Soriano ends homer drought in Cubs' 6-5 victory

The Iranian election was just days away.

President Obama and family were the toast of Paris.

A solo home run by Alfonso Soriano kicked off a rally as the Cubs battled back for a win over Cincinnati in 14 innings.

Until his 3-run homer in the sixth inning of Saturday night's 6-5 nail-biter over Washington, that was the last time Soriano had gone yard.

But the Cubs' left fielder, back in the lineup after missing a game with a dislocated pinkie finger, snapped out of it in a big way in the nation's capital.

"We'll dislocate a finger a week if it gives us a 3-run homer," joked Cubs manager Lou Piniella, who had an alternative lineup card ready in case Soriano wasn't able to go.

"I had to wait to dislocate one finger, so I don't know," Soriano told reporters. "But I feel very comfortable at home plate now."

His sixth-inning blast not only snapped a string of 120 at-bats since his previous home run, it also gave the Cubs their first lead of the night against the lowly Nationals.

Amazingly, the 120 at-bats without a home run is only the second-longest streak of Soriano's career. He went 184 at-bats without a home run from April 15-June 13, 2001, with the New York Yankees.

His focus isn't on that, though.

"I had a bad first half, so I hope every bad moment I had will stay in the first half and I do a better job in the second half," Soriano said.

Lost in all the hoopla surrounding Soriano's blast was Mike Fontenot's solo shot off Jason Bergmann in the eighth inning. Fontenot's seventh of the season proved the difference for the Cubs. And just like Soriano, Fontenot had been in a long homerless slump, his last coming on June 9.

The victory improved the Cubs to 46-43 and moved them to within 2 games of first-place St. Louis.

Meanwhile the loss dropped the Nationals, who blew a chance in the eighth with the bases loaded, to 26-64 for the season.

"We just haven't been able to get a run home," Nationals manager Jim Riggleman said.