CHICAGO — Home was never so sweet for the Cubs.

Aramis Ramirez hit a game-tying solo homer in the seventh and belted a walk-off shot leading off the ninth to power the Cubs to a 4-3 Interleague victory over their crosstown rivals, the White Sox, and snap a three-game losing streak.

“We needed to win this game,” Cubs manager Lou Piniella said.

With the game tied at 3 in the ninth against Scott Linebrink (2-2), Ramirez launched a 1-0 pitch to straightaway center field for the game winner.

“That’s part of my job,” Ramirez said. “I’m a cleanup hitter, I’m a RBI man, and people expect me to do that. I just concentrate a little more with men in scoring position or a tie ballgame.”

Piniella didn’t exactly call a home run. But he was hoping for one.

“One thing I told [bench coach Alan Trammell] was if [Ramirez] got on base, we weren’t going to bunt,” Piniella said of the ninth-inning strategy. “We were looking for some extension, and that’s exactly what we got.”

Kerry Wood (4-1) picked up the win, which improved the Cubs’ record to 30-8 at Wrigley Field.

“We have confidence,” Piniella said about the home-field advantage. “We’ve been able to come from behind, and today was no exception. Our big boys got the job done today which was good to see.”

The Cubs had sent starter Ted Lilly back to Chicago on Thursday, while the rest of the team didn’t get home until early Friday morning after a three-game series against Tampa Bay. Wrigley’s real grass felt good after six straight games on artificial turf, and the 31-minute rain delay before first pitch gave the players a little more nap time.

Friday’s win was just what the Cubs needed.

“We’d lost three in a row, we got back home late, but our guys dug in and hung in there. And we got good pitching, and that was a key,” Piniella said. “We didn’t allow the White Sox to tack on runs, and that was a key.”

This was a showdown between the leaders of their respective Central Divisions. This is the first time the two teams have been in first place for the intracity series.

“To be honest, I don’t think we’re thinking about where they are, or what they’re doing,” Lilly said. “We’ve got our mission, and that’s whoever is out there on the field, we need to beat them just to make sure we win our division.

“They obviously have a good club, and it’s not surprising that they’re in first,” Lilly said of the White Sox. “They have very good pitching, and a strong lineup. I would think they’re going to play well and we’ll see what happens.

“There’s no point talking about October right now,” he said. “But I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re going to be around for awhile.”

Lilly may not want to bring up a possible postseason matchup, but it is probably on the minds of the 41,106 who crammed into Wrigley for Game 1 of this six-game, home-and-road series.

The Cubs struck first, as leadoff man Kosuke Fukudome chopped an infield single that didn’t get past the pitcher’s mound, advanced on Ryan Theriot’s single, and scored when Derrek Lee grounded into a double play.

Jermaine Dye tied the game with a leadoff homer in the second, and with one on and one out in the third, A.J. Pierzynski gave the White Sox a 3-1 lead with his fifth homer. Lilly served up both. He struck out eight over 6 2/3 innings, giving up seven hits and three walks.

The Cubs woke up in the seventh. Lee launched reliever Octavio Dotel’s first pitch into the right-field bleachers leading off, and Ramirez followed with his 11th homer five pitches later to tie the game at 3. It’s the second time this year Lee and Ramirez have hit back-to-back blasts; they also did so April 11 in Philadelphia. Dotel had given up two home runs total over 33 1/3 innings before Friday.

“Once we tied it up,” Lilly said, “it was hard for me not to believe we were going to get it done at some point in the game.”

Which is just what Ramirez did, reminding fans of his walk-off against the Brewers last June 29 at Wrigley, a two-out, two-run shot off Francisco Cordero.

“Any time you hit a walk-off is special,” Ramirez said.

Yes, it is.

“We’ve been playing a lot of exciting finishes lately,” Piniella said.

ST. PETERSBURG — Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano was to undergo an MR arthrogram on his right shoulder on Friday, and was expected to miss his next scheduled start Tuesday against Baltimore.

