Afternoon Box Score: Cubs Wallop Astros

AP Photo/Jim Prisching

An outbreak of offense and a stellar outing from Randy Wells powered the Cubs waaaaay past the Houston Astros today by a score of 12-0. The Cubs put up six runs in the first inning alone, half of that off a three-run homer from Alfonso Soriano. Aramis Ramirez homered in the second, and the Cubs put up two more in the fourth. A few more late-inning runs from the Cubs, including a solo shot from Andres Blanco in the eighth, wrapped up the blow-out. All told, the Cubs used every available position player and knocked 14 hits off the Houston pitching staff. As for Wells, he was nothing short of fantastic on the mound, throwing eight shut-out innings, scattering six hits and striking out two for his seventh win of the season. Mitch Atkins made his major league debut by pitching a scoreless ninth. But the story today was the offense which, for the third time since the All-Star Break, hit double-digits in the runs scored category, a feat they accomplished only twice before the break. And since the break, the Cubs are now 10-3 and they're 5-1 on this homestand which wraps up tomorrow. The team, now back in a temporary first place tie with the Cardinals who play later tonight, hits the road after tomorrow's matinee finale.