Cubs' Homers Sink Reds

Mark McGwire can't touch Sammy Sosa in one home run category: balls hit into the upper deck at Cinergy Field.

Sosa became the first Cub to reach the stadium's red seats Saturday, hitting the most impressive of Chicago's four homers in a 7-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

Benito Santiago homered twice and drove in four runs, but Sosa's 453-foot shot drew the biggest ovation from a crowd of 28,993, the Reds' largest gate since opening day.

While fans scrambled for the ball, Sosa put his head down and rounded the bases, unaware he'd hit only the 26th upper-deck homer in the stadium's 29-year history.

"I never look. When I hit the ball, I have respect for the other team," said Sosa, who gave up bowing to the crowd after homers in spring training because pitchers grumbled. "I don't show anybody up."

Not exactly. In Cinergy Field, he has indeed showed up McGwire, who has never homered in the circular stadium. McGwire has consistently reached the red seats in batting practice, but hasn't even come close when it counted.

Sosa said that doesn't matter.

"Everybody knows McGwire's the man," Sosa said. "I have never seen anybody hit the ball hard like Mark."

The Cubs broke open a close game by piling up three solo homers in the seventh off reliever Gabe White, ending a streak of 18 2-3 scoreless innings by the Reds' bullpen. Jose Hernandez homered with one out and Sosa hit his arching shot one out later.

Like McGwire, Sosa has gotten off to a slow start one season after they went neck-and-neck after Roger Maris' home run record. McGwire finished with a record 70 while Sosa ended up with 66.

McGwire broke a homerless streak of 41 at-bats last week, and Sosa pushed his total to seven by hitting three in the last four games. After making an adjustment in the way holds his hands, Sosa is starting to hit the ball hard again.

"Last year, we did what we did over six or seven months," Sosa said of the home run chase. "We didn't do it in a month or two weeks. There's still a lot of ball to play, a long way to go."

AfteSosa rounded the bases, Santiago hit the next pitch for his second homer of the game and the 11th by the Cubs in the last four games.

"The way I pitch, I've got to do my best to either keep it down or way up," White said. "I wasn't as sharp as I wanted to be. I hadn't thrown in three or four days and they have a good lineup. You don't have to be happy about it, but you can't dwell on it."

The Cubs thought he tried to do something about it on the next pitch. With Curtis Goodwin at the plate, White threw one down over the plate and over the head of catcher Eddie Taubensee. Home plate umpire Bill Hohn warned both benches and there were no further problems.

White didn't think he deserved the warning, but Goodwin said he didn't dig in because he figured he might be a target.

"It's a long season," Goodwin said, hinting at a payback.

After the three-homer inning pushed the score to 7-3, Terry Mulholland gave up a solo homer to Greg Vaughn in the eighth and a pair of opening singles in the ninth.

Rod Beck, who blew a save in the series opener Friday, came on and got the last three outs along with a couple of scary moments. Hal Morris flew out to Goodwin on the warning track in left field for the second out, and Goodwin went to the wall to get Vaughn's fly out and end the game.

"Whatever works," said Beck, who got his seventh save in 10 chances and brought his ERA down to 8.31. "Obviously the wind was blowing out today. It could have been a lot worse."

Chicago's homers ensured Jon Lieber (3-1) a successful return from the disabled list.

Lieber, who hadn't pitched since he was hit in the right eye by a thrown ball during batting practice on April 24, allowed seven hits and one walk in seven innings. Three of the hits were by Sean Casey, who hit a two-run homer in the first inning.

Denny Neagle (0-2), who started the season in the disabled list with weakness in his pitching shoulder, remained winless in four appearances with the Reds. The left-hander gave up eight hits and four runs in six innings, pushing his ERA to 5.89.

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