"As Alfonso Soriano walked to the plate in the sixth inning of the Cubs' 10-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks Sunday, the crowd rose as one to give the left fielder a rousing standing ovation.

This, of course, was in stark contrast to the treatment he received last homestand when the Wrigley Field faithful serenaded him with a chorus of boos.

An offensive explosion will do that to a crowd.

With his two-homer, four-RBI day in the series finale, Soriano continued his recent torrid hitting streak that has seen him go from public enemy No. 1 at Clark and Addison to seemingly everyone's favorite Cub.

"What a nice day he had," said manager Lou Piniella, whose team reached .500 after taking the final three games against Arizona. "His at-bats were all really good and productive. He really looks locked in at home plate." "