Sammy Slams A Slam, HR

Sammy Sosa has heard it way too often. For all the home runs he's hit, he'd never hit a grand slam.

Until Monday night.

"Thank God," he said, I'm not going to have to hear that no more."

Sosa hit his 39th and 40th home runs, including that elusive first career grand slam, and drove in all of Chicago's runs Monday night as the Cubs beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-2.

Sosa's eighth-inning shot to straightaway center field ended the longest streak of homers without a slam from the start of a career in major league history.

Sosa had hit 246 homers without a grand slam before he hit reliever Alan Embree's first pitch 438 feet to center. Earlier, his two-run opposite field homer tied it at 2 in the sixth.

"That's twice he's pulled my pants down and embarrassed me," said Embree, who also gave up Sosa's 20th June home run. "I have to figure out a way to get that guy out."

Chicago manager Jim Riggleman said Sosa was razzed a little bit by his teammates for finally hitting a grand slam.

"I'm sure he's glad to get that monkey off his back because it was really just a fluke thing that he hadn't hit one," Riggleman said.

Sosa set a major league record with 20 homers in June, but had only four in July until homering Sunday against the Mets at Wrigley Field. He said he'd been tryin to hard.

"I've been swinging too hard, trying to hit the home run," he said. "The first at-bat he got me, and I said to myself I have to be more relaxed and go out there and make good contact."

He matched his career best of 40 homers, and with 102 RBIs, surpassed the 100 mark for the fourth consecutive season.

"The difference this year is I'm in a different situation," Sosa said. "When you play on a winning team, everything is easy. You want to go out to the ballpark early and you want to win the game."

The six RBIs tied Sosa's career high and moved him four ahead of Mark McGwire in the NL. Sosa has seven multi-homer games this year.

McGwire of St. Louis leads the majors with 44 home runs. The Cardinals were idle Monday.

Steve Trachsel (10-5) gave up just three hits in eight innings for his fourth victory in five starts. Willie Blair (4-15), who gave up just three hits through seven innings, got the loss, the latest in a string of games in which he's pitched well but hasn't gotten any offensive support.

"He pitched very good to a tough-hitting club," Arizona manager Buck Showalter said. "He pitched very well and we didn't bail him out."

Riggleman left Trachsel in to hit to lead off the eighth, and he responded with a single.

Lance Johnson followed with another single and Embree relieved Blair. Mickey Morandini beat out a bunt for a single to set the stage for Sosa.

Trachsel didn't give up a hit until Tony Batista singled with one out in the fifth. Karim Garcia led off the inning with a walk.

Blair's bunt moved the runners to second and third, then Andy Fox singled to drive in both before being caught in a rundown between first and second to end the inning.

After Morandini singled with two outs in the sixth, Sosa hit Blair's 1-1 pitch the opposite way, the ball clearing the right field fence by about 10 feet just inside the foul pole.

The Cubs have won eight of 10 and lead the NL wild-card race by 3 games.

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