CHICAGO -- Sammy Sosa homered for the first time in more than two weeks and Derrek Lee drove in three runs to lead the Chicago Cubs to a 7-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates Monday night.\nMoises Alou and Neifi Perez also homered for the Cubs, who pulled within a half-game of idle San Francisco in the NL wild-card race.\nThe Cubs took advantage of rookie Frank Brooks in his first major league start, tagging him for five runs -- four earned -- in just one inning. But the Pirates didn't help Brooks (0-1) much defensively, with shortstop Jack Wilson making an error for a second straight day.\nAfter Perez, Chicago's second batter, homered into the stands in left, Brooks walked Aramis Ramirez. Alou hit what looked like a routine grounder to short, but Wilson bobbled the ball. He then made another error with a wild throw to first, allowing Ramirez to go to third and Alou to second.\nLee drove both home with a single to left, giving Chicago a 3-0 lead. Sosa followed with a two-run homer, his first since Aug. 26. It was Sosa's 30th homer of the season, giving him 10 straight seasons with 30 or more.\nThat was more than enough support for Greg Maddux (14-9). He scattered five hits over seven scoreless innings, striking out two while walking just one.\nThe Pirates had runners in scoring position four times against Maddux, including a man on third in the third inning, but couldn't bring them home.\nPittsburgh finally scored in the eighth. Jason Kendall and Wilson singled, and Daryle Ward followed with a liner to left. Alou had the ball in his mitt, but it bounced back out like a super ball, allowing Kendall and Wilson to score.
Marlins 6, Expos 3\nCHICAGO -- Chased out of Florida by Hurricane Ivan, the Marlins were forced to play a home game on the road and still cut their gap in the NL wild-card race.\nFlorida rallied with six runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, taking advantage of four Montreal errors to beat the Expos 6-3 Monday at U.S. Cellular Field.\nA small but spirited crowd announced at 4,003 transformed the home park of the Chicago White Sox' into a foul-ball chaser's paradise. With the upper deck closed, most of the fans who spent $15 for a ticket -- $5 going to hurricane relief -- sat behind the dugouts and close to the field. There was a loud pro-Expos contingent, some dressed in Chicago Cubs attire.\n"It'll sort of be like an exhibition game crowd," Marlins manager Jack McKeon said.\nFlorida, two games behind wild-card leading San Francisco, will play the Expos at U.S. Cellular again on Tuesday. The defending World Series champions hope to finish the five games with the Expos at Pro Player Stadium, weather permitting.\nBefore Monday, the previous NL game in an AL ballpark was in 1946, when the Boston Braves played several games at Fenway Park because a paint job on the seats at Braves Field had not dried, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.\nThe Expos, who know something about moving around after playing a portion of their home schedule in Puerto Rico the last two years, got two runs in the first off Josh Beckett on Tony Batista's RBI grounder and a Terrmel Sledge triple.\nSun-Wood Kim blanked the Marlins for seven innings before Florida broke through against the bullpen.\nFlorida rallied in the eighth with help from errors by reliever Gary Majewski (0-1), Batista at third, Juan Rivera in right and Endy Chavez in center.\nBatista made an error on Miguel Cabrera as the first run scored, Mike Lowell's sacrifice fly tied the score, and Florida took a 4-2 lead when Rivera couldn't catch Alex Gonzalez's shallow fly. Pinch-hitter Lenny Harris followed with a two-run single.\nBatista homered in the ninth. Matt Perisho(5-2) was the winner in relief.\nIt was supposed to be a short trip across town for the Marlins, who played four games over the weekend at Wrigley Field.\nBut they had to leave their downtown Chicago hotel Sunday and move to one 25 miles away in suburban Arlington Heights, making their trip to Chicago's south side an hour by bus. But that's a small inconvenience for a team playing three doubleheaders in a span of 11 days as it tries to return to the playoffs.\nBecause it was forced play one "home" game at Wrigley Field after Hurricane Frances caused the postponement of a three-game series, Florida wanted to make Monday feel as Marlin-like as possible.\nBilly the Marlin threw out the first pitch, and the Marlins brought in their own public address announcer and scoreboard videos with player montages. A large plant with a sign on it greeted Florida's players as they walked into the clubhouse: "Welcome To Your Second Home, Marlins"
