NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP Cubs win in 16th on Sosa's base hit

The Chicago slugger had struck out five times over the first 15 innings.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHICAGO -- After striking out five times over 15 scoreless innings, Sammy Sosa hit an RBI single in the bottom of the 16th to give the Chicago Cubs a 1-0 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday.
Pitchers ruled a blustery, 48-degree day at Wrigley Field, with the Cubs setting a team record by striking out 23 times.
With the wind blowing in from the northeast at 24 mph, several hard-hit balls to the outfield were knocked down.
Sosa had been 0-for-6 and was getting booed before his one-out single won it.
Alex Gonzalez walked with one out in the 16th off Ricky Stone (4-1) and made it to third when Corey Patterson singled and right fielder Brian Hunter bobbled the ball.
With center fielder Craig Biggio brought in as a fifth infielder, Sosa hit a sharp single off second baseman Jeff Kent's glove, pumping his fist after his first hit since coming off the disabled list Friday.
Sosa has struck out eight times in 11 at-bats since coming off the disabled list Friday.
When Sosa grounded out in the 14th, the crowd erupted in a loud cheer. The fans made even more noise when Sosa got the winning hit.
Todd Wellemeyer (1-0) got his first major league win with two innings of relief.
Houston loaded the bases in the top of the 14th before Brad Ausmus flied out against Kyle Farnsworth
The Astros also threatened in the eighth and ninth but were turned away by two great defensive plays from the Cubs.
Houston loaded the bases in the eighth before Chicago first baseman Hee Seop Choi snagged Geoff Blum's hard liner to end the inning.
Ninth inning save
In the ninth, Lance Berkman walked and advanced to second on an infield grounder. Pinch-hitter Morgan Ensberg then singled to left, but Moises Alou made a perfect throw to catcher Damian Miller, who easily tagged Berkman out when he didn't slide.
Kent hit three long drives to the outfield and all were held up and caught, including a drive to right in the 11th that Sosa got on the warning track.
A frustrated Kent rolled in the dirt at first after Sosa's catch with a runner on left the game tied.
The tough conditions set up a pitching duel between Carlos Zambrano and Houston's Roy Oswalt, who was activated from the disabled list before the game and was making his first starting since hurting his groin running the bases May 15 in Pittsburgh.
Zambrano allow just three hits in eight innings, including just one in the first seven.
Oswalt also pitched brilliantly, allowing just five hits with no walks and eight strikeouts in seven innings.
HOUSTONCHICAGO
abrhbiabrhbi
Biggio cf5010Grdzln 2b7010
Blum 3b6000ASGzlz ss6110
Brkmn lf5010CPttson cf6030
JKent 2b7000SSosa rf7011
Merced 1b5010Alou lf6010
Porter rf3010Choi 1b6010
Ensbrg ph1010Wllmyr p0000
BHnter rf1000REMtiz 3b5020
Asmus c5000Bako c2000
AEvrtt ss5000Godwin ph0000
Oswalt p2000Rmlngr p0000
JVzcno ph1010Alfnsca p0000
Dotel p0000O'Lery ph1000
Bgwell ph1000Brwski p0000
Lidge p0000Bllhorn ph1000
Zaun ph1000Frnswr p0000
Wagner p0000Karros 1b1000
WMillr ph1000Zmbrno p2000
Stone p0000LHarrs ph0000
DMiller c3000
Totals49060Totals531101
Houston0000000000000000--0
Chicago0000000000000001--1
One out when winning run scored.
E--BHunter (2). DP--Houston 1, Chicago 3. LOB--Houston 10, Chicago 11. 2B--ASGonzalez (14). CS--Alou (1). S--Blum, LHarris.
IPHRERBBSO
Houston
Oswalt750008
Dotel200024
Lidge330016
Wagner200004
Stone L,4-11 1-321011
Chicago
Zambrano830034
Remlinger2-300011
Alfonseca1 1-310010
Borowski210002
Farnsworth210023
Wllmyr W,1-0200004
HBP--by Zambrano (Biggio). WP--Zambrano, Farnsworth. Umpires--Home, Bruce Dreckman; First, Brian Runge; Second, Ed Montague; Third, Brian Gorman. T--4:26. A--37,719.
Mets 4, Braves 2
NEW YORK -- Jae Seo pitched into the ninth inning to win for the first time in more than six weeks and Tsuyoshi Shinjo hit a two-run double to lead New York over Atlanta.
On a rainy day at Shea Stadium, the Mets had their former ace Mike Hampton (2-3) in constant trouble. New York put the leadoff man on base in each of the first five innings and had a runner in scoring position in each of those frames.
Seo (2-2) benefited from the early offense in his second straight strong start against the first-place Braves. He got a no-decision last Sunday despite holding the NL's top-scoring team to one run in seven innings.
Seo allowed two runs and six hits, leaving following Chipper Jones' leadoff double in the ninth.
The Mets also kept the Braves in the ballpark, preventing Atlanta from breaking the NL record for homers in a month. The Braves' 55 home runs in May tied the New York Giants (July 1947) and St. Louis Cardinals (April 2000) for most in any month.
ATLANTANEW YORK
abrhbiabrhbi
Furcal ss4010McEwg 2b5010
MGiles 2b4000RGnzlz lf4010
Shffield rf4000Wggntn 3b3210
CJones lf4010Burnitz rf3110
DeRosa pr0100JPhllps c3020
AJones cf3130Shinjo cf4112
Fick 1b4022TClark 1b3010
Castilla 3b4010RSnchz ss4021
Blanco c4000Seo p3000
Hmptn p2000Benitez p0000
Bragg ph1000
Bong p0000
Grybsk p0000
MFrco ph1000
Totals35282Totals324103
Atlanta010000001--2
New York00202000x--4
E--Fick (5), Castilla (7). DP--Atlanta 2. LOB--Atlanta 7, New York 9. 2B--Furcal (13), CJones (14), AJones (9), Burnitz (9), Shinjo (3). S--Seo.
IPHRERBBSO
Atlanta
Hampton L,2-3684242
Bong120001
Gryboski100001
New York
Seo W,2-2862210
Benitez S,16120001
Seo pitched to 1 batter in the 9th. WP--Hampton 2. Umpires--Home, Ted Barrett; First, Lance Barksdale; Second, Tim McClelland; Third, C.B. Bucknor. T--2:40. A--33,378.