Chicago, IL (My Sportsbook) - Alfonso Soriano hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning to help the Chicago Cubs take an 8-7 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in the second of a four-game set at Wrigley Field.

Aramis Ramirez went 3-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored while Derrek Lee and Kosuke Fukudome each scored twice for the Cubs, who snapped a two-game slide.

Carlos Zambrano started on the mound and was touched for seven runs on nine hits with three walks and seven strikeouts in seven innings. Aaron Heilman (2-0) got the win for throwing the eighth inning.

"The fans got their moneys worth," said Cubs manager Lou Piniella. "They saw a little bit of everything today. But Soriano saved the best for last as he's done so often."

Ryan Ludwick hit two homers, including a three-run shot, while Brian Barden went 2-for-3 with a solo homer for the Cardinals, who had won seven of eight coming into the game.

P.J. Walters, making his major-league debut, went four innings and gave up three runs on six hits with two walks and seven strikeouts. Chris Perez (0-1) was saddled with the loss.

"We had a chance and some real heroes with our young pitchers," said Cards manager Tony LaRussa. "They gave us a chance to win and our offense put up some runs against a good pitcher. It's a tough loss.

Trailing by two runs, the Cubs made it a 7-6 game in the seventh as Ramirez chased home Fukudome with a single.

The Cubs then took the lead in the eighth. Perez started the frame on the mound and got Ryan Theriot to ground out, but then issued a walk to pinch- hitter Aaron Miles. Soriano then belted a pitch over the left-center wall for an 8-7 lead.

Carlos Marmol took the mound in the ninth and gave up a walk and then hit a batter to start the frame. However, he struck out Ludwick and then induced a game-ending double play from Khalil Greene to pick up his second save of the year.

The Cubs got on the board in the first inning as Micah Hoffpauir doubled to bring home Fukudome and Ramirez followed with a single to score Hoffpauir for a 2-0 lead.

Fukudome's sacrifice fly in the second scored Mike Fontenot for a 3-0 lead.

St. Louis, though, grabbed the lead in the third. With the bases loaded, Albert Pujols got a run home on a sacrifice fly. Ludwick followed by crushing a pitch into the seats in left for a 4-3 advantage.

The Cardinals made it a 5-3 game in the fifth on a sac fly from Chris Duncan that plated Pujols.

Chicago answered in the bottom of the frame as an RBI double from Ramirez followed by a run-scoring single from Geovany Soto tied the game.

The Cards got the lead back in the sixth as Barden led off the frame with a shot over the left field wall, and St. Louis tacked on another in the seventh on a one-out solo shot from Ludwick for a 7-5 advantage.

Game Notes

Both teams left seven men on base...The Cubs won nine of 15 meetings with the Cards in 2008, including four of six tilts held in Wrigley. Since 2006, St. Louis has gone just 7-18 as the visitor in this series...Attendance was 40,250.