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Sports pictures of the year
From a nail-biting pass at Superbowl XLIII to a bloody WBO World Welterwight fight, here's a look at the best sports photos of 2009. Slideshow
Cubs turn back Rockies for seventh consecutive win
CHICAGO (Reuters) - The Chicago Cubs cruised to their seventh consecutive victory with a 5-3 win over the Colorado Rockies on Sunday.
Alfonso Soriano's 13th homer of the season in the sixth inning helped boost the Cubs record to 36-21, the best in the major leagues.
It is the first time since 1908 that the Cubs have had baseball's top record on June 1. That was also the last year they won the World Series.
"I think we're playing baseball right now the way we're supposed to play," Soriano told reporters after the Cubs completed a perfect seven-game homestand.
The loss was the seventh in a row and 12th consecutive on the road for the defending National League champion Rockies.
Jim Edmonds contributed a run-scoring double, a triple and a bases-loaded walk for the Cubs, the National League Central Division leaders.
"Edmonds is starting to contribute offensively, (which is) very important to us," Cubs manager Lou Piniella told reporters.
Rockies second baseman Ian Stewart's throwing error put the Cubs ahead 3-2 in the fourth inning.
Edmonds made it 4-2 with his bases-loaded walk in the fifth.
The Rockies pulled within a run on Yorvit Torrealba's double in the sixth before Soriano homered to left field in the bottom half of the inning.
Rookie Sean Gallagher (3-1) struck out a career-high eight over five and two-thirds innings for the victory. He gave up six hits and three runs.
The Cubs' bullpen held Colorado to two hits for the remainder of the game.
Ubaldo Jimenez (1-6) took the loss, yielding four runs and seven hits.
(Writing by Gene Cherry in Raleigh, North Carolina; Editing by Ed Osmond)