“We’re not looking at Zambrano at all for Tuesday,” Cubs manager Lou Piniella said.

Zambrano had to come out of Wednesday’s game against Tampa Bay because of discomfort in his right shoulder, and flew back to Chicago on Thursday to be examined. Team orthopedic specialist Dr. Stephen Gryzlo was to oversee the MR arthrogram test and do other examinations, as well, on Friday. An MR arthrogram is more detailed than an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) test.

“I hope it’s not serious, and I hope we can find out what’s wrong and we can take care of it in short order,” Piniella said.

This shoulder injury is new, team officials said, and not related to the neck stiffness Zambrano experienced on May 17. In that game against Pittsburgh, Zambrano lasted four innings. In his next outing against the Pirates, he went seven innings and struck out six.

Among the candidates to sub for Zambrano in the Interleague game Tuesday against the Orioles is left-hander Sean Marshall, who was pitching at Triple-A Iowa.

“He’s a good possibility,” Piniella said.

Zambrano is 8-3 with a 3.13 ERA in 16 starts so far, and ranks among the National League leaders in ERA, wins, games started and innings pitched

Mlb.com

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — The National Baseball Hall of Fame, the village of Cooperstown and the local chamber of commerce did their best to put on a memorable show for the 69th and final Hall of Fame Game, but the temperamental weather of central New York did not cooperate. A series of afternoon rain showers and heavy thunderstorms drenched Doubleday Field and ultimately washed out Monday’s exhibition game, featuring the Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres, before a single pitch could be thrown.

At 2:37 p.m. ET, more than a half hour after the first pitch was scheduled to be thrown, Hall of Fame manager of programs Amanda Pinney announced that “today’s game has been canceled” and that full refunds would be given to each of the 9,571 fans in attendance. The rainout brings to an official end the Hall of Fame Game, which was first played in 1940 by the Cubs and the Boston Red Sox.

Major League Baseball officials announced in January that this would be the last Hall of Fame Game because of scheduling problems.

The day started promisingly, with sunny skies throughout the morning. The skies turned overcast shortly before the staging of the Hall of Fame Game Day parade, which began at 12:30 p.m. The 40-minute parade, which proceeded down Main Street, included an array of modern and vintage vehicles that carried such dignitaries as Mayor Carol Waller, and members of the local VFW, the Cooperstown Police and Fire Department. There were also two bagpipe bands, floats for the local Fenimore Art Museum and Farmers’ Museum, and representatives from the New York State troopers. The parade concluded with four vintage trolleys that carried current players from both the Cubs and Padres, along with several Minor Leaguers who had been brought to Cooperstown specifically to play in the game.

In addition, several representatives of “Save The Fame Game” marched in the parade. The organization involves a grass-roots campaign, headed up by Cooperstown native Kristian Connolly, that is attempting to revive the game and prolong it for years to come.

A crowd estimated at about 3,500 fans, featuring a smattering of Cubs blue and red, lined the sidewalks of Main Street, with some fans streaming onto the street itself. After the parade, many of the fans made their way from Main Street to Doubleday Field, where a partial infield tarp covered up the basepaths, the pitching mound, and home plate, but left the rest of the infield uncovered. Fans and players were soon greeted by intermittent rain showers, which began at 1:20 p.m. The rain forced postponement of the annual Home Run Derby, normally the highlight of pregame festivities.

At 1:45 p.m, a public address announcement urged fans to leave the ballpark and seek out shelter “due to imminent severe weather.” A heavy downpour, along with lightning, heavy winds, and even hail, followed a few minutes after the announcement. During past games, such a storm would have likely canceled the game immediately, but Hall officials, with permission from both the Cubs and Padres, tried to wait out the weather.

The rain stopped at approximately 2, giving the Doubleday Field grounds crew an opportunity to clear the tarp and work on the field. The break in the weather allowed Hall of Fame pitcher Fergie Jenkins, along with longtime Cooperstown residents Homer Osterhaudt, Howard Talbot, and Catherine Walker, to throw out ceremonial first pitches. Osterhaudt, Talbot, and Walker all attended the first Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 1939.

