Cubs have sweeping success

ATLANTA - Even at this stage of his career, Jim Edmonds talks of wanting to "prove" something in baseball.

Or maybe it's especially at this stage of his career that he wants to prove he can still play.

Edmonds helped to get a long day at the yard off to a good start Wednesday, as he homered, doubled and drove in 3 runs in the Cubs' 10-2 rout of the Braves in the first game of a day-night doubleheader.

In the second game, the Cubs staked starting pitcher Rich Harden to a 4-0 first-inning lead. Five walks limited Harden to 5 innings, but the Cubs rolled to an 8-0 victory and their first doubleheader sweep since Sept. 27, 2003, when they clinched the NL Central.

The Cubs also have won seven in a row on the road.

A big part of Wednesday's fun at Turner Field was Edmonds, who started both games.

"I just want to do anything I can right now to keep going and prove that I can play," he said. "That's it. I'm not trying to do anything other than playing for that day. ... It's nice that I can get up and contribute."

At 38 years old and a big-leaguer since 1993, Edmonds would seem to have little to prove. He doesn't see it that way, and all of a sudden, he has 16 homers for the year, 15 with the Cubs.

"That's the only reason that I'm here," he said of the need to prove things. "I can be sitting on the beach with my family right now if not. It's something that I'm trying to do for myself, more for myself than anything else. I've always played this game to be good. When you're struggling, it (stinks). It's not fun. It's disappointing. It's embarrassing. You go out there to prove that you're as good as you can be and you're at the top of your game and that you're supposed to be here.

"When that doesn't happen, it's not much fun."

Cubs batters had fun with Braves starting pitcher Charlie Morton, chasing him after scoring 4 runs off him in 2 innings.

Geovany Soto drove in the first 2 of his 4 runs with a second-inning double. Edmonds hit a 2-run homer in the third.

The Braves got a run off Cubs starter Jason Marquis in the fourth, but the Cubs hit reliever Vladimir Nunez with 3 in the fifth. Although Marquis came out of the game with one out in the sixth, he was able to even his record to 7-7.

"It's nice to put runs on the board and pitch with the lead, but some days, you're not going to be able to do that," Marquis said. "You're going to have to bear down and really execute pitches to the best of your ability. Today was one of those days where there was a little room for error."

Soto added his 18th homer, a 2-run blast to center, in the ninth.

The Cubs (73-47) struck quickly in the nightcap against Braves starer Jorge Campillo. Aramis Ramirez had an RBI single before Edmonds' bases-loaded walk brought in the second run. Kosuke Fukudome capped it with a 2-run single.

Harden, who hadn't pitched since Aug. 6, sailed through the first two innings before getting two quick outs in the third. He then walked the bases loaded before retiring Casey Kotchman on a groundout. Harden then had to work out of trouble in the next three innings as he ran up a pitch count of 92.

"It was one of those games; I kind of had to fight through it," said Harden, who improved to 2-1 as a Cub. "I didn't really have great stuff. I was struggling to find the strike zone there for a couple innings, again throwing a lot of pitches, and I could only get through 5."

Piniella was glad to take it.

"It was long day, but it was a productive one," he said. "We won a couple ballgames. We got good hitting both games, really good pitching. Harden's command was off a little bit, (on) his eighth day, so we shortened him up a little bit, and we'll bring him back next Tuesday on his sixth day and let him pitch."

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