SAN DIEGO, Sept. 28 (UPI) — Alfonso Soriano hit a three-run home run and the Chicago Cubs scored five runs in the final two innings Tuesday to upend San Diego 6-2.

The Cubs, who banged out 11 hits, trailed 2-1 heading into the eighth inning. Soriano’s shot to center in the eighth gave Matt Garza (10-10) the victory.

Garza allowed two runs on five hits and struck out eight through seven innings for his fourth straight win.

Chad Qualls (6-8) gave up Soriano’s home run and ended up with the loss.

Kyle Blanks knocked in both San Diego runs. The Padres lost for the third time in five games.

The St. Louis Cardinals’ improbable run toward the National League Wildcard took another big step backward Friday night as the Chicago Cubs scored four runs in the final two innings to win 5-1 at Busch Stadium.

The Cards’ loss, coupled with Atlanta’s 7-4 win over Washington, pushed the Cardinals three games behind Atlanta in the wildcard race with five to play.  It also means Milwaukee, with its 4-1 win over Florida, has clinched its first National League Central Division crown and its first division championship since 1982 (when the Brewers played in the American League).

The Redbirds jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the 2nd when starting pitcher Chris Carpenter laid down a bunt on a suicide squeeze play, scoring Skip Schumaker from third. It was the first time St. Louis squeezed home a runner at Busch Stadium since the final weekend of the 2010 season.

The Cubs tied the game 1-1 in the top of the 6th on Carlos Pena’s RBI double. It was the only run Carpenter gave up. The Cards’ starter also allowed five hits in seven innings, striking out five while allowing two walks.

In the 8th, Chicago’s Darwin Barney started the inning with a triple off reliever Kyle McClellan (12-7). After Bryan LaHair grounded out to Albert Pujols, Carlos Pena was walked intentionally, setting the stage for the shot that silenced the crowd of just over 40,000. Alfonso Soriano belted a three run homer over the left field wall, giving his team a 4-1 lead.

The Cubs added another run in the 9th off reliever Mitchell Boggs. Starlin Castro singled in Tony Campana, making the score 5-1.

Jeff Samardzija (8-4) pitched one scoreless inning in relief of Cubs’ starter Ryan Dempster to earn the win.

The Cardinals continue their final home series of 2011 Saturday afternoon, with first pitch at 12:10 against the Cubs. Kyle Lohse (14-8) will pitch for St. Louis against Chicago’s Rodrigo Lopez (6-6).

Game Notes:

The Cardinals grounded into three double plays Friday night, giving them 165 for the year. The next twin killing the Cards hit into will tie the National League record of 166, set by the 1958 Cardinals.

Friday’s announced attendance of 40,335 put the Cardinals over three million fans for the eighth consecutive season and the 15th time in club history.

CARDINALS vs. CHICAGO CUBS

At Busch Stadium

Scouting report • The Cubs close the season
with a two-city road trip that starts tonight in St. Louis and
concludes next week in San Diego. The Cubs are 30-45 on the road. …
The Cardinals are 8-4 against the Cubs. … Shortstop Starlin Castro
is one hit shy of becoming the youngest Cubs player ever with 200
hits in a season. Castro is 21, two years younger than Augie Galan
was when he had 203 hits in 1935, according to the club’s research.
… Outfielder Alfonso Soriano’s 81 RBIs are a personal best since he
signed an eight-year, $136 million deal with the Cubs in November
2006. Soriano is owed $18 million each of the next three seasons. …
Carlos Peña, the Cubs’ one-year place-holder at first base, is one
walk shy of tying Mark Grace for the most walks by a Cubs first
baseman since 1900. Grace had 95 in 2000. … Of the Cubs’ 69
victories, 39 have been by coming from behind. Their total is the
third-most in the NL. … Lefty Sean Marshall has set a franchise
record with 31 holds.

Projected pitching matchups

Tonight, 7:15 • RH Chris Carpenter (10-9, 3.66
ERA) vs. RH Ryan Dempster (10-13, 4.63 ERA)

Saturday, 12:10 p.m. • RH Kyle Lohse (14-8,
3.47) vs. RH Rodrigo Lopez (6-6, 4.71)

Sunday, 1:15 p.m. • RH Edwin Jackson (12-9,
3.85) vs. RH Randy Wells (7-5, 5.09)

Derrick Goold

CHICAGO, Sept. 16 (UPI) — Marlon Byrd’s infield single drove in Starlin Castro with one out in the 11th inning Friday, giving the Chicago Cubs a 4-3 win over the Houston Astros.

Carlos Lee’s second home run in the game, a two-run shot with two outs in the ninth, erased a 3-1 Chicago lead and forced extra innings.

With Davis Carpenter (0-3) pitching, Castro walked to open the 12th and advanced on a sacrifice bunt. After Aramis Ramirez was intentionally walked, both runners moved up on a wild pitch, leading to an intentional walk to Reed Johnson to load the bases.

Byrd hit a high chopper down the third-base line that third baseman Chris Johnson just touched, allowing Castro to score the winning run.

Jeff Samardzija (7-4) earned the win with an inning of one-hit relief.

