CHICAGO (AP) The packed house at Wrigley Field went wild every time Sammy Sosa appeared in the on-deck circle, cheering and whistling until his at-bats were over.

It didn't matter that he went 0-for-3 his first three trips to the plate Monday night. After the monster weekend he had at Coors Field, they were happy just to show their love for Chicago's favorite slugger.

But the latest installment of the Sammy Sosa Slugging Show isn't over yet. He went deep for a third straight day in his last at-bat, hitting his major league-leading 40th homer and No. 490 of his career in the Chicago Cubs' 9-6 loss to the Houston Astros.

He now has five homers and 16 RBIs in his last three games.

"He's the guy people come to see," Cubs interim manager Bruce Kimm said. "He's a joy to watch and he's a joy to manage because all he does is come to play. And he comes to win."

The two-run shot made Sosa only the third player in NL history with five straight 40-homer seasons. Hall of Famers Ralph Kiner (1947-51) and Duke Snider (1953-57) also accomplished the feat.

In the only other NL games, it was: Colorado 1, Florida 0 and St. Louis 10, Pittsburgh 6.

Sosa has six 40-homer seasons in all, topping Cubs Hall of Famer Ernie Banks.

"I don't worry about that," Sosa said when asked if he can appreciate his career milestones. "I just keep continue playing. I don't talk about myself."

There wasn't much else for the Cubs to talk about. In a game in which Cubs ace Kerry Wood and Houston pitcher Roy Oswalt were both ejected, the Astros took a 9-2 lead and held on.

Daryle Ward led the Astros with three RBIs and a career-high four hits, finishing a triple away from hitting for the cycle. Jeff Bagwell and Ward hit consecutive homers, and Brad Ausmus added a pair of RBIs for Houston.

Todd Hundley hit a two-run homer in the seventh for the Cubs, and Alex Gonzalez and Corey Patterson hit back-to-back homers in the fifth.

Wood (9-6) was tossed in the sixth after arguing about the strike zone with plate umpire Mark Carlson.

"I went in today telling myself not to blow up about anything and I got my first ejection," said Wood, who was unhappy about being pinch-hit for after six innings in his last start.

"So that worked well for me."

Oswalt (14-6) was ejected in the seventh after hitting Gonzalez in the back in the seventh. Oswalt had already hit Fred McGriff in the second.

Wood allowed five runs and nine hits in 5 2-3 innings, striking out 10 and walking none. Oswalt gave up three runs and four hits in six-plus innings, striking out seven. Billy Wagner pitched the ninth for his 26th save.

Astros manager Jimy Williams also was ejected because warnings had been issued to both teams after Wood hit Julio Lugo in the third. Lugo has a broken left forearm and will be out at least six weeks.

"It was coming in and I couldn't get out of the way," said Lugo, who was hitting .261 with 35 RBIs. "It's hard - six weeks. What is that, the rest of the season?"

Sosa had one of the more impressive two-day stretches in baseball history Saturday and Sunday, homering four times and driving in an NL-record 14 runs at Colorado.

He grounded out twice and flied out in three at-bats against Oswalt on Monday. But facing rookie reliever Ricky Stone in the seventh, Sosa sent a 1-1 pitch soaring over the left-field fence for a two-run homer.

Cubs fans gave him a standing ovation, continuing to applaud until he popped out of the dugout for a curtain call.

"I really love baseball," Sosa said. "This is what I know, this is my career, this is my life. When I step to the line, I want to do good."

Rockies 1, Marlins 0

Jason Jennings became the winningest rookie in Colorado history, and Todd Helton hit an RBI double as the Rockies beat A.J. Burnett and the visiting Florida Marlins.

Burnett (11-9) lost despite pitching a four-hitter and striking out nine. He leads the NL with six complete games.

Jennings (13-5) surpassed Armando Reynoso's franchise record of 12 wins by a rookie in 1993.

The only run scored in the fourth when Larry Walker drew a one-out walk and scored on Helton's double.

Cardinals 10, Pirates 6

Scott Rolen hit a three-run homer and Albert Pujols drove in four runs as St. Louis won at Pittsburgh.

Rolen, 6-for-40 (.150) in his first 11 games after being traded July 29 from Philadelphia to the Cardinals, has homered and driven in three runs in two straight days.

Pujols had three hits, including a two-run double and a two-run homer.

Tino Martinez also homered as the Cardinals stretched their NL Central lead to 2½ games over idle Cincinnati with their fourth win in five games. St. Louis had lost five in a row on the road.

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