Wood Still Getting the Job Done for Cubs

Another good day for Kerry Wood. What a surprise.

Wood (6-2) is getting to be so solid, so consistent--so un-Cublike--that he almost has Chicago fans lulled into complacency.

The rookie phenom struck out nine batters and gave up five hits in eight innings as the Cubs defeated the Florida Marlins, 5-1, Wednesday at Wrigley Field.

It was Wood’s fifth consecutive victory.

“I wouldn’t call it routine. I go out and try to battle as long as I can,” Wood said. “It’s the team’s job to score runs. It’s my job to keep the other team from scoring.”

The rest of the Cubs did their job too. Sammy Sosa hit a two-run home run and Scott Servais hit a two-run double.

The victory puts the Cubs (34-24) 10 games over .500 for the first time since finishing the 1989 season at 93-69--the last time Chicago made the playoffs. It also gives the Cubs back-to-back series sweeps for the first time since 1994.

Wood ran into some trouble in the eighth, walking Todd Zeile to load the bases with two out.

With the crowd of 20,942 on its feet, chanting “Ker-ry, Ker-ry,” Wood got out of the jam when Cliff Floyd hit into a fielder’s choice.

“He’s for real,” Marlin Manager Jim Leyland said of Wood.

San Francisco 8, Cincinnati 5--Brian Johnson hit two home runs for the second time in four days as the Giants beat the Reds at San Francisco for their sixth consecutive victory.

Johnson was batting .207 with one home run a little over a week ago. He’s now up to .248 and is 14 for 38 with seven homers and 13 RBIs since returning from the disabled list after a hand injury.

Johnson’s hot streak is timely, since the Giants are having a night for him and his shaved head next week. Copying what the Seattle Mariners did in honor of Jay Buhner’s no-hair look last year, the Giants will give away four box seats to anyone--male or female--willing to have their head shaved at Tuesday night’s interleague game with the Mariners.

“They asked me before the season started if I would be embarrassed about the promotion,” Johnson said. “Then when I went on the DL, I thought it would sure be a lot more fun if I was hitting better than .207. I kept thinking people would think, ‘What a stupid idea.’

“But the important thing is my teammates are having fun with it, and people are having fun with it.”

Johnson, who also hit two home runs against Arizona on Sunday, had three hits and a walk.

Shawn Estes (5-5) won his third consecutive decision, carrying a four-hit shutout into the seventh before the Reds touched him for five runs.

Houston 8, San Diego 2--Sean Bergman beat his former teammates for the first time, pitching a complete game and hitting a two-run single at San Diego.

Bergman (5-3) gave up 10 hits and had five strikeouts and no walks in his first complete game since Aug. 2, 1995, for Detroit.

Bergman’s bases-loaded single completed a three-run rally in the fourth inning off Joey Hamilton (3-7), who set a career high with seven walks in his sixth consecutive loss. He gave up six runs and six hits in 6 1/3 innings.

Pittsburgh 3, New York Mets 0--Jon Lieber outpitched Rick Reed with eight shutout innings, and Aramis Ramirez’s first career hit helped the Pirates win at Pittsburgh to finish off a three-game sweep of the Mets.

All the Pirates’ runs were manufactured by hitters in major slumps. Jermaine Allensworth (one for 21) led off the first with a triple and scored on Al Martin’s groundout. Ramirez--at 19 the majors’ youngest starter--was 0 for 24 since his May 26 call-up before he hit a two-run double in the seventh.

As Ramirez stepped to the plate with the bases loaded, many of the 17,691 fans stood and cheered--apparently, a gesture intended to let him know they hadn’t given up on him despite his slow start.

Ramirez promptly lined a double into left field, then fought off the urge to smile as he stood on second base.

“All I could think was ‘Thank God,’ ” Ramirez said. “I just watched the people and you could tell they were real happy.”

Atlanta 5, Milwaukee 2--Tom Glavine had an off night--for him--but still gave up only one run in 6 1/3 innings for his fourth consecutive victory as the Braves beat the Brewers at Milwaukee to complete a three-game sweep.

Glavine (8-2) joined teammate Greg Maddux and Pittsburgh’s Jason Schmidt as the only eight-game winners in the National League.

Montreal 3, Philadelphia 2--Robert Perez’s two-out RBI single in the eighth broke a tie and helped Carlos Perez get his sixth consecutive win as the Expos beat the Phillies at Philadelphia.

Carlos Perez (6-3) gave up seven hits and two runs, walked none and struck out four in his second complete game of the season.