Lee had a second-inning home run but it was his ninth-inning shot — his 18th of the year — that ruined a strong outing by Cubs starter Matt Garza, who took a three-hitter into the ninth.

A home run by Geovany Soto tied the score at 1-1 in the third and Chicago went up 3-1 in the sixth when Jeff Baker singled in Aramis Ramirez, who had tripled, and then score on Alfonso Soriano’s base hit.

CINCINNATI, Sept. 12 (UPI) — Starlin Castro went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and scored four times Monday, helping power the Chicago Cubs past Cincinnati 12-8.

Castro also stroked an RBI double while raising his National League-leading hits total to 190 as the Cubs took the opener of a four-game set.

Aramis Ramirez added three hits and two RBI, including a solo homer, and Alfonso Soriano knocked in three with a single and double as the Cubs banged out 16 hits.

Rodrigo Lopez (5-6) earned the win despite coughing up nine hits — including four home runs — through 5 1/3 innings.

Brandon Phillips went deep twice while Devin Mesoraco and Juan Francisco also homered for Cincinnati.

Reds starter Dontrelle Willis (0-6) lasted only 3 1/3 innings, getting pounded for eight runs on nine hits.

CHICAGO — Carlos Pena hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the eighth inning to send the Chicago Cubs to a 6-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night.

Aramis Ramirez had a two-run double for Chicago, which took two of three against Cincinnati to earn a split of its six-game homestand. Starlin Castro and DJ LeMahieu each had two hits for the Cubs.

Castro sparked the winning rally with a leadoff single against Logan Ondrusek (4-4). Reed Johnson moved Castro to second with a sacrifice before the Reds decided to intentionally walk Ramirez and bring in left-hander Bill Bray to face the lefty-batting Pena.

Big mistake, at least Wednesday night.

Pena pulled Bray’s first pitch onto Sheffield Avenue for his 26th homer and third in his last eight games.

The big first baseman began the day with a .135 average against lefties, and Bray was holding lefty batters to a .188 average. But this time it didn’t work out for the Reds.

Yonder Alonso had three hits for Cincinnati, which has lost seven of 10. Joey Votto went 2 for 4 and drove in a run.
Kerry Wood (2-5) pitched a scoreless eighth for the victory and Carlos Marmol worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his 33rd save in 42 chances.

The Reds chased starter Ryan Dempster with three consecutive hits to begin the seventh inning, including pitcher Johnny Cueto’s leadoff infield single. Votto hit a sacrifice fly off James Russell to trim Chicago’s lead to 3-2 and Jay Bruce followed with a bouncer down the third-base line for an RBI double.

The Cubs brought their infield in for Alonso, who hit a fly ball to medium center field. Johnson got in good position, brought it in, then fired a strong throw to catcher Koyie Hill that cut down Edgar Renteria at the plate.

Chicago got a big inning-ending double play in the sixth when Ramon Hernandez lined to shortstop Castro, who threw to LeMahieu before Alonso could get back to second base.

Dempster allowed 10 hits — matching a season high — and is winless in his last five starts.

Cueto retired 11 of his first 12 batters before running into a bit of trouble in the fifth. Pena led off with a double to right-center for Chicago’s second hit. He moved up on a wild pitch and scored on LeMahieu’s tying two-out single, but Cueto got Hill to fly out to end the inning.

The Cubs added two runs in the sixth on Ramirez’s clutch double. Castro sparked the rally with an infield hit on a dribbler up the third-base line. Johnson singled to center before Ramirez hit a drive into the corner in left to make it 3-1.
Cueto allowed seven hits in seven innings and his ERA increased from 2.29 to 2.36.

Cincinnati pushed across a run after Dempster quickly retired the first two batters of the game. Votto hit a well-placed fly ball to left that landed in front of Alfonso Soriano, then rolled past him for a triple. Bruce walked before Alonso hit a liner up the middle for an RBI single.

NOTES: 2B Darwin Barney left the Cubs to be with his wife for the birth of their second child. Manager Mike Quade said he expects Barney will rejoin the team Friday in New York. … Reds RHP Mike Leake will make one more start this season. Manager Dusty Baker said the team will use a six-man rotation for one turn, inserting RHP Edinson Volquez, then Leake will drop out. Leake had 138 1-3 innings last year as a rookie and is up to 159 2-3 already this season. … The Cubs and Old Style-maker Pabst Brewing Co. announced the brew that has been available to fans since 1950 will be peddled at the Wrigley Field through 2013. Pabst threatened earlier this year to pull the beer from the ballpark. … The Cubs are off Thursday before opening a weekend series at the New York Mets. RHP Casey Coleman (2-7, 6.61 ERA) is scheduled to face Mets RHP Mike Pelfrey (7-11, 4.68) on Friday night. … The Reds are off Thursday, then begin a three-game series at Colorado on Friday night. Reds RHP Homer Bailey (7-7, 4.57 ERA) and Rockies RHP Jhoulys Chacin (11-10, 3.60 ERA) will meet in the opener. … A fan in the second deck made a solid catch on a foul ball in the fifth inning, but one of his friends lost his hat over the railing in the resulting celebration, drawing guffaws from the crowd of 36,797. He went down to the lower section to retrieve his cap, and got a small ovation from his section when he returned.