Cubs stay in first with four to play

CINCINNATI -- Sammy Sosa, Shawn Estes and the Chicago Cubs turned off the television and kept themselves in control of the NL Central.\nSosa tied Mickey Mantle for 10th place on the career home run list, Estes pitched a shutout and the Cubs rolled past the Reds 8-0 Wednesday night to preserve their one-game division lead.\nA few hours before the first pitch, Cubs players were engrossed in the bank of TV sets in the visitors' clubhouse. They muttered curses when second-place Houston rallied for a 2-1 victory over San Francisco, meaning Chicago would have to win again to remain one game ahead.\nPressure? Not with thousands of Cubs fans in the stands and the major leagues' most generous defense on the field.\nChicago took advantage of three errors by the majors' worst defense, fulfilling the first requirement for a playoff contender -- beat up on the downtrodden. The Cubs finish with one more game in Cincinnati, and three at Wrigley Field against the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates.\nThe Cubs haven't been alone in first place this late in the season since 1989, the last time they won a division title. They haven't been to the playoffs since they went as the NL wild card in 1998.\nIf they can hold on for four more games, they're headed back.\nEstes (8-11) returned from a bullpen banishment and shut out Cincinnati for the second straight game by throwing a four-hitter. His spot start allowed manager Dusty Baker to push his more formidable starters back for a needed day of rest.\nIn addition to his eighth career shutout, Estes matched his career high with two singles.\nSosa jump-started the offense by leading off the third inning with another noteworthy homer in the Reds' new ballpark. He did his signature hop as his 37th homer of the season and 536th of his career headed for the left-field stands.\nBaker mentioned beforehand that Sosa seemed to be trying too hard, resulting in a 3-for-22 slump. He broke out against right-hander Josh Hall (0-2), a 22-year-old rookie promoted from Double-A.\nThe homer landed in a group of Cubs fans -- no surprise, as the majority of the approximately 30,000 fans wore blue jackets and rooted for the visitors. The Cubs then had their way against a progression of nondescript pitchers who wore numbers 58, 70, 71 and 50.\nThe Reds helped them along by committing two errors in the third inning, raising their total to 137, the most in the majors. Paul Bako's three-run double broke the game open.\nSosa, the 10th batter in the inning, got a frightening flashback as he made the third out. Reliever Matt Belisle, a 23-year-old rookie who also skipped Triple-A, threw a fastball that darted just over Sosa's helmet.\nSosa tumbled to the ground, losing his helmet, and got up without dusting himself off. He then struck out to end the inning and flipped his bat away angrily.\nIt was reminiscent of one of his worst moments this season. The Pirates' Salomon Torres hit him in the head on April 20, taking a gash out of his left earflap.\nSosa has had more memorable moments in Great American Ball Park's inaugural season than the entire Reds' roster. He hit his 500th homer in Cincinnati on April 4, and homered on June 18 in his return from a seven-game suspension for using a corked bat.