Edmonds finding his comfort zone

If anybody knows Wrigley Field, it's Jim Edmonds.

"In this ballpark, you're never out of it," the Cubs center fielder said before his team beat the Baltimore Orioles 7-4 Wednesday night.

"For some reason, with these fans, the excitement, the crowd gets into it ... the wind's blowing out, you never know what's going to happen. Yeah, it's a great place to be a home team, playing for the home team for once."

Edmonds knows all about playing for the other side as a longtime member of the hated St. Louis Cardinals. But in just a few short weeks, Edmonds has gone from looking like his career was toast to being the toast of the town.

Well, maybe not quite the toast of the town yet. Cubs fans have long memories of Edmonds and his Redbirds tormenting the Cubs.

But Edmonds has found a second wind in the Windy City, and he again helped the Cubs on Wednesday.

Edmonds homered in the fourth inning and drew 3 walks in helping the Cubs (49-29) even this series at a game apiece. Don't look now but Edmonds is hitting .423 (11-for-26) with 6 homers and 16 RBI over his last nine games at his suddenly Friendly Confines. Just don't ask him about it.

"I'm not here to talk about my hitting," he said after the game. "That won't get you very far. I try to keep my head down and keep going out there playing and helping this team."

That left it to manager Lou Piniella to talk about how Edmonds has become an asset to the Cubs, who signed him last month after the San Diego Padres let him go.

"He really is," Piniella said. "He's worked hard. He's done a really nice job out in center field. Now, he's starting to supply some punch. He gives you a good at-bat. He knows the strike zone, and he's hitting the ball out of the ballpark."

The Cubs sent lefty Ted Lilly to the mound, and he survived a pair of 2-run homers by Jay Payton to improve to 8-5. Piniella said Lilly didn't find his curveball into the middle of the game, but it came in handy in the sixth when Payton grounded into a forceout with a man on base and two outs.

"That was the only pitch I got him out on," Lilly said, who lasted 7 innings and got relief help from Carlos Marmol and Kerry Wood, with Wood earning his 20th save.

Cubs batters jumped all over Orioles emergency starter Matt Albers, who was filling in for the ill Brian Burres. Albers left the game after walking Edmonds in the first because of discomfort in his right shoulder.

Aramis Ramirez already had singled home a run off Albers by the time Edmonds walked, the first of 10 walks by the Cubs. Lance Cormier replaced Albers and gave up a 2-run single to Geovany Soto and a single to Mark DeRosa, making it 4-0.

The Orioles were ready to take advantage of Wrigley Field, too. Lilly walked Ramon Hernandez with one out in the second. After Luke Scott flew out, Payton homered.

The Cubs got both of those runs back in the bottom of the inning, but Payton hit another 2-run homer in the fourth.

Edmonds gave Lilly a little breathing room when he led off the home half of the fourth with a homer to right-center off Ryan Bukvich.

"Everything's good," Edmonds said. "This is becoming more and more fun for me each day. The fans are great. It's really exciting to play here in this city."