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DETROIT (Ticker) -- With the help of Juan Encarnacion, the Detroit Tigers salvaged the finale of three slugfests with the Chicago Cubs. Encarnacion drove in three runs and had an RBI single to break a seventh-inning tie and lift the Tigers to a 9-6 victory. Sammy Sosa hit a pair of two-run homers for the Cubs, who won twice in a three-game series that had a combined 55 runs and 79 hits. Sosa has 415 career homers to pass Darrell Evans and move into 31st on the all-time list. But the Tigers did most of the damage on Sunday to win for just the fourth time in 14 games. "This was a good win," Tigers manager Phil Garner said. "We put runs on the board early and often and got good at-bats from a lot of guys." The Cubs, already assured of being in first place at the All-Star break for just the third time since World War II, lost for only the second time in seven games. "We cannot complain. We had a great first half," Sosa said. "We have to feel happy but it's not over yet. Two out of three is very nice." Jose Macias hit his first homer since April 27 and Shane Halter had three of the Tigers' 13 hits. Halter has six three-hit games in his last 15 contests. Encarnacion delivered a run-scoring single off Todd Van Poppel to make a loser of Felix Heredia (2-1), who allowed a walk to Robert Fick, a single to Tony Clark and a bunt single to Halter in the seventh. Jeff Fassero relieved Van Poppel and gave up a two-run single to pinch hitter Wendell Magee. Todd Jones (4-5) pitched a scoreless seventh and Matt Anderson worked the ninth for his eighth save. Both starters struggled through six innings. Kerry Wood of the Cubs allowed six runs -- five earned -- and nine hits. "I felt lucky to get through six innings, only giving up six runs with the slop I was throwing up there today," Wood said. "That's baseball. You're not going to have good stuff everytime out." Jose Lima allowed six runs and seven hits and used some unusual math to defend his performance. "Besides the two home runs, I thought I pitched really well," Lima said. "If you don't count those four runs, I only allowed two runs in six innings and that's a good outing." The Tigers opened the scoring with four runs in the second. A walk to Fick and singles by Halter and Clark loaded the bases before Wood allowed a run on a wild pitch. Encarnacion delivered a sacrifice fly and Macias doubled home a run to make it 3-0. Third baseman Ron Coomer booted a ground ball that allowed another run to score. Sosa cut the lead in half with a two-run homer in the third to score Eric Young, who was hit by a pitch. Macias homered in the fourth on a ball that glanced off the glove of Sosa in right field and over the wall. Young singled and Delino DeShields had an RBI double in the fifth to set up Sosa, who homered to left field to make it 5-5. Sosa, who went deep in his 36th different park, has five multi-homer games this season and 49 in his career. Detroit regained the lead in the bottom of the fifth on a double by Encarnacion before Corey Patterson of the Cubs tied it in the sixth with a sacrifice fly. Chicago catcher Joe Girardi left the game in the sixth inning with back problems and will be examined when the team returns to Chicago.
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