Cubs beat Braves 10-2 for sixth straight road win

ATLANTA -- The Chicago Cubs are winning on the road, too. Geovanny Soto and Jim Edmonds homered, Jason Marquis defeated his old team and the Cubs routed the Atlanta Braves 10-2 Wednesday in the opener of a day-night doubleheader.

By stretching a road winning streak to six for the first time since May 17-June 2, 2005, the NL Central leaders improved their road record to 27-30. The Cubs swept three games from the Braves at home from June 10-12 and have outscored Atlanta 30-11 this season.

Chicago (72-47) moved 25 games over .500 for the first time since ending the 1984 season at 96-55.

Marquis (8-7) gave up two runs and six hits in 5 1-3 innings for his first win against Atlanta, his first major league team. Marquis was 0-3 with a 14.04 ERA in his first four starts against Atlanta the Braves.

Charlie Morton (3-6) gave up four runs and four hits in 2 1-3 innings.

Soto, who was 3-for-5 with four RBIs, hit two-run homers in the fifth against Morton and in the ninth off Francisley Bueno, who made his major league debut. Bueno was by plate umpire Ed Rapuano after throwing a pitch behind Alfonso Soriano's head.

Braves manager Bobby Cox was ejected by third base umpire Joe West in the top of the fifth. Cox never left the dugout but apparently complained when West halted play for the lights to be turned on after Braves reliever Vladimir Nunez warmed up. Cox has been ejected a record 142 times, including seven this season.

West and the umpires had halted play in the fourth inning and ordered the lights to be turned off on the cloudy afternoon.

Edmonds hit a two-run, opposite-field homer to left in the third and had an RBI in the three-run fifth.

There were a large number of Cubs fans at Turner Field, and many booed when Soriano stood and watched a long fly ball hit the left-field wall for a long single in the eighth. Soriano didn't run to first, apparently thinking the ball would clear the fence.

Soriano was stranded on third base when the inning ended.

-- NOTES: RF Kosuke Fukudome was 0-for-4 with a walk for Chicago and is 3-for-32 (.093) in August. ... The Cubs drew six walks and lead the majors with 468.