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  Sunday, Jul. 9 2:20pm ET
Cubs whip ChiSox in Windy City series finale
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME LOG

CHICAGO (AP) -- So which Chicago team has the best record in the majors? And which one has been struggling near the bottom of its own division?

Henry Rodriguez
Rodriguez

Call it a two-game role reversal, but the lowly Cubs took out some of their first-half frustration on the high-flying White Sox, beating them again Sunday in a windy matchup in the Windy City.

The Cubs were outhomered 4-2, but for a second straight game they roughed up the White Sox's pitching staff and took a 9-6 win at charged-up Wrigley Field.

"It's just really emotional when you play the White Sox, here or there. You can feel the electricity and the excitement," said the Cubs' Henry Rodriguez, who homered and had a bases-loaded single for four RBI Sunday.

"We have a lot of guys who really have a lot of good baseball inside of them," he added. "These kinds of games in these kinds of series can help turn it around. They can get us going for the second half."

Headed into the All-Star break, the Cubs at 35-51 have a long way to go to turn anything around. The White Sox, despite losing two of three, head in at 55-32, looking for some rest.

"It's a good time to relax a few days and then come back strong," said White Sox left fielder Carlos Lee, who hit two homers Sunday and finished the series 9-for-13. "I think everybody realizes we're a pretty good team."

Sammy Sosa hit a two-run homer in a four-run sixth inning as the Cubs took the lead for good and held on with the wind blowing out at 12 mph. In addition to Lee, Frank Thomas and Magglio Ordonez homered for the White Sox.

"None of the homers I gave up were wind blown," said Kevin Tapani, who once pitched for the White Sox. He got the win, despite yielding all four homers in six innings. "The only way to defend against them (the homers) was not to throw the ball over the plate and then you'd be in even worse shape," Tapani said.

"Everything elevated today was a souvenir in the street," Cubs manager Don Baylor added.

White Sox starter Cal Eldred had this version of the wind, especially after giving up a fly ball homer to Rodriguez in the fifth.

"It was a good high school field today. From the mound, my first feeling was that Henry's homer was a popup in the infield," he said. "But they had to deal with it, too."

Lee's second homer and 17th of the season gave the White Sox a 6-5 lead in the sixth.

But the Cubs, who had 11 hits, responded immediately off reliever Bill Simas (1-2). Eric Young had a squeeze bunt to score Damon Buford, who had singled and moved to third on a single by Jeff Huson. After Joe Girardi walked, Kelly Wunsch relieved and gave up Mark Grace's sacrifice fly and Sosa's 23rd homer that put the Cubs ahead 9-6.

Rodriguez, who'd blooped a bases-loaded single to drive in two runs in the third, hit a two-run homer in the fifth for a 5-4 Cubs lead.

It was the fifth homer in nine games for Rodriguez and his 17th of the season.

Thomas, snubbed for the All-Star Game, hit his 26th homer far over the back fence in left, giving him 75 RBI and cutting the Cubs' lead to 2-1 in the fourth. Ordonez, selected to the AL team, followed four pitches later with his 21st for a 3-3 tie.

Lee, who homered in the third, singled and came around on Mark Johnson's two-out double for a 4-3 lead off Tapani (5-7).

Tim Worrell pitched a perfect ninth for his first save of the season as the Cubs evened up their season and overall series with the White Sox.

 


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