After losing four of six on the road to St. Louis and Cincinnati, the Cubs (23-15) hoped to get well on a 10-game homestand against Arizona, San Diego and Pittsburgh.

Chicago took care of the most difficult part of that stretch by sweeping a three-game series from the West-leading Diamondbacks over the weekend. With seven straight games against major league-worst San Diego (14-25) and Pittsburgh - a team they are 6-0 versus this season - the Cubs have a golden opportunity to put some distance between themselves and the rest of the division.

Another strong outing from Carlos Zambrano and a six-run fifth inning helped the Cubs to a 12-3 win over the Padres on Monday.

Zambrano went seven innings to win his fifth straight decision as Chicago tied Florida and Arizona for the best record in the majors.

The win improved the Cubs to 15-6 at Wrigley Field, the second-best home mark in the NL behind Atlanta (14-4). Last season when Chicago won the Central with an 85-77 record, it was merely 44-37 at Wrigley and 41-40 on the road.

The Cubs are hitting .316 with 27 home runs at home compared to .246 with 12 homers on the road, where they are just 8-9.

"I think we have a very good lineup, very balanced," said Alfonso Soriano, who homered in the fifth and is 7-for-14 during the Cubs' four-game win streak. "Be more aggressive and, at the same time, selective at home plate. That's what I try to do because I know when I swing at a strike, I know that I hit the ball very hard."

San Diego failed in a bid for its season-high third straight win, and lost its fifth in a row on the road. The Padres, batting a major league-worst .231, scored three runs or fewer for the sixth time in eight games.

Chicago's Jason Marquis (1-2, 5.08 ERA) hopes to rebound from two disappointing starts. Since putting together three straight effective starts, the right-hander has been tagged for 10 runs and 17 hits in his last two outings, covering 10 1-3 innings.

Marquis hasn't pitched since May 4, when he gave up five runs, seven hits and a season high-tying five walks through 5 1-3 innings in a 5-3 loss at St. Louis.

He is 3-2 with a 3.38 ERA in six career starts against the Padres, including 1-1 with a 1.69 ERA in his last three games.

Shawn Estes (0-0, 0.00 ERA) is scheduled to make his first major league start in over two years for the Padres. The 13-year veteran was called up from Triple-A Portland on Thursday and gave up two unearned runs in 1 2-3 innings in San Diego's 5-4 loss to Atlanta that night.

The appearance was Estes' first since April 5, 2006. He had elbow reconstruction surgery two months later, forcing him to the miss the entire 2007 season.

Estes, who pitched for the Cubs in 2003, is 5-3 with a 5.70 ERA in 12 career starts against his former team, last facing them on May 7, 2004, with Colorado.

Chicago's Aramis Ramirez should be happy to see Estes again. He is 8-for-13 (.615) with two homers off the left-hander.