With wind blowing out, Cubs find jet stream

Cubs manager Mike Quade let out a sigh upon entering the interview room Thursday.

“That’s a Wrigley day, huh?” Quade said after his team out-hammered the Milwaukee Brewers 12-7 on a day when the wind was blowing out.

The problem of late has been that “Wrigley days” haven’t been good days for the Cubs.

Their home record going into the game was only 14-20, and they had been outhomered 33-21 in their own yard. With the wind blowing out, it was even worse. Opposing sluggers had hit 20 homers with favorable breezes compared with only 3 for the home team.

Things were different Thursday. The Cubs outhomered the Brewers 3-2, getting big blasts from Carlos Pena, Kosuke Fukudome and Alfonso Soriano.

They outhit the Brewers 14-10, and their Nos. 1 and 2 hitters — Fukudome and Starlin Castro — were on base eight times. “All day long,” Quade said. “And some people picking them up from behind, too. A lot of that’s been going on with the longball and a lot of good at-bats.”

It’s too early to say things are changing for the Cubs, especially at home. But they did win three of four in this series against the first-place team in their division.

Soriano came off the disabled list Wednesday. Not only did he hit his first homer since May 27, a 2-run shot in the seventh, but he said he noticed something different about the team.

“I think we feel very good as a team,” he said. “We haven’t played good the last two months and a half. I hope that our time is coming and everybody starts playing better and doing things together, and see what happens.

“I just came yesterday, and I see the people more relaxed, more enjoying. I hope we continue like that. Enjoy the game and try not to put too much pressure on ourselves.”

The year the Cubs really made themselves at home at Wrigley was 2008, when they went 55-26 and felt nobody could beat them at the Friendly Confines.

That was Fukudome’s first year as a Cub. On Thursday, his manager called it a “career day” for the right fielder, who fell a double shy of the cycle, with a first-inning single, a second-inning triple and a 3-run homer in the sixth off left-hander Daniel Herrera.

Fukudome also had a pair of assists, throwing out Rickie Weeks at second base in the fourth and seventh as Weeks ill-advisedly tried to stretch singles into doubles.

“I was thinking, ‘Just go. Rickie, just go,’” Fukudome said. “I knew that he is that kind of player, so I was preparing for it. So that is why I said, ‘Go, so that I can get you.’”

So naturally, Fukudome said it was defense that keys good play at home.

“Defense definitely makes the rhythm for the offense as well, so that’s something we have to do,” he said.

Even though it was a hitter’s day, the Cubs might not have won if not for starting pitcher Matt Garza. No, he did not earn a quality start, as he worked 6 innings and gave up 6 hits and 5 runs.

Garza did something more important. After the Brewers scored 5 runs over the first three innings, Garza shut them out over his next 3 innings. He’s had some tough-luck losses this year, so he no doubt deserved Thursday’s victory, which moved him to 3-6 with a 4.14 ERA.

“Just attack them,” Garza said. “It’s going to be one of those days where we’re going to lose it our way and go right after them … I love it. I really can’t complain. I’d rather be here than anywhere else. It’s just fun. I like pitching here. I like the challenge.”

Ÿ Follow Bruce’s Cubs reports via Twitter@BruceMiles2112, and join the conversation with fans on his Chicago’s Inside Pitch blog at dailyherald.com.