Sammy Sosa and Kerry Wood. What else do you need to know?

Sosa's three run home run in the bottom of the seventh broke a 1-1 game and helped the Cubs sweep the Pirates, 5-1. It was Chicago's fifth win in a row, the team's longest streak since July 21-27, 2000.

Something good seems to happen more often than not when Wood starts and Sosa takes his glove to the outfield and his bat to the plate. Wood started again Sunday. In the 52 games he's started, Sosa has hit 24 home runs.

Sosa's fireworks came after Wood -- who received another no decision -- left the game. He and fellow starter Jon Lieber are the only Cubs starters without a victory. Jason Bere, Julian Tavarez and Kevin Tapani each have two wins.

"Sammy got a big hit for us," Cubs manager Don Baylor said. "Different guys pick up somebody else. And that's what this team is all about right now."

With one out in the seventh Bill Mueller singled to right and pinch hitter Gary Matthews Jr. walked. Sosa then connected.

"I was just trying to make contact, do something because I had the same situation with bases loaded and couldn't come through in that situation," Sosa said. "But in those kinds of situations, I'm going to prepare myself to come through. This time I got lucky."

Wood went six innings and gave up three hits, one run and three walks. He struck out 10, including striking out the side in the sixth. It was the 13th time in 52 major-league starts that Wood has reached 10 or more strikeouts.

April 13, 2001

Pinch 'em for good luck

Yes, yes ... it's less than two weeks into the season. And, yes, the cynic might say the Cubs have had the benefit of playing Montreal twice and Philadelphia once.

But second place heading into the weekend -- just one game behind division-leading Houston -- has a nice ring to it. Besides, Montreal has proved itself to be no slouch after sweeping the Mets at home, and Philadelphia is leading the NL East.

Now the Cubs get a chance to make some more hay, as they welcome middling NL Central rival Pittsburgh to Wrigley Field.

The three game weekend set will have a bit of a sentimental feel to it, as Lloyd McClendon, who played with the Cubs in 1989 and 1990, comes back to Wrigley Field for the first time as a manager.

Although the Pirates sported a below .500 mark heading into the series, the Cubs will be wary. Last year, Chicago finished 3-9 against the Pirates, including a 1-5 mark at Wrigley Field.

Cubs pitcher Jason Bere makes his Wrigley Field debut in a Cubs uniform Friday. He is 1-0 with a 2.43 ERA in five career starts at Wrigley when he was with Cincinnati and Milwaukee. The other probables for the Cubs are Jon Lieber (Saturday) and Kerry Wood (Sunday). Pittsburgh will trot out Bronson Arroyo (Friday), Ramon Martinez (Saturday) and Todd Ritchie (Sunday).

The Cubs then host Philadelphia on April 16-18. The Cubs beat the Phillies two out of three games at Veterans Stadium April 6-8.

Still seeking closer help

If the Chicago Cubs still are unsure about Montreal closer Ugueth Urbina, whom they inquired about this spring, they got a pretty good look at him in the season's opening few days.

Urbina, who scouts say isn't throwing as hard as he did before undergoing elbow surgery last summer, collected three saves against the Cubs in the Expos' first seven games.

The Cubs' bullpen situation remains precarious as closer Tom "Flash'' Gordon remains sidelined with a sore shoulder until at least May 1. The good news this week was that an MRI exam revealed nothing more than strained muscles in the back of Gordon's shoulder.

Jeff Fassero has also provided good news by saving four games for the Cubs. The lefty has a 1.69 ERA in 5 1/3 innings with six strikeouts and no walks.

Proving a point

Julio Zuleta was so angry after he was demoted to the minors during the waning days of spring training that some veteran players walked lightly around the 6-foot-5, 235-pound Panamanian.

"He took it real hard,'' Cubs shortstop Ricky Gutierrez said. "I walked in the clubhouse and I wanted to say 'don't worry about it.' But he was so down, I didn't know what to say to him.''

It wasn't hard finding someone to talk to him April 7.

Zuleta came back to the team April 4 when first baseman Ron Coomer injured his knee and three days later was a one-man wrecking crew in an 8-4 victory over Philadelphia.

The Phillies had a 4-3 lead in the sixth when the 26-year old Zuleta went to work. He smashed a two-run double in the sixth, a two-run single in the seventh and a sacrifice fly in the ninth for a career-high five-RBI day.

"That was nice,'' right fielder Sammy Sosa said. "He is showing us what he can do.''

"When you are in his position, you have to show the team you belong up here,'' Gutierrez said. "He picked us up today and he picked us up yesterday (with a solo home run in a 3-2 victory). He's been our hero the past couple of days.''

Zuleta is trying to block out the memories of spring training, when he got the bad news. With Matt Stairs and Coomer beating him out for the first base job that Mark Grace held for 13 years, Zuleta was ready to head to Triple-A Iowa to work in the outfield.

"That (getting demoted) was very tough, but I'm leaving that stuff in the past,'' Zuleta said. "That's already done. Now I'm going to do whatever it takes to stay up here. Whatever happened in the past, I'm leaving in the past.

"That's the way baseball is," he said. "One day, I'm practicing at Triple-A before Opening Day. Then I get a phone call from the big leagues saying to come back. I was so happy.''

SOSA VS. BAYLOR: Cubs manager Don Baylor said there is no "rift'' between he and star right fielder Sammy Sosa.

But the two had a difference of opinion in a 3-2 April 4 loss to Montreal in which Sosa was thrown out stealing in the ninth inning with one out and Eric Young on third.

Sosa said he was given a "go'' sign and Baylor said was he given a "you're on your own'' sign.

"He was on his own,'' Baylor said. "I would never go on my own,'' an agitated Sosa said. "(Third base coach Gene Glynn, who gets the signs from Baylor) gave me the sign to go. I would never go on my own.''

Sosa took off for second when relief pitcher Ugueth Urbina faked a throw to third and then fired to second. Sosa was tagged out by Montreal second baseman Jose Vidro.

"He was on his own,'' Baylor said. "Urbina never holds runners. He's 1.6 (seconds) to the plate. But he has to throw to the plate. He had one of those moves to third. I can't tell you what Sammy was thinking. He tried to make something big happen.''

Sosa insisted he took off because he was told to go.

"I know how to play the game,'' Sosa said. "If they send me, I'll go. They gave it (the sign) to me twice. I won't run on my own. No way.''

Baylor disagreed.

"I have a 'you're on your own' sign that I have like when a guy is throwing breaking balls, you can pick out a pitch and go on it,'' Baylor said. "And I have a 'must-go' sign. And a stop sign. No in-between. You're on your own if you can pick a pitch and you can go.

"He got the 'you're on your own' sign.''

STAT CORNER: Through the first round of the rotation, Cubs starters Jon Lieber, Kerry Wood, Kevin Tapani, Julian Tavarez and Jason Bere combined to give up 11 earned runs on 25 hits with 10 walks and 30 strikeouts in 31 1-3 innings of work.

FAST FACT: For the first time in the 126 years of Cubs baseball, the team opened the season playing four straight one-run games.

QUOTEWORTHY: "If he wants to manage two teams, good luck.'' -- Cubs manager Don Baylor's only response to Montreal manager Felipe Alou publicly questioning some of Baylor's moves in an April 4 game.