But according to the Wrigley wind trends, a statistic
It was blowing in again on a chilly Thursday afternoon, but that didn't prevent the first-place Cubs from pounding out four home runs for the second straight day in a 16-3 romp over Cincinnati.
"You want to establish that it's difficult for someone else to win on your home turf," manager Dusty Baker said. "It's like when we were kids, playing Ping-Pong on your table or basketball at your house. It's very devastating when you can't win at your house and really tough when you go to their house. It's very important to establish some home-field superiority."
Sosa and Choi each have homered in three straight games, two shy of the Cubs record of five straight that
"Hopefully we can continue that," Sosa said. "It'd be nice. I feel happy for Choi, coming through like that to help Moises [Alou] and myself. Right now it's easy for everybody because we're all swinging the bat well."
Sosa, Grudzielanek and
"I don't know how it made it out," Wood said. "I didn't think I had a chance when I hit it."
Wood recorded only three strikeouts and walked three in his six innings, but his presence alone makes the Cubs offense relax at the outset.
"You know you're going to be in the game and you're not pressured so much to score," Grudzielanek said. He said sometimes hitters think they need to give a pitcher an early boost.
"With Wood and some of the guys we have on this team, you don't have to do that. They'll shut the [other] team down."
The Cubs had 16 hits, including nine for extra bases, to win their fourth series in five attempts.
"It's a great feeling to play like that in April," Sosa said. "We know we have a chance to have a great year."