Cubs 8, Diamondbacks 1: Alfonso Soriano went 4-for-4 with two homers and five RBIs and Paul Maholm pitched seven strong innings as host Chicago waited out the rain and pounded Arizona.

Soriano doubled twice to finish with 12 total bases and Anthony Rizzo added two hits and two runs scored for the Cubs, who have won nine of 13 since Rizzo was recalled from the minors on June 26.

The game was delayed three hours and 41 minutes at the start but the delay did not seem to affect Soriano, who doubled in the second inning and scored on a wild pitch to knot it at 1-1. The resurgent slugger gave Chicago the lead in the fourth, turning on a first-pitch fastball from Ian Kennedy (6-8) and blasting it out of the stadium past the left field stands.

Soriano gave Maholm a 5-1 cushion in the fifth, coming up with runners on the corners and two outs and sending a towering blast into the front row in left-center for his 17th home run.

Maholm (7-6) gave up a run on a double-play groundout in the first, then settled down to allow just the lone run on six hits while walking one and striking out five.

Kennedy took the brunt of the damage, yielding six runs on seven hits and a pair of walks while striking out four in five frames. The right-hander, who went 21-4 last season, has only one win in his last six starts.

Soriano added an RBI ground-rule double in a two-run seventh inning.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Arizona SS Stephen Drew went 2-for-3 for his first multi-hit game since coming off the disabled list on June 27. ... Diamondbacks LF Jason Kubel left the game in the seventh inning with an apparent injury. … The Cubs reached an agreement with RHP Duane Underwood on Friday, beating the deadline to sign the second-round draft pick. Chicago signed each of its first 20 picks. … Arizona will activate LHP Joe Saunders (shoulder) from the disabled list for Saturday’s start. He will be opposed by RHP Ryan Dempster, who has pitched 27 straight scoreless innings.