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Soriano homers, Cubs top D-Backs

Apr 5, 2011 - 12:14 AM Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Alfonso Soriano hit a solo homer and knocked in two, as the Chicago Cubs earned a 4-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the opener of a three-game set at Wrigley Field.

Geovany Soto had a pair of doubles, a run batted in and a run scored, while Carlos Pena added a sacrifice fly for the Cubs, who dropped two of three to Pittsburgh over the weekend.

Randy Wells (1-0) picked up the win in six innings, allowing one run on six hits with four walks and six strikeouts. The right-hander finished 8-14 with a 4.26 ERA in 32 starts a season ago.

"Obviously it was a little sloppy," Wells said about his outing. "I was able to make pitches when I needed to and got away with a couple, but all in all I felt pretty good."

Carlos Marmol, who was charged with a blown save and took the loss in Sunday's 5-4 setback, recovered to lock this one down with a scoreless ninth.

Willie Bloomquist accounted for the offense with a homer for Arizona, which split the first two games of the season against the Rockies. Sunday's game at Colorado was postponed due to a mix of rain and snow.

Joe Saunders (0-1) was tagged with the loss for yielding two runs on five hits over six innings. He struck and three and walked three. The 29-year-old went 3-7 with a 4.25 earned run average in 13 starts for Arizona last year after being acquired from the Angels in July.

Bloomquist led off the game with a homer into the left-field bleachers and it stayed a 1-0 game until Soriano began the third with a shot into the stands in left.

"It is nice to start out 1-0 right way, but it's a nine-inning game. You have to keep playing for nine innings," Bloomquist said.

Chicago was able to push a run across in the fourth to grab a 2-1 advantage. Back-to-back one-out singles by Marlon Byrd and Aramis Ramirez, followed by a walk to Soto loaded the bases before Pena's sac fly to right brought in the go-ahead run.

The Diamondbacks stranded runners in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings, then loaded the bases off right-hander Kerry Wood with one away in the eighth.

An error and base hit put the first two men on and a weak grounder back to the mound moved the runners up a base. Miguel Montero was walked intentionally to load the bases before Wood settled down to strike out Ryan Roberts looking and got Gerardo Parra to fly out to left.

The Cubs tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the home eighth to go ahead 4-1. Back-to-back doubles off the left-field wall by Ramirez and Soto knocked in one and later in the inning Soriano slapped a run-scoring base hit through the right side.

Marmol came in for the ninth and walked pinch-hitter Stephen Drew leading off, then got Bloomquist to bounce into a force out. Kelly Johnson went down on strikes and Justin Upton flied out to left to end the game.

Game Notes

Drew, the Diamondbacks starting shortstop is slowed by a lower abdominal strain...The Cubs have won seven straight against Arizona.