Frank Castillo played with the devil Tuesday night. But since Sammy Sosa played like an angel again, the Cubs beat San Francisco 4-0 at Wrigley Field.
Castillo wasn’t burned despite 10 Giants (eight hits) reaching base against him in his six innings and six of them getting into scoring position. Perhaps his one-time flameout season is salvageable after his record improved to 5-12 with victories in three of his last four starts.
The National League-leading 36th homer by Sosa lifted a stagnant offense at Wrigley Field at the same time his throwing arm slapped down a Giants threat with the stamp of authority. He also had an RBI single and two of his team’s four hits in the game, both coming with two outs.
The Cubs (51-54) are three games under .500 for the first time since June 26. And just 4 1/2 games out of first place after division leaders St. Louis and Houston both lost Tuesday.
Sosa, last week’s National League Player of the Week with the help of four home runs, picked up where he left off. Giants pitcher William VanLandingham was riding a perfect game until he walked Brian McRae to start the fourth inning and saw his no-hitter crunched by Sosa’s 465-footer to left,
Marvin Benard would have scored from second in the fifth if Rey Sanchez had let a grounder in the hole get through. But he backhanded the ball and threw from the grass for the putout and the Giants never advanced Benard beyond third.
Catcher Scott Servais, returning to the Cubs lineup after missing three games with a bruised knee, hit his first homer since June 1 at Florida when he just reached the left-field bleachers in the seventh.