Shortly thereafter, a second heavy downpour ensued. Given the heaviness of the rain and the condition of the outfield and infield grass, Hall officials finally called the game, bringing to an end a tradition that had started one year after the Hall’s grand opening and one year before the onset of World War II.

News and notes: Ticket holders can acquire a full refund by mailing their ticket stub, along with their name and address, to Cooperstown Baseball Committee, P.O. Box 590, Cooperstown, N.Y., 13326. Refunds will be issued by check and should arrive within four to six weeks. … Prior to this year, the Cubs had forged a record of 3-2-1 in Hall of Fame Game appearances. Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg clubbed a home run for Chicago in the 1988 game, which ended in a 1-1 tie. Other Cubs Hall of Famers who have participated in the game over the years include Ernie Banks and managers Gabby Hartnett, Lou Boudreau, and Leo Durocher. … The Padres had lost their two prior Hall of Fame Game appearances, falling to the Rangers in 1979 and the Dodgers in 1997. Hall of Famers Ozzie Smith and Dave Winfield participated for the Padres in the 1979 game. … The Cubs and Padres both have considerable connections to this year’s Hall of Fame class. Rich “Goose” Gossage pitched for both teams, while Dick Williams led the Padres to their memorable 1984 World Series appearance. Gossage and Williams headline this year’s induction ceremony, which will take place on Sunday, July 27. Other inductees include Veterans Committee selections Barney Dreyfuss, Bowie Kuhn, Walter O’Malley, and Billy Southworth, all of whom are deceased.

CHICAGO — Alfonso Soriano was just starting to get his legs under him, but he’ll now be sidelined for six weeks with a broken finger.

“It’s a costly loss,” Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. “It’s a bad break for us, it really is.”

Soriano suffered a minimally displaced fracture of the fourth metacarpal on his left hand when he was hit by a pitch by Atlanta’s Jeff Bennett in the second inning of the Cubs’ 7-2 victory Wednesday night.

“You never want one of your guys to go down, no matter who it is,” Ryan Theriot said. “Guys are just going to have to pick up the slack, and I think we’re going to be fine.”

X-rays revealed the break, and Soriano’s finger will be in a splint for three weeks. Team officials said they will have a better idea after that as to when he can return. However, he is expected to be sidelined a minimum of six weeks.

With a runner on base and two outs in the Chicago second, Soriano was struck by the third pitch from Bennett, and the ball appeared to ricochet off the outfielder’s face. Soriano fell to the ground in obvious pain, but walked off the field under his own power, accompanied by Cubs athletic trainer Mark O’Neal.

“It’s unfortunate,” Chicago’s Derrek Lee said. “I feel bad for him. He was injured before, and he worked hard to get back, and now he has a freak accident like this. I feel bad for him. The guy wants to play and he likes being on the field. I’ve been through it, and it’s not fun. I feel for him.”

Soriano, who was the leading vote-getter among National League outfielders in the All-Star balloting, was batting .283. He hit his team-leading 15th home run on Saturday, and was hitting .323 with 13 homers and 35 RBIs in his past 38 games since returning from the disabled list.

The Cubs did not feel Soriano was hit intentionally.

“He stands right on top of the dish,” Chicago pitcher Ryan Dempster said. “He’s a tough presence there. If you’re going to go in, you better get it in, because if not, it’ll end up on Waveland [Avenue]. He unfortunately missed, and it hit him in a bad spot.”

This will be the second time this season that Soriano will have to go on the DL. Soriano was sidelined from April 16-May 1 because of a strained right calf.

“He looked like he was really getting going,” Theriot said. “It wasn’t anything to do with his legs, so when he comes back, you can count on that to be there, too.”

Many of the Cubs players cringed when the ball hit Soriano’s hand.

