HOUSTON -- Sometimes, Kerry Wood says, the umpires need to show a little common sense.
Wood was two outs away from picking up a win Sunday, had an eight-run lead, and had just come back from serving a five-game suspension. And he was tossed Sunday for hitting Houston's Jeff Kent, even though the umpire told Wood he knew it wasn't intentional.
Aramis Ramirez belted a three-run home run and Moises Alou added a solo shot to power the Cubs to an 11-6 victory Sunday over the Astros and take the series. Jon Leicester (4-0) picked up the win in relief.
"Every win at this point is a big win, throughout the month of September," said Todd Walker, who had two RBIs for the Cubs. "We're going to have to go to the last week of September to find out if we're going to get into the playoffs."
Kerry Wood / P
Born: 06/16/77
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 225 lbs
Bats: R / Throws: R
Wood was ejected with one out in the fifth after hitting Kent with a pitch. Wood did argue with home plate umpire Bill Hohn but it wasn't as heated or animated a discussion as the one in April that cost him the five-game suspension. Cubs manager Dusty Baker also was tossed.
Both sides had been issued a warning after Houston starter Roy Oswalt plunked Michael Barrett in the back. That happened after Ramirez's home run in the third.
"Consider the circumstances, what inning we're in, and I'm two outs away from probably the easiest 'W' in my career," Wood said. "Obviously, I'm not trying to hit the guy. My ball was all over the place, all over the strike zone all day long.
"Barrett was set up away, my ball ran in, Kent was diving and it got him," Wood said. "(Hohn) told me he knew I didn't hit him on purpose but he had to throw me out of the game. I guess I don't understand that."
Neither did Baker.
"I was surprised because Woody was struggling all day," Baker said. "I was surprised because of the score and the inning. The guy needed two outs to get a victory and you wouldn't risk that to hit somebody and put some other guys on base and lose the victory for yourself. (Hohn) said he can't let him keep hitting guys."
Wood had hit Jason Lane in the second and got Carlos Beltran on the foot with a slider in the third.
"I just came off a suspension," Wood said. "I'm not trying to get another one. I'm trying to get two outs and try to get a 'W.'
"(Hohn) told me he knew I didn't do it on purpose," Wood said. "My response to that was I thought it was at his discretion."
"Consider the circumstances, what inning we're in, and I'm two outs away from probably the easiest 'W' in my career. Obviously, I'm not trying to hit the guy."
-- Kerry Wood
Houston had taken a 1-0 lead after Mike Lamb's home run in the second. In the Cubs' third, Walker hit an RBI double, Alou walked and Sammy Sosa reached second on a fielding error by Lamb, the Astros' third baseman. Walker scored on the play. Ramirez followed with his 25th home run off an 0-2 pitch from Oswalt (13-9) to open a 5-0 lead.
Oswalt then hit Barrett in the back with a pitch and Hohn ejected the Astros pitcher. Barrett walked toward the mound and Oswalt, and both benches and bullpens emptied but no punches were thrown.
"I was surprised," Ramirez said. "I didn't do anything wrong. I hit the ball and ran. I don't know why he hit him."
Did Baker think Oswalt hit Barrett intentionally?
"Yes," Baker said. "The guy hits a home run and you hit a guy in the back. I thought he was. I looked up and (Oswalt) was nowhere to be found. He didn't object to the ejection."
"I think he's a good pitcher and it's a little uncharacteristic for him," Barrett said. "Being a catcher I know the frustration pitchers go through. For some reason, he retaliated with something he felt he needed to do and I was glad the umpire handled it the way he did."
Hohn issued a warning after that, but Wood was not tossed after hitting Beltran in the third. Hohn could see that was a slider that got away. Wood says the pitch to Kent also got away from him.
"In my opinion, that's common sense," Wood said. "Calling balls and strikes and safe and out are not the only things those guys have to be aware of. They have to know the game of baseball and in my opinion, that's not knowing the game of baseball."
The whole concept of issuing a warning doesn't make much sense to Wood either.
"Obviously, when someone gives up five runs they're upset," Wood said. "I don't understand how that affects the other team. You throw him out of the game. That's fine. A warning, now you're taking something away from me and our team and the inside part of the plate.
Corey Patterson / CF
Born: 08/13/79
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 180 lbs
Bats: L / Throws: R
"I was throwing in all day long," Wood said. "A two-seamer got away from me. If I wanted to hit somebody, I would've gotten him a lot better than that."
Back to the game. Walker added an RBI single in the fourth, driving in Corey Patterson who had singled and stole second. Patterson now has 11 stolen bases in his last 18 games.
Jose Vizcaino hit an RBI single in the Astros' fourth to make it 6-2 but the Cubs added four runs in the fifth on an RBI double by Barrett, a two-run double by Ramon Martinez and a bloop RBI single by Patterson.
Alou belted his 29th home run with one out in the sixth. The last time he hit 30 in a season was 2000 with Houston.
The Cubs remained a half-game behind San Francisco in the National League Wild Card race.
"I like the way we're playing," Wood said. "I think we're playing good baseball. Today was a good win to bounce back (after Saturday's late-inning loss) and put some runs up on the board. I like the signs of that."
Carrie Muskat is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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Kerry Wood / P
Corey Patterson / CF
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