By RICK GANO
AP Sports Writer

CHICAGO(AP) -- Braden Looper got the early run support he needed
Wednesday night and made it through five innings to earn his
career-high 13th victory.

By the time Looper's back started stiffening up in the third
inning, the Brewers already had scored five runs on their way to
a 9-5 victory over the Chicago Cubs.

"Luckily we scored a lot. That's for sure," Looper said. "I felt
really good for three innings. About as good as I have all year.
But then I just couldn't get the ball down after that."

His back started bothering him because he'd been hit there by a
line drive during batting practice Tuesday.

"I got crushed in BP. I was playing catch. You don't see it
coming," he said.

Looper (13-6), who won 12 games in each of the two previous
seasons with the Cardinals, allowed five runs and nine hits,
including a two-run homer by Aramis Ramirez in the fifth, and
walked three.

"Thirteen wins is nothing to laugh at," Looper said. "To get
that 13th is nice. Couple of more would be good."

Speaking of 13, that's how many hits each team had Wednesday.
The Brewers drove Chicago starter Rich Harden (9-9) after three
innings, and Milwaukee shortstop Alcides Escobar had career
highs with four hits and three RBIs.

"I'm getting better and better every day," Escobar said. "I'm
trying to work on my offense every day, trying to put the ball
in play and make some contact. I'm looking for line drives in
every at-bat."

Milwaukee scored two in the second on a two-out RBI double by
No. 8 hitter Escobar and a run-producing single from Looper.

The Brewers loaded the bases in the third on Corey Hart's
single, an error on Cubs' third baseman Ramirez when he let Ryan
Braun's hard hopper get past him and an intentional walk to
Prince Fielder. Casey McGehee hit a sacrifice fly for a 3-0 lead
and Mike Cameron walked to reload the bases before Escobar came
through again with a soft two-out, two-run single for a 5-0
lead.

Harden gave up five hits, five runs - two earned - and three
walks, while throwing 71 pitches during his short stint.

"Bad outing," said Harden, who hasn't made it past the fifth
inning in any of his last four starts because of high pitch
counts.

"I have thrown a lot of pitches the last three starts and not
many innings," he added.

Chicago got a pair back in the bottom of the third on a
sacrifice fly by Kosuke Fukudome and RBI single by Derrek Lee.
But Escobar made a nice play on Milton Bradley's grounder behind
the bag and threw him out to end the rally.

Milwaukee got another run in the fourth with the aid of a rare
error on Cubs' catcher Geovany Soto and the alert eye of
Milwaukee manager Ken Macha.

After Felipe Lopez singled and moved up to second on an infield
out, reliever David Patton threw a ball in the dirt that Soto
attempted to scoop up with his catcher's mask, which is illegal.
Macha came out of the dugout and pointed it out to home plate
umpire Doug Eddings. Lopez was allowed to advance to third, Soto
was charged with an error, and Braun followed with an RBI
single.

"I don't think Soto knew the rule. I'll be honest with you,"
Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. "We told him he couldn't use his
helmet, either, just to make sure."

Corey Hart added a two-run single in a three-run fifth that
included Escobar's third straight hit.

NOTES: Escobar has a five-game hitting streak, going 9 for 19
during that stretch. ... Cubs OF Alfonso Soriano, who underwent
arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Tuesday and is finished
for the season, was back in the clubhouse Wednesday. "Everything
is good," Soriano said. "Hopefully in a week it will feel
better."