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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
CINCINNATI (AP) -- The Chicago Cubs hope this lasts a long time.
|  | | Sammy Sosa clears the bases with a fourth-inning double off the Reds' Osvaldo Fernandez. Sosa had four RBI. |
Sammy Sosa drove in four runs and Rondell White hit a three-run
homer Tuesday night as the Cubs won their ninth in a row, 10-5 over
the Cincinnati Reds.
Sosa doubled with the bases loaded and White later homered
during a seven-run fourth inning that extended the Cubs' longest
winning streak since 1998, when they won 10 straight.
"Every time we come to the park, we feel we've got a good thing
going," Sosa said. "Hopefully it doesn't stop right now."
They have one more game against the Reds, the team that has
played a big role in the Cubs' surge. Five of the nine wins have
come against Cincinnati, a team imploding from injuries and a
stunning inability to win at home.
Cincinnati has gone 6-21 in May, matching the franchise record
for most losses in the month. Most of the damage has come at
Cinergy Field, where the Reds are 7-20, the worst home record in
the major leagues.
And the injuries just keep coming. First baseman Sean Casey was
out with a strained back, and reliever Dennys Reyes had to leave
the game in the eighth with a stiff forearm.
"It seems like we have a couple of people who come in and help
for a couple of days, and then they go down," said Michael Tucker,
who drove in two runs with a single and a sacrifice fly. "It's a
tough situation to be in. It's like we have a revolving door in the
training room."
The only intrigue for the Reds on Tuesday involved the front
office. General manager Jim Bowden suggested that the team's
medical staff misdiagnosed Ken Griffey Jr.'s hamstring tear, but
later apologized for the statement.
The depleted Reds had little chance after the Cubs sent 10
batters to the plate for seven runs in the fourth inning, taking
advantage of Osvaldo Fernandez's worst performance.
Fernandez walked four in the inning, including Ricky Gutierrez
with the bases loaded to tie the game at 3. Sosa then hit a soft
liner down the right-field line for a double that cleared the
bases.
After Matt Stairs walked, White hit the first pitch for his
sixth homer and a 9-3 lead that ended Fernandez's performance. He
gave up seven hits, five walks and a career-high nine runs in 3 2/3
innings.
"A lot of things happened in that one inning," manager Don
Baylor said. "That one inning sometimes takes you completely out
of the game."
With the bullpen depleted by a 13-inning game the previous
night, Reds manager Bob Boone was hoping for a lot more out of his
starter.
"He struggled all night, and this was a night we really needed
him," Boone said. "That was disappointing. You've got to throw
strikes to the lower part of the batting order. Osvaldo couldn't do
it tonight."
Jason Bere (4-2) went seven innings, giving up eight hits and
four runs, for his first victory since April 18. He was 0-2 with
four no-decisions in his last four starts.
The Cubs' streak has been built upon pitching and defense. The
pitching staff has a combined 2.33 ERA during the winning streak,
allowing only two homers.
"That's just the way it's working for us," Bere said. "If
that's the strength of this team right now, so be it. You'll find
that any time you're playing in October, it's because of pitching
and defense."
Stairs had two doubles and a single, and Sosa singled, doubled
and had a sacrifice fly as the Cubs improved to 30-20, the first
time this season that they've been 10 games over .500.
Chicago has 30 wins before June 1 for the third time in
franchise history.
Two of Cincinnati's runs scored on catcher Todd Hundley's wild
throw to third on a pickoff attempt. Deion Sanders, who joined the
Reds on the first day of their disastrous month, went 2-for-5,
raising his average to .189.
Game notes
Sosa is 3-for-5 with the bases loaded this season with 12
RBIs and one homer. He's 27-for-113 career with five grand slams.
... White has a five-game hitting streak (7-for-17). ... Gary
Matthews Jr., leading off third base in foul territory, was hit on
the back of his right arm by Julio Zuleta's liner in the eighth.
Matthews went down hard, but stayed in the game. .... The Reds also
lost 21 games in May 1931, when they went 8-21. ... Reyes, limited
to two relief appearances in the last two weeks because of a sore
elbow, walked Zuleta with the bases loaded to force in a run in the
eighth before leaving.
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Bowden apologizes for saying Griffey's injury 'misdiagnosed'
Rogers: Cubs surge back from losing streak
RECAPS
Cleveland 6
Detroit 4
Toronto 4
Chi. White Sox 0
Texas 8
Kansas City 2
Minnesota 6
Anaheim 5
Tampa Bay 5
Oakland 1
Seattle 3
Baltimore 2
Chicago Cubs 10
Cincinnati 5
Florida 5
Pittsburgh 0
Philadelphia 7
NY Mets 3
Atlanta 7
Montreal 4
Milwaukee 7
St. Louis 0
San Diego 5
Houston 4
Colorado 7
Los Angeles 2
Arizona 1
San Francisco 0
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