NEW YORK (AP) – Greg Maddux stopped his six-game losing streak, Aramis Ramirez and Jacque Jones hit consecutive homers and the Chicago Cubs beat the New York Mets 8-7 Monday night.

Maddux (8-11) allowed seven runs and 10 hits in six-plus innings but still earned his 326th win to tie Eddie Plank for 12th on the career list. The right-hander won for the first time in eight starts since beating Cincinnati on June 9.

Maddux’s 35th career victory against the Mets, his most against any opponent and the most for any pitcher against New York, came against Steve Trachsel, who had won a career-best seven straight decisions.

The Mets scored three runs in the seventh to pull within one. They had runners on first and second when Cubs shortstop Ronny Cedeno knocked down Cliff Floyd’s grounder and threw him out to end the inning.

Ryan Dempster pitched a perfect ninth for his 17th save in 22 chances. Michael Barrett also homered and Phil Nevin hit a two-run double for the Cubs, who snapped a three-game skid.

Nevin was subbing for first baseman Derrek Lee, who went back on the 15-day disabled list with inflammation in his right wrist.

The Cubs trailed 4-3 before Ramirez hit a 1-1 pitch from Trachsel (9-5) into the second deck in left for a two-run homer in the fifth. Ramirez’s 22nd homer traveled an estimated 425 feet and came after Michael Barrett’s leadoff single.

Jones followed with a drive to center for his 16th homer. It was the second time in five days that the Cubs hit homers in consecutive at-bats. Barrett and Ramirez went deep against the Astros on Thursday, the first time Chicago hit back-to-back homers all season.

Juan Pierre added a two-run single off Heath Bell to make it 8-4. Trachsel allowed a season-high eight runs and 10 hits in 4 2-3 innings, losing for the first time since a 1-0 defeat May 17 at St. Louis.

Carlos Delgado drove in two runs for the Mets. Carlos Beltran’s sacrifice fly in the seventh gave him 80 RBIs, a club record for center fielders.

Notes: Maddux is 35-18 in 64 starts against the Mets. He is 14-11 in 30 starts at Shea Stadium. … INF Ryan Theriot was recalled from Triple-A Iowa to take Lee’s roster spot. Lee, a two-time Gold Glove winner and the 2005 NL batting champion, broke two bones in his wrist in April. He was activated from the DL on June 25 but has experienced some pain and weakness in the wrist since his return. … Mets RHP Pedro Martinez (sore hip) is expected to return to the rotation Friday in Atlanta, and manager Willie Randolph said the team will go to a six-man rotation for now. … Cubs manager Dusty Baker said RHP Carlos Marmol should be OK for his next start. Marmol bruised his right hand while hitting in the third inning of Sunday’s 7-1 loss to Washington. … The attendance of 45,631 pushed the Mets over the 2 million mark for the season.

AP-ES-07-24-06 2240EDT