The Chicago Cubs haven't been having a dream season, but they started off the second half of the campaign with a thunderous victory.
The Cubs took care of the Arizona Diamondbacks at Wrigley Field on Friday, beating the visitors 8-1 after a lengthy rain delay.
Alfonso Soriano had a great night, smacking two home runs and driving in five runs as part of a 4-for-4 spectacular. Anthony Rizzo also showed up in a large way, going 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored.
On the mound, Paul Maholm pitched splendidly for Chicago, throwing seven innings while only allowing one earned run on six hits.
Arizona's starter Ian Kennedy wasn't as sharp, getting knocked around once again. The 20-game winner from last season hasn't found similar success in 2012, with an ERA over 4.50. On Friday, the Cubs got to him for six runs (all earned) in just five frames.
Chicago will look to keep things going on Saturday, when Ryan Dempster takes the hill opposing Joe Saunders.
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