CHICAGO – Mother Nature forced the Cubs to wait a little longer than expected for the second half of the season to begin.

But Alfonso Soriano, refreshed after the four-day All-Star break, made sure it was worth the wait. Soriano kicked off the second half with a bang, hitting two home runs and finishing 4 for 4 with five RBIs in the Cubs’ 8-1 win Friday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Starter Paul Maholm quieted the Diamondbacks’ offense to pick up his team-leading seventh win of the season.

“I feel very good today; those four days I cleared my mind and my body too,” Soriano said. “I hope that the game that I have today, I hope I have more like that and help the team to win.”