The Chicago Cubs seemed destined for another defeat to the Houston Astros as they were trailing 6-0 by the fourth inning.

But the Cubs were fuelled by three Aramis Ramirez home runs as they pulled out an improbable 14-7 come-from-behind victory over Houston on Tuesday night.

The Astros took a 4-0 lead in the second inning, and then extended it to 6-0 with RBI singles from Hunter Pence and Carlos Lee in the fourth.

The Cubs scored a run in the fourth with a solo shot from Ramirez, but the Astros regained the six-run lead with Chris Johnson’s solo home run in the fifth.

Chicago responded with five runs in the bottom half, including a three-run homer from Ramirez, to get back in the game.

The Cubs tied the game in the sixth with a solo blast from Geovany Soto and then took the lead in the seventh on Derrek Lee’s RBI double. The Cubs took a two-run lead later in the seventh on Alfonso Soriano’s RBI single.

Chicago cushioned its lead with five runs in the eighth, highlighted by yet another three-run blast from Ramirez.

Ramirez finished 3-for-5 with seven RBIs.

Cubs reliever Andrew Cashner (1-3) earned the victory, while Astros reliever Brandon Lyon (5-4) took the loss.