4/30 April numbers

With his two-homer game Friday against the D-Backs, Alfonso Soriano now has nine home runs, the most by a Cubs player for the month of April. And there is still one game to go this month. The previous April home run mark was eight, shared by three players and done four times.

1958: Lee Walls, 8 HR
2000 & 2002: Sammy Sosa, 8 HR
2008: Derrek Lee, 8 HR

* Starlin Castro has 38 hits, tied for third most all-time by a Cubs player in April.

April Hits Leaders
1996: Mark Grace, 42 hits
2008: Derrek Lee, 39
2007: Derrek Lee, 38
2011: Starlin Castro, 38

* Kosuke Fukudome has a .418 batting average, which ranks second all-time among Cubs hitters for the month of April (minimum 50 plate appearances):

2005: Derrek Lee, .419
2011: Kosuke Fukudome, .418
2007: Derrek Lee, .392
1952: Frank Baumholtz, .389
1982: Gary Woods, .388

* Matt Garza enters Saturday’s game against the D-Backs with a chance to set the team record for most strikeouts in April. Here are the leaders:

2001: Kerry Wood, 46
2003: Kerry Wood, 43
1969: Fergie Jenkins, 42
2004: Kerry Wood, 42
2011: Matt Garza, 41

– Carrie Muskat