Cubs pound lumps on Sox

This one was for the doubters who suspected the Cubs beat the White Sox the first two times because the wind blew out at Wrigley Field.

With the flags atop the center-field scoreboard drooping as low as Sox fans' spirits Sunday night, the gap between the Cubs and their rivals to the south gusted even wider.

With starter Ryan Dempster inducing double-play grounders whenever he needed them -- and series MVP Aramis Ramirez and rookie Eric Patterson supplying home run pop only after well-timed small ball put early runs on the board -- the Cubs wrapped up their second consecutive sweep of the Sox with a 7-1 interleague triumph before 41,034.

"We played really well tonight," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. "Defensively, pitching-wise, stole a few bases and hit the ball with some power."

The net result? The Cubs have taken a 4½-game lead in the NL Central and have won the last six meetings with the White Sox, who will get their chance for an equalizer this weekend at U.S. Cellular Field.

The Cubs (48-28) also earned their 14th consecutive victory at home, which hasn't been done at Wrigley Field since 1936.

Dempster maintained his own personal aura of Wrigley invincibility with a little help from his defense. The Sox (41-34) put two runners on in each of the first two innings, but the Cubs' infield turned swift double plays to stifle both potential jams.

"The guys behind me are making every routine play and every great play," Dempster said.

In moving his record to 9-0 at home and re-staking his claim for a berth in the All-Star Game, Dempster scattered 10 hits and 1 walk before leaving three outs short of his second complete game of the year.

He didn't allow the Sox' run until the seventh, by which time the Cubs had stacked up 5 runs in a variety of ways.

White Sox starter and loser Javier Vazquez (7-6) started himself on the road to ruin by issuing 8 straight balls to Kosuke Fukudome and Eric Patterson in the first.

Vazquez got Derrek Lee into a 1-2 hole, which somehow encouraged Piniella to start the runners. Lee laced a single to center that scored Fukudome and allowed Patterson to cruise into third.

Patterson then zipped home with an unearned run when shortstop Orlando Cabrera couldn't handle the throw back into the infield.

The score stayed at 2-0 until the fifth when Vazquez's lack of command got him into trouble again. He hit Fukudome in the arm to start the inning, then the 25-year-old Patterson lined his first career homer into the basket in right-center field.

"It's a dream come true, really, to play in this atmosphere," Patterson said. "It's a good two days for me personally, a good three days for the team."

One out later, Ramirez continued his ridiculous three-day streak by shooting a breaking ball into the left-center field bleachers.

Ramirez added an RBI double in the seventh to finish the series 6-for-13 with 4 home runs.