PITTSBURGH -- If anyone understood exactly what Kerry Wood was feeling after Wednesday's game, it was Ryan Dempster.

Felix Pie slapped a game-winning two-out, two-run single in the 15th inning to lift the Cubs to a 6-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the second straight extra-inning game between the two teams. It didn't have to be that way.

Dempster held the Pirates to one hit over seven scoreless innings, but did not get a decision as Wood, his replacement as closer, served up a game-tying home run to Jason Bay in the ninth.

"You know the exact feeling he's going through," said Dempster, who is back in the rotation after three years as the Cubs closer. "It's hard for people to remember, especially in that situation, that we're not machines, we're human beings. Things like that are going to happen.

"As frustrating as it is, sometimes you have to tip your cap to the other guy," Dempster said. "That's power on power, and it happened at the right spot. It didn't hurt, we won the game, and that's all that matters."

In the Pirates first, Bay hit a one-out single off Dempster, and that was it. Dempster was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the eighth after throwing 98 pitches. For the game, he struck out five, and faced the minimum in five innings.

"We were kind of talking about it and wondering why he hadn't been in the rotation earlier," Bay said of Dempster. "The way he looked tonight was pretty impressive."

Cubs manager Lou Piniella had considered leaving Dempster in the game.

"I vascillated back and forth to send him out for the eighth," Piniella said. "He'd thrown about 100 pitches or so, and he did his job."

The Cubs took a 4-2 lead in the 14th on Aramis Ramirez's two-run homer off Phil Dumatrait, and Piniella thought that was enough. Before you could say "pierogi," the Pirates had tied it again.

Bay was safe on an infield single in the 14th and Adam LaRoche ended an 0-for-25 skid with a two-run homer off a 2-0 pitch from Kevin Hart to tie the game again at 4.

"It was a situation where I kind of out-thought myself," Hart said. "In a 2-0 situation, I was going with my best pitch. I out-thought myself and threw it right in his swing. Hindsight is always 20-20, but in that situation, I'd rather have him beat me with a two-run, [opposite-field] home run. That's what he's trying to do."

Hart didn't have a long time to think about it.

"I'm happy the way these guys picked me up," Hart said. "I think they all had a feeling we were going to do it again."

They did in the 15th. The Cubs had runners at first and second with two outs, and both advanced on a wild pitch by Dumatrait. Alfonso Soriano was intentionally walked, and Pie singled to left center to drive in the game-winning runs.

"He stayed right on the pitch, and lined it over short and that's what he has to do to be a big league everyday player," Piniella said.

Pie was thrilled.

"I like to win," Pie said. "When I hit the ball like that, I saw the guys score and I was excited. I said, 'Wow.' I can't explain how excited I was. It doesn't matter how long [the game is], the important thing is we won."

The Cubs played back-to-back extra-inning games twice last season, most recently, May 6 against Washington (10 innings), and May 8 against the Pirates (15 innings).

Sean Marshall, called up Tuesday from Triple-A Iowa, picked up his first career save. He thought it was tough to get through O'Hare Airport on Tuesday. On Wednesday, he got up four or five times to warm up.

"I threw some innings down there," Marshall said.

So, is he vying for the closer's job?

"Yeah, Woody better watch out," Marshall said. "No, no -- that's not my gig."

It was a long night. Piniella was asked if his stomach was OK after all the lead changes.

"My stomach is OK," he said. "I'm programmed to eat about 10:30. What time is it, by the way?"