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Soto, Cubs roll in opener against Braves

Aug 13, 2008 - 10:28 PM By Guy Curtright PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

ATLANTA (Ticker) - The Chicago Cubs are starting to play as well on the road as they do inside the friendly confines of Wrigley Field.

The Cubs, owners of the best home record in the majors, won their sixth straight on the road, beating the Atlanta Braves 10-2 in the first game of a day-night doubleheader Wednesday at Turner Field.

Geovany Soto and Jim Edmonds each homered and combined for seven RBI as the National League Central-leading Cubs (72-47) moved 25 games over .500 for the first time since the conclusion of the 1984 season when they ended a 39-year postseason drought.

Despite the recent success away from Wrigley Field, the Cubs still are under .500 on the road (27-30).

"You are going to have to play well on the road," said Cubs manager Lou Piniella, whose team swept a four-game series in Milwaukee prior to Chicago's last homestand. "I told them that we had to step it up."

"It's really good picking it up on the road," Soto added. "It's one thing we had to improve."

Soto had a two-run double in the second inning and two-run homer in the ninth as part of a 3-for-5 game. Edmonds smacked a two-run homer in the second inning and added an RBI double in the fifth.

The homer for Soto was his 18th, the most for a Cubs rookie since Randy Hundley hit 19 in 1966.

Edmonds has 15 of his 16 homers since joining the Cubs from San Diego, and 15 of his past 19 hits have gone for extra bases.

"I'm just trying to prove that I can (still) play," said the veteran Edmonds, who struggled mightily with the Padres. "It's embarrassing when you're not playing well."

Jason Marquis (8-7) had been 0-3 with a 14.04 ERA in four previous games against the Braves for the Cubs and St. Louis, but he cruised to Wednesday's win behind a 14-hit attack. He allowed two earned runs and six hits over 5 1/3 innings and improved to 3-2 with a 2.27 ERA in his past five road starts.

"We're just playing good baseball," he said. "That series in Milwaukee gave us a boost."

Braves rookie righthander Charlie Morton (3-6) lasted just 2 1/3 innings as the Cubs won for the 12th time in their past 15 games.

With Chicago well ahead, things got interesting in the ninth inning.

Fransisley Bueno, making his major league debut, was ejected after throwing a fastball close to Alfonso Soriano's head.

"It's part of the game," Soriano said.

The pitch appeared to be in retaliation for Soriano embarrassing Bueno and himself in the eighth inning. Soriano stood at the plate on what he thought would be a homer and managed just a single on a ball that hit off the left field fence - an act of showboating that angered Piniella.

"I talked to Alfonso," Piniella said. There is no need for that."

"I apologized to him and my teammates," Soriano said. "It's not going to happen again."

Atlanta manager Bobby Cox was ejected at the start of the fifth inning by crew chief Joe West after an argument about turning on and off the lights in the previous inning. It was Cox's 142nd ejection, extending his major league record.

Omar Infante had three hits for the Braves, while Chipper Jones - who leads the majors with a .370 average -- was 1-for-3 with a walk. Infante is hitting .359 since coming off the disabled list on July 23.

Edmonds was one of five Cubs with two hits, joining Soriano, Aramis Ramirez, Mark DeRosa and Ryan Theriot. Chicago had six-extra base hits.

The only Chicago regular to go hitless was right fielder Kosuke Fukudome, who continues to struggle. He went 0-for-4 with a walk, extending his slump to 3-for-32 in August.