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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
DENVER (AP) -- Sammy Sosa had seen enough of the Chicago Cubs' hitting slump.
|  | | With 46, Sammy Sosa leads the major league home run race by three over Barry Bonds. |
Sosa hit his major league-leading 46th home run and the Cubs got
a tiebreaking triple in the 11th inning from Mark Grace to beat the Colorado Rockies 8-5 Wednesday and stop a six-game losing streak.
"We came through in some situations today. We haven't been
picking up a lot lately," Sosa said. "The Rockies have been
playing well for two days, but we hadn't been scoring many runs the
last week."
Sosa, 3-for-5 with three RBI, singled off Gabe White (9-2) leading of the 11th and scored on Grace's triple past Juan Pierre
in center. Julio Zuleta, called up Tuesday from Triple-A Iowa, followed with a two-run homer.
"I didn't think it would go out," Zuleta said. "I just thought it was a deep fly ball and Gracie could score."
Todd Van Poppel (3-4) allowed one run and three hits in three innings, and Rick Aguilera got three outs for his 29th save in 37
chances.
"We got some hits today and a pinch-hit home run," Chicago manager Don Baylor said. "We haven't done that in a while."
Colorado's Todd Helton was 0-for-5, dropping his major league-leading batting average to .384. Neifi Perez was 3-for-5
with a home run and three RBI.
Cubs starter Kerry Wood allowed three runs and six hits in six
innings, struck out four and walked one.
Rockies starter Pedro Astacio left with a bruised right hand
after being struck by a liner off the bat of Eric Young on the
first pitch of the game. X-rays on Astacio's right hand were
negative.
"I tried to throw, but I couldn't put any pressure on the ball
with by fingers," said Astacio, not expected to miss a start. "I
need the pressure to throw my breaking ball."
John Wasdin relieved and allowed four runs and seven hits in three innings.
"The day didn't start out too good with Pedro going down,"
Colorado Buddy Bell said. "When you are dealing with Sosa and
Grace, you hope to get an out from one of them or at least keep
them from scoring."
Chicago, limited to a total of eight runs in its previous four
games, took a 2-0 lead in the first on a wild pitch by Wasdin with
Young on third and Grace's sacrifice fly.
Perez homered leading off the bottom half and Perez hit an RBI single later in the inning.
Sosa put the Cubs ahead 5-2 with a three-run homer in the third following singles by Wood and Young, who had three hits and stole two bases.
Perez hit a sacrifice fly in the fourth, and Colorado tied it in
the eighth on Butch Huskey's sacrifice fly off Van Poppel and Jeff
Cirillo's RBI double.
"These losses are always the toughest to take," Perez said.
"You exert a lot of energy in game like this and go home with a
loss."
Game notes
Chicago has used 46 players this year, three short of the
club record set in 1966. ... The Cubs have given up an NL-leading
196 home runs. ... Grace needs four RBI to reach 1,000. ... Larry
Walker was scheduled for arthroscopic surgery Thursday at Vail to
remove a bone spur and other debris from his right elbow. ... Perez
hit his fourth career leadoff home run, the first for the Rockies
this year and the 19th in franchise history.. ... Colorado C Brent
Mayne made his first start since Aug. 28 and only his third since
Aug. 17.
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Baseball Scoreboard
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Colorado Clubhouse
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