PITTSBURGH - The Chicago Cubs have been making a lot of pitchers look very bad lately. Ryan Vogelsong just wishes they wouldn't keep doing it to him.

Alex Gonzalez homered, doubled and drove in four runs and the Cubs beat up on Vogelsong for the second time in a week, defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-1 Tuesday night.

Corey Patterson, Todd Walker and Michael Barrett also homered to back Carlos Zambrano (2-0). The Cubs won for the fifth time in seven games and ended the Pirates' three-game winning streak.

Zambrano limited the Pirates to one run and seven hits, striking out four and walking two over eight innings. He beat Vogelsong (1-2) for the second straight start.

Vogelsong isn't the only pitcher struggling right now against the Cubs, who have scored at least eight runs in all but one of their last seven games. They have averaged 9.3 runs during that span.

"Potential is a dangerous word, but we have a lot of guys (who can hit)," Cubs manager Dusty Baker said. "You look up and down the lineup and everybody can hit the ball out of the ballpark. And different guys are taking their turns right now."

Gonzalez had only one RBI - a pinch-hit homer April 11 - until delivering a two-run double in a four-run first and a two-run homer in the fifth that made it 8-1.

Gonzalez is 7-for-13 the last three games after having only six hits in the first 2½ weeks of the season.

Vogelsong wouldn't mind getting back to pitching like he did during spring training, when he had an ERA that hovered around 2.00.

He began the season by limiting the Phillies to one run in seven innings during a 6-2 victory on April 8, but has allowed 19 hits and 15 earned runs over eight innings in consecutive losses to Chicago.

Patterson added a two-run homer in the big first inning and Walker had a solo shot as the Cubs again hit three homers off Vogelsong.

"They definitely have my number, that's for sure," Vogelsong said. "I've got to be better, because I've put my team in a hole for two starts in a row. ... I got into trouble early, and I should have just stepped back and slowed myself down, but things just weren't going right."

Vogelsong lasted three innings in an 8-3 loss last Wednesday, yielding homers to Sammy Sosa, Moises Alou and Aramis Ramirez. He was nearly as ineffective Tuesday in allowing nine runs and eight hits in five innings.

"He stunk. He just wasn't good," manager Lloyd McClendon said. "He started elevating his pitches early ... and that got him in trouble. He's not a polished pitcher yet, he's going to have his ups and downs, but there's no panic. We'll make him better."