5/2 Homer happy

Alfonso Soriano hit his third homer in as many games in the first inning on Sunday and is the first Cubs outfielder to homer in three straight games since he did so May 12-14, 2008.

Soriano hit a three-run homer in the sixth Friday, a game-tying two-run shot in the seventh Saturday, and a two-run blast in the first Sunday. He now has five this season. Soriano seems to be doing well since being reunited with hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo.

“Rudy had him in Texas before, and he had success with him in Texas,” Lou Piniella said of Soriano. “When a player has a confidence in a particular coach, whether it’s a hitting coach, infield coach, they tend to work together pretty well. With Soriano, it’s been a good marriage between the two. At the same time, my job is to keep him rested. I know he doesn’t like it when he’s not in the lineup but we’ll continue to do that to keep him as fresh as we can.”

– Carrie Muskat