Sosa homers in Cubs' win

After a shaky start, Greg Maddux didn't expect to get win No. 301.

Maddux overcame a four-run first inning, and Sammy Sosa hit one of Chicago's three home runs to help the Cubs beat the Brewers 9-6 Thursday in Milwaukee.

"When you give up four runs in the first, you really don't expect to win, you just try to do what you can," Maddux said. "I just tried to hang on after that."

Maddux (12-8) settled down to push the Cubs within a half-game of idle San Francisco in the NL wild-card race.

Maddux won for the fifth time in his last six decisions. He retired 13 of his final 14 batters, and left after seven innings with an 8-5 lead.

"Runs make you look good, and we got a lot of runs today," Maddux said.

Sosa hit his 27th homer of the season and the 566th overall, moving within seven of Harmon Killebrew on the career list. Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez also homered for the Cubs, who dealt Milwaukee its sixth loss in eight games.

"Walks and home runs killed us," Milwaukee manager Ned Yost said. "And it's always tough to get four runs off Maddux and not hold the lead."

LaTroy Hawkins pitched the ninth for his 19th save in 23 chances.

Ramirez bailed Maddux out in the fifth when he broke a 5-all tie with a three-run homer off Chris Capuano. Nomar Garciaparra led off with a single and Moises Alou followed with a walk before Ramirez connected for his 24th homer.

Capuano (6-7) allowed a career-high eight runs, giving up eight hits and four walks in 4 1-3 innings, while striking out seven.

Lee's single in the first drove in Tom Goodwin to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead.

Then, the Brewers quickly came back against Maddux.

Chicago took a brief 5-4 lead in the third on Sosa's homer, but Milwaukee tied it on Russell Branyan's RBI double in the bottom half.

Milwaukee pulled within 8-6 in the eighth when Hall scored on Branyan's sacrifice fly. But Branyan gave the run back in the ninth when his error on Lee's grounder to third base allowed Goodwin to score.