Sammy Sosa (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        Sammy Sosa hit a towering home run to center field and, with one swing, sparked what could become a great home-run derby.

        The ball flew high over the head of Reds center fielder Ken Griffey Jr. — the only other man to rival the long-ball power of Sosa and St. Louis' Mark McGwire the last three seasons. It was a two-run blast that gave Sosa's Chicago Cubs a 2-0 first-inning lead over Griffey's Reds Friday — the first time the two had played against each other since 1991, long before Sosa became such a feared slugger.

        It didn't matter that Griffey entered the game 1-for-14 as a Red, or that Sosa was 2-for-19 going into the game, or that neither had homered this season.

        The show wasn't in the statistics. It was in the potential.

        “It ain't no time to be thinking about a big series or something else,” said Sosa, whose Cubs snapped a four-game losing streak by beating the Reds 10-6. “It's time to go out there and get a couple hits.”

        Sosa went 1-for-4 Friday with three RBI. But Griffey was 0-for-4, making him 1-for-18 this season.

        With the bases loaded and one out in the ninth, Cubs manager Don Baylor brought in left-hander Mark Guthrie to face the left-handed Griffey, instead of using righty closer Rick Aguilera — despite Griffey's .478 lifetime batting average and two homers off Guthrie.

        Griffey flied to left for a sacrifice RBI in a situation where the Reds, trailing 10-5, needed a big hit.

        “I threw out the stats,” Baylor said. “Ken's not swinging the bat as well as he could. We know he's better than that. He's just struggling right now. Any time you take advantage of that, you have to.”

        Griffey has 398 career homers, including 48 or more in each of the last four seasons, and Sosa has 337 for his career after hitting 66 in 1998 and 63 last season. But the matchup doesn't yet have the magic McGwire and Sosa generated in '98 as they pursued Roger Maris' then-record of 61 in a season.

        “Griffey (who has never hit 60 home runs in a season) has got to get into the 60s,” Baylor said with a laugh.

        Yet neither player seems interested in the rivalry.

        “I only get a chance to see him on TV, and TV doesn't tell you a whole lot,” said Griffey. “But any time you throw out 130 home runs in two years, you have to do be doing something right.”

        Sosa's not looking for a slugging competition either.

        “I don't have time to think about Griffey,” Sosa said. “Right now I'm thinking about the team.”

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