Chicago ? The Florida Marlins did their best to create a homey atmosphere — their mascot danced on the field, their P.A. announcer did the lineups, and they even wore white pants.

Chased out of Florida by Hurricane Ivan, the Marlins staged an eighth-inning rally Monday to beat the Montreal Expos in a strange setting at U.S. Cellular Field.

“Yeah, you got to feel like we’re at home, even when we’re in a different city. We still want to get back home to our houses, and hopefully Ivan won’t cause any more havoc,” catcher Paul Lo Duca said after the Marlins scored six runs in the eighth and beat the Expos, 6-3.

“It was a little weird early but once you get on the field, everything is fine, you just go back to playing baseball. You miss your crowd and you miss going home right now. Now we go back to the hotel an hour away. That’s a little difficult.”

Florida, two games behind wild-card leading San Francisco, will play the Expos again today at U.S. Cellular. The Marlins announced after Monday’s game that the teams will play a doubleheader in Miami Wednesday and a single game Thursday night.

The last NL game in an AL ballpark was in 1946, when the Boston Braves played several games at Fenway Park because a paint job on the seats at Braves Field had not dried.

A small but spirited crowd announced at 4,003 transformed the home park of the Chicago White Sox into a foul-ball chaser’s paradise. With the upper deck closed, most of the fans who spent $15 for a ticket — $5 going to hurricane relief — sat behind the dugouts and close to the field.

Florida rallied in the eighth with help from four Montreal errors.

Mets 9-1, Braves 7-7

New York — J.D. Drew had four hits and three RBIs, and Paul Byrd pitched eight strong innings in the nightcap, helping Atlanta earn a doubleheader split with New York.

In the first game, Mike Piazza and Richard Hidalgo homered, pinch-hitter Craig Brazell came through with a go-ahead double, and New York rallied for the narrow victory

After the Mets spent all afternoon answering questions about the future of manager Art Howe, they came back from a three-run deficit to win for only the third time in 22 games.

Drew and Adam LaRoche each hit a two-out, two-run double during Atlanta’s four-run third in the second game.

Cubs 7, Pirates 2

Chicago — Sammy Sosa homered for the first time in more than two weeks, and Derrek Lee drove in three runs as Chicago moved within a half-game of idle San Francisco in the NL wild-card race.

The Cubs, who tagged rookie Frank Brooks (0-1) for five runs — four earned — in just one inning. Greg Maddux (14-9) scattered five hits over seven scoreless innings.

Reds 4, Phillies 3

Cincinnati — Jason LaRue drove in the go-ahead run on a fielder’s choice in the eighth, and Cincinnati snapped Philadelphia’s six-game winning streak. Joe Valentine (2-3) got the final out in the eighth for the win, and Danny Graves pitched the ninth for his 39th save.

Rockies 9, D’backs 2

Phoenix — Vinny Castilla reached 300 career homers and 1,000 RBIs with two of Colorado’s five home runs, and the Rockies dealt Arizona its 101st loss of the season and 10th in 11 games.

Luis Gonzalez hit a three-run homer off Arizona starter Casey Fossum, then Castilla, Jeromy Burnitz and Brad Hawpe had solo shots off reliever Lance Cormier.

Castilla’s second home run of the night — and 32nd of the season — drove in two runs off Scott Service.

It was Castilla’s fourth multihomer game of the season and 32nd of his career. He has 119 RBIs this season, two behind NL leader Scott Rolen.

Joe Kennedy (8-6) matched his career best with his eighth victory.