“There’s so many small bones in your hand, it doesn’t take a whole lot for something to go wrong in there,” Chicago’s Reed Johnson said. “When you’ve been around baseball, any time a guy takes something in his hands, you’re concerned. We got some bad news today.”

The team was expected to call up outfielder Micah Hoffpauir from Triple-A Iowa to take Soriano’s spot on the roster, and will likely add another player this weekend for the Interleague series in Toronto, rather than continue to carry 13 pitchers.

“We’ll probably have to get two kids up here now,” Piniella said. “It’s a shame, it really is [about Soriano].”

Who will lead off is another matter to be resolved. Johnson was the leadoff man for 12 games when Soriano was hurt, and the Cubs went 8-4.

“I’ll play anywhere,” Johnson said. “Everybody knows that’s a comfortable spot for me in the order. I’ve been hitting eighth a lot, which is becoming a little more comfortable for me. Wherever I play shouldn’t change my approach.”

Theriot also stepped into the No. 1 spot, and the Cubs were 0-3. Theriot has done well batting second lately.

“Don’t count on me to start hitting leadoff homers,” Theriot said.

The loss of Soriano put a damper on Dempster’s complete-game victory Wednesday night.

“We’ve got a strong team here,” Dempster said. “That’s been the thing that’s been to me the most noticeable is when guys have been asked to play, they’ve done such a good job. That’s the luxury you have when you have a guy like Reed Johnson sitting on your bench and Mark DeRosa, who can go play left field. It shows the depth of our team. Now we’ve got to go out there and keep playing well and wait for him to get back.”

Alfonso Soriano, hot-hitting as ever at Wrigley Field, has hit .367 with 14 homers and 31 RBIs and an .825 slugging percentage in 28 games against the Braves since 2005, including a pair of three-homer games and a two-homer game.

Good luck to the Cubs and hopes for a great series!

Pitching Matchups

Tuesday:

LHP Tom Glavine (2-2, 4.47 ERA) vs. LHP Ted Lilly (5-5, 5.23 ERA)

Wednesday:

RHP Jair Jurrjins (6-3, 3.77 ERA) vs. RHP Ryan Dempster (7-2, 2.90 ERA)

Thursday

RHP Tim Hudson (7-4, 2.86 ERA) vs RHP Sean Gallagher (3-2, 4.42 ERA)

CHICAGO — Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano underwent an MRI Tuesday night to determine the extent of the injury on his right calf, which forced him out of the game after the first inning.

Soriano ran to catch Ken Griffey Jr.’s fly ball in left-center field with two outs in the Cincinnati first, doing his trademark hop before catching it. As he came down to land, Soriano couldn’t put any weight on his right leg, and hopped a few times on his left leg. Shortstop Ryan Theriot helped the outfielder as he hobbled off the field.

“As he was catching the ball, he goes up after it, and he just strained his calf,” Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. “It’s his unique style.”

Piniella didn’t want to project how long Soriano would be sidelined until he got the test results Wednesday.

“Let’s get the results tomorrow,” Piniella said. “If he’s out for an extended period of time, it’ll hurt us.”

If Soriano has to go on the disabled list, one option for the Cubs would be to call up outfielder Matt Murton from Triple-A Iowa. Assistant general manager Randy Bush was with the Iowa Cubs on Tuesday night.

Soriano missed time in April 2007 because of a sore left hamstring, injured nearly one year ago to the day on April 16, and suffered a more serious injury to his right quad last August.

Mike Fontenot pinch-hit for Soriano in the first inning, and Mark DeRosa moved to left field.

Soriano had gotten off to a slow start and was batting .175, with two homers, five RBIs and two stolen bases. Last September as the Cubs’ leadoff man, he hit .320 with 14 homers and 27 RBIs.

___________________________________________

As of now, Soriano is on the 15 day DL.

PITTSBURGH — Matt Sinatro’s feet hurt. That’s what back-to-back extra-inning games will do to a first-base coach.

Sinatro, the Cubs’ first-base coach, had a shorter walk from the dugout than third-base coach Mike Quade at PNC Park, but Monday’s 12-inning game and Wednesday’s 15-inning affair are tough on the tootsies.

