Cubs prevail but lose Soriano for six weeks

CHICAGO -- Just as the Chicago Cubs are on a roll with one of the best records in the majors, they are confronted with a staggering loss.

Standout leadoff hitter Alfonso Soriano could miss six weeks because of a broken bone in his left hand after he was hit by a pitch from Atlanta’s Jeff Bennett on Wednesday night.

“That’s a real bummer,” Chicago starter Ryan Dempster said after pitching a four-hitter for his first complete game since Sept. 25, 2002, as the Cubs beat the Atlanta Braves, 7-2.

“It’s hard to sit back and enjoy the victory when one of your best players, one of the leaders of your team, goes down. He’s proven in the past he’s a pretty darn quick healer,” Dempster added. “It’s up to the other guys to pick him up.”

After he was hit in the second inning, Soriano left the game and went to a hospital for X-rays. He will be in a splint for three weeks, Cubs spokesman Peter Chase said.

Soriano was on the DL earlier this season because of a calf injury -- the Cubs were 9-5 during his absence -- and returned to hit seven home runs in six games in one stretch last month.

For a team that has not won the World Series since 1908, the injury to Soriano was more bad luck. He entered the game with a .284 average, a team-high 15 home runs and 40 RBIs.