Brown Hits 3 HRs As Cubs Win

Brant Brown has a new favorite day of the year. Favorite socks, too.

With his blue socks pulled up to his knees as a slump-buster, Brown hit three home runs Thursday -- exactly two years to the date of his other multi-homer game -- as the Chicago Cubs beat the Philadelphia Phillies 12-5.

Brown hit two home runs June 18, 1996, in the second game of a doubleheader against Los Angeles. He also homered in the first game that day.

"I don't know," Brown said of his success on June 18. "But I'm going to have to mark this one down on my calendar."

Fans saluted Brown's "hat trick" by throwing hats onto the field after his third homer, a two-run shot in the Cubs' four-run eighth inning. It was the sixth three-homer game in the majors this season and the second one this week for the Cubs. Sammy Sosa hit three on Monday against Milwaukee.

Jeremi Gonzalez (6-5) overcame a four-run, five-hit first inning. Gonzalez gave up nine hits and five runs in six innings, and went 3-for-3 at the plate with an RBI. Terry Mulholland got the last seven outs for his second save.

Mark Portugal (2-2) gave up 10 hits and seven runs in 5 2/3 innings.

Gonzalez knew he was lucky to get out of the first.

"I got the third out and I came into the clubhouse and I was just trying to stop the feelings, because I knew we were going to get a lot of runs," Gonzalez said. "I tried to get my anger out in the clubhouse."

While Gonzalez was settling down, Brown was giving the Cubs a much-needed spark. With Chicago trailing 4-0, the leadoff man sent a 3-2 pitch into the center-field bleachers.

Streaking Jose Hernandez, who had a pair of two-run homers against Milwaukee on Wednesday, hit a solo homer in the second. Portugal then walked Jeff Blauser, who moved to second after Portugal bobbled Gonzalez's bunt which was ruled a hit.

Brown drove Blauser home with a hard RBI single that skipped past shortstop Desi Relaford to cut Philadelphia's lead to 4-3.

"That first home run Brown hit was huge," Chicago manager Jim Riggleman said. "Any run we throw on the board in the first would have been big. But to get it in one swing was really big. We had the makings of being a little flat, but Brownie took care of that for us."

Chicago took the lead for good in the third inning when slugger Henry Rodriguez finally broke out of his slump. Signed away from Montreal in the off-season to give the Cubs more power hitting, Rodriguez was hitting 3-for-38 in his last nine games and batting a dismal .167 over the last 28.

But he sent Portugal's first pitch into the center-field bleachers for a two-run homer. Brown hit his second home run in the fourth to make it 6-4.

Philadelphia finally managed to score again in the sixth inning on Rico Brogna's RBI single.

"It was a hot daand their bats were pretty hot, too," Philadelphia left fielder Gregg Jeffries said. "They have a good team, no question."

Maybe it's the socks. The Cubs had lost six of their last eight games, and Brown and Grace decided to pull their socks up to their knees to mix things up. Grace went 3-for-5 with an RBI.

"I like them," Brown said. ``You'll see them up tomorrow."

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