Sosa’s Home Run, Double Help Cubs Beat Twins, 11-10

Sammy Sosa’s slump is over and so apparently is the slide that knocked the Chicago Cubs all the way into last place.

Sosa hit his major league-leading 34th home run and doubled to key a three-run rally in the bottom of the ninth inning Friday as the Cubs beat the Minnesota Twins, 11-10.

The Cubs and Twins went through five lead changes before Henry Rodriguez, who homered in the eighth, singled with the bases loaded over the drawn-in outfield with no outs to win the game.

The Cubs won their fourth in a row despite losing pitchers Jon Lieber and Matt Karchner because of injuries.

“We battled every inning with pitching and hitting,” Sosa said. “They kept coming and we kept coming.”

Coming out of the All-Star break, Sosa was in an 0-for-12 slump. But Friday he went four for five, and his second double of the day tied the score in the ninth. Sosa reached out and poked what Twin pitcher Mike Trombley called a waste pitch into right field.

“I almost threw that pitch [away] on purpose,” Trombley said. “Halfway through my motion, I said to myself, ‘This might not be a good pitch.’ ”

Sosa was pleased with the result.

“He got me two strikes and I said I got to make contact,” he said. “He threw it on the outside corner and I had a check swing. It was the funniest double I ever hit in my life but I’ll take it right there.”