Sweet Sammy: Sosa Slams His 36th

Sammy Sosa hadn't homered in awhile, nor had Steve Trachsel pitched a complete game for some time.

Each of them ended a drought Friday night as the Chicago Cubs beat the Florida Marlins 6-1.

"The last couple of days I've been swinging so hard, I've been a little out of control," said Sosa, who homer was his 36th of the year but just his first since July 10. "Today was a great game."

The home run by Sosa, who set a major-league record in June for homers in a month with 20, was a two-run, 440-foot shot to center in the sixth off Kirt Ojala.

Trachsel (9-5) limited the Marlins to five singles, struck out nine to match a career high and walked two in his first complete game since Aug. 17, 1996. He has won his last three starts after losing his previous four.

"The breaking ball was good, the splitter was good and the location on my fastball was good," Trachsel said. "It's the type of game I like to have."

Ryan Dempster (1-4) took the loss and found himself amazed by Sosa's home run on a pitch below his knees. "It was a decent pitch by Ojala and he hit a line drive home run. That's some power for you right there."

Mickey Morandini had three singles, drove in a run and scored one for Chicago. Lance Johnson had two singles and scored twice for the ubs.

The Cubs took a 1-0 lead in the first when Johnson singled and scored on Sosa's double off Dempster.

Johnson's hit was his first since coming off the disabled list on Tuesday. He had been on the DL since April 28 with an inflamed right hand.

In the second, Jose Hernandez led off with a single, was sacrificed to second by Trachsel and scored on Johnson's second single of the game.

Chicago made it 3-0 when Johnson stole second and scored on Morandini's single.

The Marlins closed to 3-1 in the fourth when Edgar Renteria singled, moved to second on a groundout, and scored on Todd Zeile's single.

Dempster, who allowed four runs and eight hits, left the game in the fifth after singles by Morandini and Grace put runners on the corners with one out. Henry Rodriguez's groundout made it 4-1.

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