as the White Sox lost for just the third time in 16 games.

Barrett hit a solo homer and Zambrano added a two-run shot in the first inning as the Cubs took a 7-2 lead. Neifi Perez hit a three-run drive off Buehrle in the fifth that made it 11-5.

Pagan homered twice off Cliff Politte -- leading off the seventh to make it 12-7 and a two-run shot in the eighth to make it 15-10. The rookie started in right field for Jacque Jones, who is 1-for-27 against Buehrle, and moved to left late in the game.

"I want to establish my career as an everyday player," said Pagan, who was activated Friday after spending six weeks on the disabled list with a strained left hamstring. "I want ... to start my career from [here] on."

Barrett had a career high four hits, and Perez tied a career high with four RBI as the Cubs earned their second victory in 10 games.

Although he delivered at the plate, Zambrano struggled through six-plus innings with a sore left knee.

He allowed seven runs and seven hits, including a three-run homer by Juan Uribe and pinch-hit shot by Jim Thome leading off the seventh. Zambrano left with an 11-6 lead and runners on first and third.

Bob Howry got the final four outs for his second save.

Thome's homer was his American League-leading 27th. Joe Crede's two-run homer off Scott Williamson in the eighth cut the Cubs' lead to 13-9. And Tadahito Iguchi made it 13-10 with a solo shot off Scott Eyre with two out in the inning.

Uribe finished with four RBI.

In his previous start against the White Sox on May 21 at U.S. Cellular Field, Zambrano (7-3) had to be restrained after A.J. Pierzynski homered in the fourth inning and pointed toward the sky -- as the pitcher does when he comes off the mound. Zambrano said he was upset that Pierzynski said something as he rounded the bases -- not the pointing -- and added he was yelling at White Sox third-base coach Joey Cora to keep Pierzynski under control. A day earlier, Pierzynski knocked over Cubs Barrett, who punched him in the face and set off a bench-clearing brawl.

Pierzynski was involved in another big hit this weekend, only no punches were involved. His three-run homer off Ryan Dempster with two out in the ninth lifted the White Sox to an 8-6 victory on Saturday.

Buehrle, who pitched a two-hitter and beat the Cubs 6-1 on May 19, simply didn't have it this time.

The White Sox scored twice in the top of the first, but the Cubs sent up 10 batters in the bottom half.

"I was throwing stuff down the middle and that's pretty much as bad as it gets," Buehrle said.

Derrek Lee drove in the first two runs with a double to left-center, took third on a wild throw to second by Rob Mackowiak and scored the third run on Aramis Ramirez's sacrifice fly to left.

Barrett then drove a 2-1 pitch out to center for his ninth homer. Back-to-back doubles with two out by Matt Murton and Perez made it 5-2, and Zambrano pulled the first pitch over the left-field wall before Pierre struck out. It was the switch-hitter's third homer -- the most by a Cubs pitcher since Ferguson Jenkins hit six in 1971.

Buehrle hoped this would be a replay of the game at Minnesota on May 14, when he became the first starter in 106 years to earn a victory after giving up seven in the first inning. And the White Sox threatened.

"When you think that you've got those guys in your pocket, they come [back]," Perez said.

Which is why Pagan's surprising power display was so important.

"It was the first multi-homer game of my life," said Pagan, a rookie who dedicated the performance to his late father. "I was trying to put some good swings on the ball."

Game notes
Alex Cintron started at third for the White Sox instead of Crede, who is 1-for-18 against Zambrano. Crede entered the game in the bottom of the seventh and hit his 16th homer in the eighth. ... The Cubs had 20 hits in a 14-6 win over Boston on June 10, 2005. ... Thome's pinch-hit homer was the third of his career and second in less than a week. He had one Thursday at Pittsburgh. It was the second in as many games for the White Sox, who have five this season. Paul Konerko hit one on Saturday. ... Buehrle's previous high was 10 runs allowed on May 16, 2003 at Minnesota. The 13 hits were one short of a career high.