“My feet were killing me,” Sinatro said Thursday.

In two games, the Cubs and Pirates played 9 hours and 7 minutes of baseball, combining to throw 1,116 pitches (466 on Monday, 650 on Wednesday), total 48 hits and strand 48 baserunners. The Cubs were 10-for-43 with runners in scoring position.

“It’s baseball,” Quade said. “You’re going to see some crazy stuff.”

The last time the Cubs played back-to-back games of at least 12 innings was in 2004 when they lost to Cincinnati on Sept. 29 in 12 innings (4-3 final) and again on Sept. 30 in 12 (2-1 final).

The last time they played consecutive games of at least 12 innings on the road was Aug. 22-23, 1980, at Houston, where the Cubs lost, 3-2 and 1-0, respectively. The second game went 17 innings.

The Cubs have won both extended games against Pittsburgh. The last time they won back-to-back games of at least 12 innings was May 23-24, 1987, when they beat the Braves. Chicago beat Atlanta, 7-6, in 16 innings on the first day, and won, 3-2, in 12 on May 24.

The last time the Cubs won consecutive extra-inning games of at least 12 innings on the road was in 1927. The Cubs beat Boston, 7-2, in 18 innings on May 14, then outlasted Boston, 4-3, in 22 innings on May 17.

Wednesday’s 15-inning win marked only the second time the Cubs have won a game of 14 or more innings in Pittsburgh. On May 7, 1957, the Cubs beat the Pirates, 10-8, in 14 innings. Chicago scored four times in the 14th, keyed by a two-run single by former Pirate Dale Long. Pittsburgh scored two runs in the bottom of the 14th.

And one more bit of Cubs trivia, courtesy of unofficial historian Ed Hartig: Aramis Ramirez’s homer in the 14th on Wednesday was the 14th home run hit in the 14th or later. The last player to connect that late in a game was Sammy Sosa, who homered in the 15th against the St. Louis Cardinals on Sept. 2, 2003.

Hall of Famer Billy Williams is the only Cub to do so twice, hitting a homer against the New York Mets in the 14th inning on June 26, 1963; and connecting in the 15th against Cincinnati on Aug. 11, 1968.

Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster had sympathy for Kerry Wood, who served up Jason Bay’s game-tying homer in the ninth on Wednesday. Dempster was a closer for three seasons. He knows.

“[Fans] expect them to be perfect in one-run games, and it’s not the easiest thing in the world,” Cubs manager Lou Piniella said of closers. “You’re going to give up runs from time to time. I’ve got all the confidence in the world in Kerry. Last night, he gave up a home run but he gave it up to one of their better hitters.”

Wood retired the next three batters he faced.

“That’s what you want to see,” Piniella said. “If he hadn’t [done that], we would’ve only played nine and lost.”

Kevin Hart picked up the win in relief and also scored the game-winning run. He’s the first pitcher to do both in extra innings since Arizona’s Brandon Lyon on Aug. 25, 2006, against the Dodgers.

“We won, and that’s all that matters,” said Hart, who gave up a game-tying two-run homer to Adam LaRoche in the 14th, then scored the game-winning run on Felix Pie’s single in the 15th.

When Hart walked back to the team hotel Wednesday, he had time to think about the strange night.

“It could’ve been worse,” Hart said. “I could’ve done that at [Triple-A] Iowa.”

Pity the Pirates. They’ve played four extra-inning games in their first eight.

“That’s one thing I’m impressed with — that these guys aren’t quitting,” Pirates manager John Russell said. “It has to start equating to wins. If we keep giving ourselves a chance like that, good things will happen.”

Late in the game Wednesday, Piniella exchanged a few words with some fans behind the Cubs dugout.

“About the 14th inning, three young men had enough beers,” Piniella said. “I told them to watch the game, nothing more.”

Were they Cubs fans?

“No,” Piniella said. “Pittsburgh fans.”