Cubs bats wake up, pound D-backs

CHICAGO -- Derrek Lee is finally feeling at home with the Chicago Cubs.\nLee went 5-for-5, including a three-run homer, and had five RBIs Thursday as the Cubs beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 11-3 to avoid a three-game sweep.\n"It was just one of those days, it seemed like every pitch I was looking for was there for me," Lee said. "I was aggressive with it and got a good swing on them and was able to get some hits.\n"You're not going to be able to go 5-for-5 every day. I don't think I'd ever gotten five hits before. It was a great day. It was a lot of fun out there," he said.\nTraded from the Florida Marlins in the offseason, Lee's five hits were a career high and they helped Matt Clement win his fifth straight start.\nLee struggled in April, while the player he was dealt for, Hee Seop Choi, showed his power. Choi already has nine homers for Florida.\n"Maybe in the first few home games I was probably pressing a little bit," Lee said.\n"I'd like to blame it on that (pressure), but it seems like every April I'm not very good for some reason or another. But another bad April for me. I'm glad it's over with. I'm just going to try and build on today."\nLee raised his average from .256 to .295 with his performance Thursday, and his homer keyed a five-run fifth inning for a Cubs offense that had been struggling. Chicago was shut out Wednesday and had managed only 22 runs in its previous nine games.\nClement (5-1) allowed three runs and seven hits over seven innings for his team-high fifth win.\n"I just kept telling myself: 'Don't let this get out of hand. Don't let this get out of hand. We're going to come back,'" said Clement, who faced an early 3-1 deficit.\nTrailing 3-1 headed into the fifth, the Cubs got three straight singles to chase Elmer Dessens (1-4) and make it a one-run game. Aramis Ramirez greeted Oscar Villarreal with another RBI single to tie it and one out later, Lee homered to left to make it 6-3.\nArizona's defense was a comedy of errors in the sixth when the first three Chicago batters reached thanks to misplays -- by third baseman Chad Tracy, second baseman Matt Kata and first baseman Shea Hillenbrand.\nSammy Sosa then walked on four pitches to force in a run, and Lee later hit a hard single off Tracy's glove to make it 8-3.\n"It came unglued there a little bit in the sixth inning," Arizona manager Bob Brenly said. "It just wasn't a very pretty game. We are happy we won the series, but we hate to have it end on a game like this"