Tied Up! Sosa Smacks No. 64, 65

The old Sammy Sosa was back, banging two out of the ballpark to make the home-run chase a race again and lifting his team when it needed it most.

But so were the old Chicago Cubs, those lovable losers who always manage to blow it.

"If they had a four-letter word for baseball, we'd probably be using it," said Rod Beck, who blew just his sixth save in 56 opportunities Wednesday as the Milwaukee Brewers rallied for a 8-7 victory.

Sosa, breaking an 0-for-21 slump, hit solo shots in the fifth and sixth innings to tie Mark McGwire at 65 and give the Cubs a 7-0 lead. It was his 11th multihomer game this season, tying the major-league record set by Detroit's Hank Greenberg in 1938.

Brant Brown dropped a fly ball that would have been the game's final out, allowing three runs to score. As the ball dropped out of Brown's glove, several Cubs dropped to their knees and the Milwaukee players streamed out of their dugout.

"Everybody knows what happens to me is great," Sosa said. "But at the other side, I care about winning, I care about the team and our situation right now."

The Cubs took a 7-5 lead into the ninth, but Beck (3-3) loaded the bases with one out. Beck gave up a single to Mark Loretta and a double to Jeff Cirillo. He intentionally walked Jeromy Burnitz to pitch to Marquis Grisom.

After Grissom popped up, Geoff Jenkins hit a fly ball to left for what looked like an easy out. Brown, who was put in left field in the eighth inning for defense, seemed to lose it in the sun, and the ball dropped out of his glove as all three runners scored. He appeared to be in tears when he got to his dugout.

Chicago's Sammy Sosa watches No. 64 leave the park Wednesday in Milwaukee. Sosa later added No. 65 to tie Mark McGwire for the major-league lead. (AP)

"The bottom line is I clanked it and we lost the game," he said. "You can say the wind, you can say the sun, but those are elements you play with everyday. Hopefully, it doesn't cost us that much."

It might. Chicago, which has three games remaining, began the day tied with New York atop the NL wild-card race. The Mets played Montreal on Wednesday night.

The Brewers closed with four runs in the seventh and one in the eighth. Chad Fox (1-3) pitched one shutout inning.

"I take as much responsibility as anybody," Beck said. "If those guys aren't on base, then the dropped fly ball doesn't mean (anything). We'll all stick together and challenge for this thing, regardless."

Sosa had been hitless since his grand slam last week in San Diego that gave him No. 63. But he's hit more homers off Milwaukee than any other team, and Brewers manager Phil Garner knew it was just a matter of time before he broke out of his slump.

After walking in his first two at-bats, Sosa sent Rafael Roque's 1-0 pitch over the right-field wall in the fifth, putting the Cubs ahead 4-0. Fans, who rose to their feet each time Sosa stepped to the plate, let out a huge roar when they realized the ball was going over the wall. Sosa did his trademark home-run hop, and then trotted around the bases while the crowd chanted: "Sam-mee! Sam-mee!"

In the sixth inning, he put Rod Henderson's 2-2 pitch over the center-field wall. The two homers gave Sosa 156 RBI, fourth-best in NL history.

Steve Trachsel, who gave up McGwire's record-breaking No. 62, allowed four runs and six hits in 6 1/3 innings, retiring 10 straight batters starting in the third. Roque allowed six runs -- five earned -- and five hits in 4 2/3 innings.

Milwaukee started coming back in the seventh when Jose Valentin hit a two-run double just past first baseman Mark Grace's glove, Bobby Hughes hit a sacrifice fly and pinch-hitter Brian Banks had an RBI single.

Pinch-hitter Bob Hamelin singled in a run in the eighth.

"Everybody feels bad," Beck said. "We should have won this ball game. I take as much responsibility as anybody. It just makes our job a little bit tougher, that's all."

Chicago took a 2-0 lead in the second when Roque wlked four batters and balked home a run. The Cubs scored again in the third when left fielder Geoff Jenkins misplayed Gary Gaetti's sinking liner, allowing Sosa to score from first.

Scott Servais and Trachsel followed Sosa's first homer with RBI singles that made it 6-0 in the fifth.

Notes