CHICAGO – Wild things usually happen when the wind blows out at Wrigley Field, and Friday was no exception.

Both managers were ejected, Sammy Sosa homered to tie the game in the ninth and Moises Alou immediately followed with the game-winner to give the Chicago Cubs a wacky 11-10 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

Alou knew his second home run of the game was gone as soon as it left his bat, throwing his left arm into the air as the Cubs spilled out of the dugout. They were waiting to greet him at home, and they surrounded him in a pile as he crossed the plate.

Sosa’s blast was his 512th with the Cubs, tying Ernie Banks’ club record. Aramis Ramirez homered for a third straight day and finished with five RBIs, one shy of his career high. Ken Griffey Jr. hit his third homer of the year, and it was so pretty even he had to stop to admire it.

With the wind blowing out at 13 mph, it was a given things were going to be leaving the ballpark. But it’s usually home runs, not managers.
Indians 10, Tigers 3
CLEVELAND – Jody Gerut went 5-for-5 with three RBIs to help C.C. Sabathia get his first win this season, and the Cleveland Indians beat the Detroit Tigers 10-3 on Friday night.

Gerut homered, doubled three times and singled as the Indians battered Nate Cornejo (1-1) while winning the first of seven games in 10 days between the teams.

The Indians also hit reliever Ugueth Urbina, whom they decided not to sign as a free agent during spring training.
Devil Rays 3, White Sox 0
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Paul Abbott allowed four hits in seven innings and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays got home runs from Carl Crawford and Julio Lugo in a 3-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox.

Abbott (1-1) struck out five and walked two. Only one runner – Willie Harris in the first inning – reached second base against the right-hander.
Braves 5, Marlins 4
ATLANTA – Eli Marrero and Chipper Jones each hit two-run homers, Julio Franco knocked in the go-ahead run with an RBI single in a three-run sixth and the Atlanta Braves beat Florida 5-4 Friday night to end the Marlins’ seven-game winning streak.

The Braves ended the Marlins’ team-record scoreless string at 31 innings when Marrero hit a two-run homer off Darren Oliver after a single by Johnny Estrada to tie it at 2.
Phillies 4, Expos 2
PHILADELPHIA – Jim Thome went 4-for-4 with a home run, and Pat Burrell also homered to lead the Philadelphia Phillies over the Montreal Expos 4-2 Friday in the first night game at Citizens Bank Park.

Eric Milton allowed two runs over six innings for Philadelphia, which has won two straight games for the first time this season.
Orioles 11, Blue Jays 2
TORONTO – Javy Lopez homered to spark a six-run second inning, and Matt Riley pitched one-hit ball for seven dominant innings as the Baltimore Orioles routed the Toronto Blue Jays 11-2 Friday night.

The Blue Jays managed just two hits in all, and Miguel Batista (0-2) had poor command throughout his four-plus innings.
Pirates 7, Mets 6
NEW YORK – Jack Wilson had a go-head RBI single in a seven-run eighth inning, and the Pittsburgh Pirates – limited to one hit over the first seven innings by Tom Glavine – held on for a 7-6 victory over the New York Mets on Friday night.

Pittsburgh roughed up three New York relievers in the top of the eighth, then the Mets rallied against the Pirates’ bullpen in the bottom half, scoring four runs.
Cardinals 13, Rockies 5
ST. LOUIS – Tony Womack and Reggie Sanders hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning and Sanders added another for his second two-homer game of the season, helping the St. Louis Cardinals halt an early slump at home with a 13-5 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Friday night.

Womack added a double and single, and Marlon Anderson also homered and had three hits for St. Louis.
Astros 2, Brewers 0
HOUSTON – Roy Oswalt pitched a three-hitter and struck out 10 in his second career shutout, leading the Houston Astros to a 2-0 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.

Oswalt (2-0) retired 17 of his final 18 batters and threw just 94 pitches. He walked none and matched a career low for hits allowed, accomplished twice before.
Twins 9, Royals 7
MINNEAPOLIS – Lew Ford went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and a clutch RBI triple, leading the Minnesota Twins to a 9-7 victory Friday night and sending the Kansas City Royals to their fourth straight loss.

Carlos Beltran capped a Royals rally with a three-run homer that tied it at 7 in the seventh, but reliever Jason Grimsley gave up an RBI single to Jacque Jones in the bottom of the inning before Ford drove him in with a triple.

Jaime Cerda (0-1) was charged with those two runs. Juan Rincon (2-0) earned the victory for the Twins despite giving up Beltran’s homer. Joe Nathan got two outs for his second save.

Juan Gonzalez homered twice, giving him three in the last two days, and Mike Sweeney also connected for Kansas City, which hasn’t had a starting pitcher get a win after 10 games. The starters have a collective 7.54 ERA.

Beltran’s big hit got starter Jimmy Gobble off the hook, but the left-hander didn’t pitch well enough to deserve it. He gave up seven hits and seven runs (five earned) in five innings while striking out two. Two of the four batters Gobble walked wound up scoring, and a wild pitch gave the Twins another run.

Gonzalez, who went homerless with just one RBI in his first 32 at-bats with his new team until hitting one Thursday in Chicago, hit a solo shot in the second.

Minnesota starter Johan Santana was on the way to his first victory in three starts, but the Royals muscled him off the mound.

With one on in the sixth, Gonzalez sent Santana’s first pitch into the left-field seats for his 432nd career home run to cut the Twins’ lead to 7-4. That moved Gonzalez past Cal Ripken Jr. into 30th place on baseball’s career list.

Santana, who gave up six hits and a walk while striking out six in 6 1-3 innings, left two runners on for Rincon – who got one out before Beltran’s shot off the facade of the upper deck in right tied it.

That gave the Royals 14 homers in their last four games, tying a club record for that span.

Minnesota was missing four regular position players to injuries – first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz, center fielder Torii Hunter, designated hitter Matthew LeCroy and catcher Joe Mauer.

The lineup has remained productive, though, and this night was no exception. The Twins, taking advantage of three Royals errors, scored twice in the second, twice in the third and three times in the fourth to take a 7-2 lead.

Shannon Stewart scored twice and hit an RBI single. Luis Rivas went 2-for-5 with two RBIs, and Michael Cuddyer also drove in a run with a single.

Ford, subbing for Hunter in center, is batting .409 in 22 at-bats.

Notes: This is the latest Royals starters have gone into a season without a win. In 1992, they didn’t get one until their 18th outing. … Mientkiewicz, who has a sprained ankle, might be ready to play Saturday. … Kansas City RHP Kevin Appier will come off the disabled list and make his first start of the season Saturday. He hasn’t pitched since last Aug. 26, also at Minnesota, after undergoing surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon in his elbow. … With RHP Rick Helling still recovering from a broken bone in his lower leg, the Twins will start RHP Seth Greisinger on Sunday. It’s the first time they’ve needed a fifth starter this year. … Gonzalez has 39 career homers against Minnesota, his most against any opponent.

AP-ES-04-16-04 2324EDT