Cubs Right at Home in Victory

The Chicago Cubs feel comfortable in Cincinnati, where there always are lots of Cub fans and batters find it easy to hit home runs.

“This ballpark is really good for the type of team we have,” Chicago Manager Dusty Baker said Friday night after a 12-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds extended the Cubs’ winning streak to five.

On a night after Aramis Ramirez homered three times, three Cubs had one each. Derrek Lee drove in five runs with a three-run homer and a two-run double, and Ben Grieve homered and drove in three runs.

Even pitcher Carlos Zambrano (14-8) homered, the third of his career and the first since July 2003 at Houston.

“Right now I’m focused on getting to the playoffs,” said Zambrano, who won for the third time in four decisions. “That’s my main concern.”

He gave up six hits -- two off his bare right hand -- in seven innings, struck out five and walked three.

“Things are clicking,” Lee said of the Cubs, who have won five in a row four times this year. “It seems that one guy every night is having a good night, and that’s what it takes.”

Luke Hudson (3-2) gave up three runs, four hits and four walks in four innings -- he needed 41 pitches to get through the fourth, when the Cubs batted around.

Hudson gave up one hit in the first three innings, then got in trouble in the fourth, when the Cubs built a 3-0 lead on Lee’s double and Michael Barrett’s sacrifice fly.

Lee hit his 31st homer, matching his career high, in the fifth, and Zambrano homered in the sixth. Sean Casey homered for the Reds leading off the bottom half, making it 7-1.

“They’re trying to bury teams right now, and we don’t have much of a margin of error,” Casey said. “We have to play error-free ball and pitch well, and we weren’t able to do that tonight.”

Atlanta 8, Florida 1 -- Chipper Jones hit a three-run homer to help the Braves overcome an early deficit at Miami and reduce their magic number for clinching the NL East to eight.

Florida outhit the Braves, 13-11, but stranded 10 runners, grounded into three double plays and had a runner thrown out at the plate.

Paul Byrd (8-5), starting on three days’ rest for the first time this season, gave up nine hits but only one run in five innings. He threw 67 pitches -- all but 11 for strikes.

With his three RBIs, Jones is 12 away from reaching 100 for the ninth straight season.

Houston 2, Milwaukee 1 -- Roy Oswalt aggravated a ribcage injury but pitched long enough to get his 18th win, and Mike Lamb hit a go-ahead homer in the seventh inning to lead the Astros at Houston.

Houston, which had only four hits, won for only the fifth time in nine games after a 12-game winning streak.

Oswalt (18-9), who leads the NL in wins, improved to 10-1 in 13 starts since July 17.

St. Louis 4, Arizona 3 -- Jim Edmonds tripled home the winning run in the ninth inning at St. Louis, and the Cardinals reduced their magic number for clinching the NL Central to three.

Albert Pujols walked off Scott Service (1-1) starting the ninth and easily scored on Edmonds’ drive to the wall in right-center. Edmonds has 110 RBIs, matching his career best in 2001.

Montreal 12, Philadelphia 8 -- Tony Batista hit a go-ahead, two-run single in the Expos’ five-run ninth inning to win at Philadelphia.

Batista had three RBIs to give him 100, and Juan Rivera went two for four with a homer and three RBIs for the Expos, who trailed by four in the eighth.

New York at Pittsburgh, ppd. -- The game involving the Mets and Pirates was rained out and will be made up as part of a doubleheader Sunday.