Still No Place Like Home for Lieber

Jon Lieber doesn’t care which way the wind blows at Wrigley Field.

The Chicago Cubs won their 15th consecutive Wrigley Field game started by Lieber, defeating the San Francisco Giants, 2-1, Thursday as Sammy Sosa homered and Delino DeShields had the go-ahead RBI.

“I have no idea what it is. And whatever it is, and I don’t even want to think about it,” Lieber said.

He is 14-0 in his last 15 starts at home, and the Cubs won the other game too. In his first appearance since missing a scheduled start on April 20 because of elbow soreness, he gave up one run and six hits in eight innings and walked one.

Lieber (3-0) hasn’t lost at home since he was defeated by Arizona’s Randy Johnson last May 18. Lieber is 25-16 in 60 career appearances at Wrigley.

“Ever since I came here to pitch, I’ve enjoyed it,” Lieber said.

When the game started, the wind was blowing out to right at gusts up to 36 mph, making right field very inviting for left-handed batters.

But Lieber, a right-hander, was successful against Barry Bonds, who went 0 for 4 after sitting Wednesday night to rest his sore left hamstring.

Bonds made out on Lieber’s first pitch in each of his first three at-bats, before finding some patience and looking at four pitches his last time up in the eighth. Lieber still struck him out.

“Lieber has been beating me since Pittsburgh,” said Bonds, who is five for 36 (.139) against Lieber. “He’s been giving me trouble since way back. Certain pitchers can just get you, and Lieber has been one of those guys.”

Lieber had to be good because Livan Hernandez (4-1) gave up only seven hits in his second complete game this season. Antonio Alfonseca earned his fourth save.

Sosa homered in the fourth inning, his eighth homer of the season and fifth in his career against Hernandez. Sosa has a .385 career batting average (15-for-39) against the right-hander.

The Cubs won two of three from the Giants, giving Chicago (8-12) its first series win of the season.