Soriano, Edmonds help Cubs close 7-0 homestand

[June 02, 2008]  CHICAGO (AP) -- Alfonso Soriano homered, Jim Edmonds drove in two runs and the Chicago Cubs beat the reeling Colorado Rockies 5-3 on Sunday to complete a perfect seven-game homestand.

The Cubs entered June with the best record in baseball for the first time since 1908, when they last won a World Series. They started the new month by finishing a four-game sweep of the defending National League champions and sending them to their seventh straight loss.

Chicago is 26-8 at Wrigley Field after wrapping up its first perfect homestand of at least seven games since April 14-26, 1970.

Edmonds tripled off the center-field wall in the second, drove an RBI double off the ivy in left in the fourth and walked with the bases loaded in the fifth to make it 4-2. Soriano made it 5-3 with a solo shot in the sixth -- his 13th homer of the season and his second in as many games. Aramis Ramirez added two singles and a double as the Cubs (36-21) matched their longest win streak since they won seven straight from June 22-29.

The injury-plagued Rockies are on their worst slide since they dropped eight in a row over that same span, and they're showing no signs of a turnaround. They're 20-37 after their 16th loss in 21 games and are 17 games below .500 for the first time since they finished the 2005 season at 67-95.

Chicago rookie Sean Gallagher (3-1) dominated them at times, allowing three runs and six hits while striking out a career-high eight batters in 5 2-3 innings. He did not allow a walk but hit two while winning his second straight start, and left with a 4-2 lead following a double by Omar Quintanilla in the sixth.

Michael Wuertz came on and promptly gave up an RBI double to Yorvit Torrealba and walked Ryan Spilborghs before Scott Eyre caught Willy Taveras looking at a 3-2 fastball. Bob Howry pitched 1 2-3 scoreless innings for Chicago, before Kerry Wood worked the ninth for his 14th save in 18 chances.

Colorado's Ubaldo Jimenez (1-6) remained winless since April 8, allowing four runs, three earned, and seven hits in five innings. He's 0-5 in his last 10 starts, and the Rockies are 1-11 in games he's pitched.

Notes: Soriano committed his second error when he dropped Todd Helton's lazy fly to left with two out in the first but threw him out at second. ... The Cubs gave RHP Carlos Marmol and 1B Derrek Lee the day off. Micah Hoffpauir started at first and batted third for Lee. ... Edmonds' triple was his first since May 30, 2007, with St. Louis. ... Minor league umpire Mike Muchlinski filled in for Brian O'Nora, who left Saturday's game with a leg injury, and was behind the plate.

[Associated Press; By ANDREW SELIGMAN]

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