Fukudome Lifts Cubs Past Astros

Zambrano solid on the mound; Soriano hits first long-ball of year

(NEWSER) - Derrek Lee found his power stroke quickly this year. Lee hit a tiebreaking homer in the seventh, Carlos Zambrano struck out seven in seven innings and the Chicago Cubs beat the Houston Astros 3-2 Sunday. Lee connected against Oscar Villarreal (0-2) for his third big fly already this season after not hitting his first homer last season until the 21st game. More»

(NEWSER) - Miguel Tejada, Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee hit consecutive home runs in a four-run sixth inning to propel Houston to a 7-4 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday. Hunter Pence added a pair of home runs for Houston, one in the fifth inning and another in the eighth, and Roy Oswalt (3-3) reached .500 after a shaky start. More»

Rays at the head of the class—Rockies, Marlins at the back

(NEWSER) - Report card time! Here’s how the rambunctious kids of MLB are doing so far, in Yahoo Sports’ Steven Henson’s estimation. A students—Rays, Red Sox, Cubs, Angels, White Sox Particular kudos go to the Rays, the poor kid who went to the head of the class. B students—Cardinals, Brewers, Twins, Phillies, Yankees, Athletics, Marlins, Orioles The Cardinals have a slight edge in the wildcard race. The Yankees, meanwhile, barely scrape together a B. More»

Lovable losers are on pace for record 62 home wins

(NEWSER) - Shhh, don't jinx it: The Chicago Cubs not only lead the National League, they're playing better at home than on the road. The lovable losers are 26-8 at Wrigley Field, a record they last held before going to (and losing) the World Series in 1918. Now they're on pace for 62 home wins, a first for the team that some say is cursed. More»

(NEWSER) - Lance Berkman splashed his major league-leading 15th home run into McCovey Cove, breaking a ninth-inning tie and helping the Houston Astros rally past the San Francisco Giants 8-7 last night. Houston came back from a 6-0 deficit to take three of four from the Giants, its first series win at San Francisco since a three-game sweep in September 2001. More»