Sosa slams homer No. 400

Sammy Sosa keeps hitting home runs and the Chicago Cubs keep losing.

Sosa hit his 400th career home run, but the Houston Astros overcame the two-run shot to beat the Cubs 6-2 Wednesday night.

Ex-Cub Orlando Merced's tie-breaking home run in the seventh inning sent the Astros to their fourth straight win, and 10th in 13 games.

The Cubs lost their sixth in a row.

It was a familiar story for the Cubs, who also lost Tuesday night despite Sosa's 399th homer.

"Three-ninety-nine, 400 and you walk away with two losses," said Cubs manager Don Baylor. "It should be a little more joyous."

Baylor would probably prefer to be in Houston manager Larry Dierker's shoes.

"All the other teams have the milestones. We'll take the wins," Dierker said.

Sosa connected off Shane Reynolds (4-2) in the fourth, sending a drive into the right-field stands for his 14th homer of the season and tying the game 2-2.

Sosa tipped his cap during a two-minute standing ovation from the Wrigley Field crowd, which chanted "Sam-my! Sammy!"

"It feels great," Sosa said. "My wife is here and my kid and they brought me good luck."

But Sosa wasn't too happy because the Cubs, in first place a few days ago, have fallen into a rut.

"Our ball club has not put its head down," Sosa said. "Our intensity is there."

Baylor said the Cubs need more than just Sosa to score enough to win.

"Sammy got us right back in the ball game and we didn't score any more," Baylor said. "We have to do it collectively."

With the shot, Sosa became the 33rd major-leaguer -- the seventh active -- to hit 400 homers.

He passed Hall of Famer Al Kaline on the all-time homer list.

Sosa also has 999 RBIs while with the Cubs.

"I'm happy for him," Merced said. "I had a chance to be here 30 days (in 1998) when he hit 66.

"I'll tell my kids I was here."

Reynolds won his third straight start, going seven strong innings

He allowed one earned run and five hits in helping the Astros win for the ninth time in 10 road games.

Reynolds said he used Wrigley Field to his advantage.

"The environment here, with the wind and the high grass, works to benefit a sinkerball pitcher," Reynolds said.

Of the homer, Reynolds said: "You're going to give them up. It was a bad pitch. I hung a pitch and he hit it."

Jeff Bagwell blooped an RBI single, and the Astros scored another run on a double play for a 2-0 lead in the fourth.

With one out in the seventh, Merced hit a two-run homer off Julian Tavarez (3-3).

Craig Biggio added an RBI single in the eighth to make it 5-2.

Vinny Castilla hit a sacrifice fly in the ninth off reliever Courtney Duncan.

A day earlier, Castilla had three hits, scored three runs and drove in two in his Astros' debut.

Tavarez pitched eight innings, allowing five runs on seven hits and a walk.