Cubs lose series opener 8-7 to Twins in 10 innings, even with Soriano's 2 HRs

The Cubs lost 8-7 to the Minnesota Twins in 10 innings at Target Field tonight.  Travis Wood started for the Cubs and allowed three runs on six hits and also struck out three and walked three batters over five innings.  He left the game with a two-run lead but ended up with a no-decision.

Alfonso Soriano and Starlin Castro both hit homers tonight, with Soriano hitting two.  Soriano's first 2-run homer came when he was the designated hitter in the first inning.  Soriano's second 2-run homer came in the eighth inning to give the Cubs a 7-6 lead.  Castro's 2-run homer came in the fifth to give the Cubs a 5-2 lead.

"I love to play -- [the designated hitter] is a part-time job," Soriano said.  "I have to put in my mind that I'm playing, but I'm sitting on the bench."  Well, the DH position certainly seems to be a good fit for Soriano.

“I’m not happy because I hit homers but that’s not enough for me,” Soriano said.  “I was more happy in April when we were playing good and getting some wins and I wasn’t hitting homers.  Now I just hit a homer and we didn’t get a win.  I don’t just think about me, we have 25 players here.  We’re not having a good time.  We’re losing a lot of games but we have to keep pushing it and see if we can turn it around.”

Alfonso Soriano is congratulated by teammates after hitting a two-run homer in the first inning as a designated hitter (photo from cubs.com)

Reed Johnson and David DeJesus congratulate Starlin Castro after his two-run home run in the fifth inning (Getty Images photo)

The Cubs held the lead for the third time in the game after Soriano's second homer, but the game became tied in the ninth inning when Shawn Camp was pitching in relief and Justin Morneau hit an RBI triple. 

In the tenth inning, Josh Willingham singled down the third base line to give the Twins the victory over the Cubs.

Tomorrow the Cubs and Twins will play game two of the three game series at 1:10pm CT.  Jeff Samardzija will start for the Cubs and try for his sixth win of the season.