CHICAGO -- Stuck on 498 career home runs with only four games left, time is running out for Sammy Sosa.

He's got friends and family in town to see him reach the 500 milestone. Fans give him standing ovations whenever he steps to the plate, and flashbulbs pop with his every swing.

Sure seems like a lot of pressure. But Sosa insists it's not.

''If it happens, great. If it doesn't, I'll wait for next year,'' he said after going 0-for-4 Wednesday night in the Chicago Cubs' 8-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.

''My career is not going to end if I don't hit it.''

Fans weren't completely shut out of the home run show. The Reds hit four off of Matt Clement (12-11), including a three-run shot by Russell Branyan. Ryan Dempster (10-13) scattered six hits in his eighth complete game.

It was only the second complete game for the Reds this season, and it kept them from tying the major league record for fewest complete games (one) in a year.

Sosa is trying to become the 18th major leaguer with 500 homers. Two more also would make him the first player in major league history with five 50-homer seasons.

But he didn't come close to going deep Wednesday night, grounding out in his first three at-bats and popping out to right field in the ninth.

''The last two at-bats, I got some good pitches. I got good swings on them and just missed it,'' Sosa said. ''He pitched me tough. He had a very good plan.''

That plan was to stay away from the middle of the plate.

''I pretty much threw him sinkers, keeping it on the inner part of the plate,'' Dempster said. ''I threw him some good ones, but not many in the middle part of the plate.''

Time may be getting short, but there's still plenty left for a hitter like Sosa, Cubs interim manager Bruce Kimm said.

''He's liable to come out and hit two tomorrow,'' Kimm said. ''I'm sure he's trying to nail them because he knows how much he wants to do it and he also knows how much the fans want him to do it.''

Instead, the fans had to watch as the Reds sent ball after ball into the seats. Branyan, Juan Castro, Kelly Stinnett and Todd Walker all homered off Clement into almost the exact same spot in left-center.

Clement allowed a season-high seven runs in three innings, his shortest outing of the year.

''I didn't pitch particularly well,'' Clement said. ''One of my goals coming into the season was to eliminate games like that. I managed to stay away from them the whole way until tonight.

''It wasn't the way I wanted to finish up.''

Dempster couldn't have asked for a better finish -- especially compared with his last outing of the 2001 season. He made it just 2-3 of an inning in his last outing of 2001, allowing seven runs on one hit and six walks.

On Wednesday night, he held Chicago hitless until Corey Patterson doubled into the corner in deep left with two outs in the fifth.

Alex Gonzalez then spoiled Dempster's bid for a shutout with a two-run homer to left-center.

''I've been more aggressive, throwing through the catcher, not just to him,'' Dempster said. ''I'm excited to take this into next year.''

Notes: Reds SS Barry Larkin will have surgery Monday to remove bone spurs from his right big toe. He'll be available to pinch-hit in the Reds' remaining games. … With his double, Patterson is now 20-for-105 (.190) in his last 30 games. … The Reds' four homers was one shy of their single-game high for the season. They hit five Aug. 4 at San Diego. … Gonzalez's homer was his 18th of the year, a career high.