Cubs mount spectacular fightback to edge the Rockies

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The Chicago Cubs overcame an early eight-run deficit to squeeze past the Colorado Rockies with a stunning 10-9 victory at a blustery Wrigley Field on Friday.

Mark DeRosa hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning to cap a dramatic fightback and earn the Central Division-leading Cubs their five successive win.

The Rockies, beaten 8-4 by Chicago on Thursday, appeared to be on track for a very different outcome when Todd Helton hit a rare home run off a left-handed pitcher in the first inning.

Jeff Baker set a club record with four doubles and pitcher Aaron Cook gave up just one run in five innings as the Cubs built a 9-1 lead.

However the Cubs rallied in the sixth with Kosuke Fukudome, Jim Edmonds and Henry Blanco each hitting homers before stealing the win with DeRosa's two-run shot in the seventh.

"Unbelievable that game, from the start," a bewildered DeRosa told reporters. "Early on, we were like: 'Oh, it's going to be one of these games.'

"But the way the wind was blowing, you knew it was just a couple of fly balls and we were back in the game.

SUCCESSIVE WINS

"I don't even know what just happened," he added after the Cubs improved to 24-8 at Wrigley Field and 34-21 overall for the season with back-to-back victories to start the four-game series.

"Give me a little heads up on who did what during the game because it just seemed to all of a sudden steamroll into us getting a victory."

DeRosa's game-winning homer sent the partisan crowd of just under 40,000 into a frenzy.

"That's the loudest that this place has been this year by far," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. "It was almost deafening."

The Rockies, who have lost five in a row, fell to 20-35 for the season.

(Writing by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Martin Petty)