Chicago ? Sammy Sosa is starting to look as if he’s wearing a target.

Sosa was hit for a second straight game Tuesday night, getting plunked in the backside as Brian Lawrence tied a major league record by hitting three batters in one inning. Sosa and the Chicago Cubs converted the knocks into four runs as they beat the San Diego Padres, 7-2.

“I got a little mad, but I know it was nothing intentional,” Sosa said. “It was just frustrating because it was two days in a row.”

The Cubs had just four hits, but they took advantage of the mistakes to win for the eighth time in 10 games. Corey Patterson homered and had three RBIs, and Damian Miller drove in three runs with his first triple since 1998.

“It’s one of those rare games when you have more runs than hits,” Cubs manager Dusty Baker said. “Those guys outhit us tonight, but we outscored them.”

Lawrence (2-2) looked strong early, retiring nine of his first 10 batters. But he lost control in the fourth, allowing a leadoff hit — the Cubs’ first — to Alex Gonzalez.

That brought up Sosa. Lawrence had seen the scary shot of Sosa getting hit Sunday, the impact so severe it shattered his batting helmet, and he wanted to make sure he didn’t hit him, too.

But on a 2-1 pitch, Lawrence tried to go inside and went too far, grazing Sosa’s backside. Sosa glared at Lawrence as he dropped his bat, then held out his arms as if to say, “What are you doing?”

“I understand that it’s something that happens in baseball,” Sosa said. “I don’t think it was anything personal.”

Lawrence said he can’t blame Sosa for being angry.

“I’m sure he is frustrated, and reasonably so,” Lawrence said. “He got hit in the head and that is something that is extremely dangerous. It’s not something you can get over, especially when you get hit during this game.

“I know he was upset,” Lawrence added. “He had every right to be, but it’s not something I meant to do.”

Sammy Sosa drops his bat after being hit by a pitch. Sosa, who was hit in the head by a pitch Sunday, was hit in the backside Tuesday night in Chicago.

Expos 4, D’backs 0

Montreal — Wil Cordero and Jose Vidro homered to back Tomo Ohka, and the Expos beat Arizonain their home opener. The Expos’ first 10 “home games” were moved to San Juan, Puerto Rico, by the commissioner’s office to raise revenue, and Montreal will return to the island in June and September for a pair of six-game “homestands.”

After the Expos won six games in the Caribbean, Montreal was welcomed by a crowd of 36,879, the largest Olympic Stadium crowd since 45,183 came to the 2001 home opener.

Pirates 5, Giants 2

Pittsburgh — Jeff Suppan won his fourth straight start and Jesse Foppert was roughed up in his first start for San Francisco, with Pittsburgh turning a five-run first inning into a victory. The Giants, shorthanded with Barry Bonds out with a sore neck on a raw, 44-degree night, lost consecutive games for the first time this season. They were 15-2 — the second-best start in club history — before losing Sunday to the Dodgers.

Braves 5, Cardinals 3

Atlanta — Gary Sheffield homered, doubled and drove in three runs as Atlanta defeated St. Louis. Russ Ortiz won for the first time in three starts for the Braves (11-9), who have won seven of eight and are two games over .500 for the first time this season. The Cardinals have lost three in a row.

Astros 6, Mets 2

New York — Tim Redding allowed one run in six innings to win for the first time in nearly 11 months, and Richard Hidalgo homered to help Houston defeat New York. Jeff Kent and Orlando Merced hit RBI doubles in the first inning against David Cone (1-3) as the Astros won for just the third time in 10 games.

Phillies 5, Rockies 2

Philadelphia — Pitching Kevin Millwood was the right decision for the Phillies. Moved up a day in the rotation, Millwood allowed one run and three hits in six innings to lead Philadelphia past Colorado. Brett Myers had been scheduled to start, but Philadelphia manager Larry Bowa made the change to keep Millwood (3-1) on his regular pattern of four days rest.

Dodgers 2, Reds 1

Cincinnati — Brian Jordan’s run-scoring single in the eighth inning gave Los Angeles a victory against Cincinnati. Cesar Izturis tied it with a two-out RBI single in the seventh, and Jordan decided it with another two-out single in the eighth off Paul Wilson (0-2), who lasted 72¼3 innings.

Marlins 4, Brewers 2

Miami — Ivan Rodriguez drove in three runs, including two with a tiebreaking homer in the eighth inning, and Florida beat Milwaukee.