CHICAGO (AP) – Jeff Kent drove in four runs and D.J. Houlton got his first win in two months as the Los Angeles Dodgers used a six-run second inning Monday night to beat the Chicago Cubs 9-6.

Houlton (5-7) won for the first time in nine starts since June 27, despite giving up four solo homers. He can thank the Dodgers’ offense for finally getting him some runs- they’d scored only four in his five previous starts and just eight in his seven losses.

Jeromy Burnitz homered twice for the Cubs and Nomar Garciaparra and Todd Walker each connected off Houlton, who surrendered seven hits and four runs in 5 2-3 innings.

Duaner Sanchez got Derrek Lee on a grounder for the final out to earn his fifth save.

Cubs right-hander Kerry Wood made his final appearance of the season, pitching the eighth. He will have season-ending arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder Wednesday.

The Dodgers drove Jerome Williams (4-7) out after 1 2-3 innings with a six-run second that featured five hits, three walks and an error, with 12 batters coming to the plate.

Jason Phillips and Jayson Werth singled and Jose Cruz Jr. walked to load the bases before Williams walked Houlton on a 3-2 pitch to force in the first run.

Antonio Perez hit a two-run double to right-center that right fielder Burnitz couldn’t reach, and after a lineout for the second out of the inning, Kent delivered a two-run single. Ricky Ledee reached on an infield single to short when Neifi Perez couldn’t come up with his slow roller, and Kent scored when third baseman Garciaparra fielded Phillips’ grounder and threw the ball into right field for an error to make it 6-0.

Burnitz hit his 20th homer in the bottom of the inning, but Kent – in a 3-for-23 slump entering the game – doubled in two more in the third off reliever Todd Wellemeyer.

Garciaparra homered in the fourth, his third of the season, and Walker connected for his 10th in the fifth. Burnitz hit his second of the game to lead off the sixth.

Burnitz doubled and Garciaparra singled with one out in the eighth off reliever Giovanni Carrara, and the Cubs made it 8-5 when third baseman Jose Valentin fielded Scott McClain’s grounder and threw low to second for an error.

Werth hit his seventh homer in the ninth.

Notes: Burnitz now has 24 multihomer games in his career, including two this season. He has at least 20 homers in eight of the last nine seasons. He missed in 2002 when hit 19 for the Mets … Ledee left the game in the third with a sore left hamstring and Valentin replaced him, later moving from left to third base. Valentin’s 12 homers and 31 RBIs against the Cubs are his most against any NL team … Houlton walked twice and had a sacrifice in his first three plate appearances.

AP-ES-08-29-05 2312EDT


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