Cubs a smashing success over Reds

Maybe the Cubs' offense doesn't need Alfonso Soriano.

On the first day of life without their $136 million left fielder, the Cubs put on their biggest offensive display of the season in a 12-3 thumping of the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night at Wrigley Field.

Soriano went on the disabled list earlier in the day with a strained right calf, perhaps the result of his "hopping" to catch a flyball Tuesday night.

Mike Fontenot took over in the leadoff spot and got on base a couple of times.

Mark DeRosa played left field in place of Soriano and hit a 2-run double in the Cubs' 4-run first inning against Reds starting pitcher Josh Fogg.

Then there's first baseman Derrek Lee, who went 3-for-4, with his sixth homer of the season, matching his entire pre-all-star break total of last year.

"Our guys swung the bats," said Cubs manager Lou Piniella, whose team won its third in a row to improve to 9-5. "Especially our third hitter, he's really in a nice groove."

Lee had a commitment and couldn't talk afterward, but that didn't stop his teammates from marveling.

"He's a monster of a man, and he knows how to hit," said No. 2 hitter Ryan Theriot, who chipped in with a pair of hits and raised his on-base percentage to .357. "I think it's a matter of time that you started to see that, and at a very crucial time early in the season."

Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano (2-1, 3.04 ERA) got into the act on both sides of the ball. Most important for the Cubs, he bounced back from last week's shaky start at Philly with 7 innings of work. He gave up 2 runs while walking one and striking out five.

With the wind howling out at up to 20 mph, Zambrano did well in keeping the ball down.

"The first thing when I came to the ballpark today, I didn't even go to the clubhouse," he said. "I went to the field. When I saw the flags going all the way out, I said, 'You have to keep the ball down today.' Thank God that I did keep the ball down today and make good pitches."

On the fun side, Zambrano matched his career best with 3 hits, including a double.

"I've been getting on Zambrano a little bit about his hitting, actually," Piniella said. "I told him he's a b.p. (batting practice) hitter. Today, he swung it really well during the game."

Zambrano entered the game 0-for-8 at the plate.

"Lou was telling me yesterday, 'When are you going to get a hit this year?' " Zambrano said. "I was hitting .000 before today. Now I'm hitting .250. That's good."

The Cubs blew this one wide open in the third, sending 11 men to the plate and scoring 6 runs.

"You've got to swing the bat," Piniella said. "We've been somewhat inconsistent this year, but it is getting better. We're putting more runs on the board."