PITTSBURGH (AP) - Tom Goodwin, getting an infrequent start, hit a go-ahead solo homer in the ninth inning and the Chicago Cubs ended a season-high three-game losing streak by beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2 Thursday night.

The teams split the rain-abbreviated two-game series. The Pirates have yet to win any of their eight series this season in PNC Park, where they are 7-17.

Goodwin, who played for Cubs manager Dusty Baker last season with the Giants, hit Scott Sauerbeck's 2-2 pitch into the right-field seats with two outs for only his 24th career homer in 14 seasons. It was his third hit of the game and only his fourth career homer off a left-hander.

Sauerbeck (0-4) took the loss in relief of Kris Benson, who gave up two runs in eight innings.

Mike Remlinger (3-0) pitched a scoreless eighth for the victory and Joe Borowski pitched the ninth for his eighth save in 10 chances.

The Pirates lost their 12th in 16 games despite solo homers from Reggie Sanders and Brian Giles.

The Cubs won even after starter Matt Clement, 0-4 since beating the Pirates on April 18, couldn't hold a 2-0 lead he helped give himself with his first three hits of the season.

Clement and Goodwin singled ahead of Corey Patterson's two-run double in the third off Benson.

But Clement gave the runs back as Sanders led off the bottom of the inning with his eighth homer and Giles led off the fourth with his third homer. It was the second homer in as many nights for Giles, who has five homers in his last seven games against Chicago.

For a minute or two, the Cubs had a 1-0 lead in the second. Eric Karros initially was given a home run on a long fly ball that clearly was foul, but the umpires quickly changed the call after huddling. Karros struck out on the next pitch.

The Cubs squandered a scoring chance in the seventh despite getting three singles in a span of four batters. After Clement singled for his third straight hit, center fielder Kenny Lofton ranged far to his left to run down Goodwin's drive into the gap with a one-handed catch.

Benson immediately gave up consecutive singles to Mark Grudzielanek and Patterson, but right fielder Sanders' throw to the plate beat Clement by 20 feet, and the pitcher all but gave up running before being tagged by catcher Jason Kendall for the third out.

Lofton doubled in the fifth to extend his hitting streak to an NL-leading 20 games, the longest by a Pirates player since Al Martin's 20-game streak in 1999.

Clement, now winless in five straight starts, was lifted after allowing six hits and two runs in seven innings. He struck out six and walked two, and raised his batting average from .000 to .188.

Benson, challenged by manager Lloyd McClendon last week to start pitching like a No. 1 starter, lasted an inning longer than Clement even while allowing 11 hits in eight innings. He struck out four, walked two and benefited from the two double plays as the Cubs stranded eight runners. Notes: The two homers were only the 14th and 15th by the Pirates in 24 games in PNC Park, which has yielded only 33 homers this season. ... The Cubs' Alex Gonzalez grounded into two double plays and is 1-for-20 in his last five games.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

AP-NY-05-22-03 2145EDT