A night after getting pushed around by the big bad Brewers, the Cubs pushed back in a big way, pounding the living daylights out of Jeff Suppan, Derrick Turnbow, and the rest of the Brew Crew 19-5.  That win gave the Cubs a 17-10 record for April, the most wins in April in franchise history.  The previous high was 16, set in April 1969. The Brewers had to be filled with confidence after Tuesday night's victory, but the Cubs gave them a beat down they won't soon forget.  The Cubs score 19 runs on 15 hits with no errors.  The Brewers only had 5 runs on six hits with one error.  Ricky Weeks had two hits, Ryan Braun had two hits, Prince Fielder had one hit, and Mike Rivera had one hit.  After the fifth inning, the Brewers cried "Uncle" and Ned Yost pulled out a bunch of his starters, including Fielder and Braun.  Starting pitcher Jeff Suppan gave up 11 runs on 11 hits in only 3.2 innings.  The Cubs got six runs in the first, when Reed Johnson and Ryan Theriot reached base, then Derek Lee doubled, A-Ram doubled, and Geovany Soto hit a three run homer to left field. Soto would hit another three run homer later in the game, giving him 6 RBI's.  DeRosa had RBI's in the third and fourth inning, Ramirez added an RBI in the fourth, and SI cover boy Kosuke Fukudome had one in the sixth. 

The eighth inning was a bizarre one for Derrick Turnbow and the Brewers. Turnbow came into the game in the eighth inning and got the first batter, Henry Blanco, to strike out looking.  He then walked Mark DeRosa and gave up a single to pinch hitter Mike Fontenot.  With runners at first and second, Felix Pie flied out for the seocnd out of the inning.  With two outs, Matt Murton hit a single, scoring DeRosa.  Turnbow would walk Johnson, to load the bases.  Turnbow would then walk Theriot to force in a run.  Ronnie Cedeno then hit a double to clear the bases.  The damage still wan't done as Daryl Ward hit a double to drive in Cedeno.  Henry Blanco, who started the inning, drew a walk.  That was it for Turnbow, as he gave up six runs on four hits and four walks.

Dempster was fantastic tonight, improving his record to 4-0, giving up three runs on four hits and striking out one over six innings.  Bob Howry gave up a two run blast to Mike Rivera in the seventh. Carlos Marmol and Michael Wuertz both threw scoreless innings.  If you would have told me that Dempster would be 4-0 in April and be one of our most consistent starters, I would have laughed.  He is proving a lot of people wrong so far,  myself included. This was a huge win for Dempster and the Cubs.  The Cubs had lost 4 of their previous five games, Lou was very testy with the media today, and morale was low.  Not anymore.  Now comes a huge match up in the series, Carlos Zambrano versus Yovani Gallardo.  Like the old saying goes, I hope the Cubs left something for tomorrow.  Gallardo is a great young pitcher and the Cubs will have to be patient.  The win tonight puts the momentum back in the Cubs corner, with the Brewers needing to respond to what happened Thursday night.  Z just shaved his head, so let's see if that makes him more areodynamic.  How nice would it be to start May on a winning note, taking the series against the Brewers?  Let's hope the Cubs have another day like today.  Either way, the Cubs showed that they have muscle too and I am sure both clubs will continue to battle each other throughout the season.  We really needed this win.

Go Cubs!    

Boy, the ones I really feel sorry for are the poor Cubs fans who sat through this miserable game at Wrigley.  The Cubs were once again defeated by the Milwaukee Brewers and are now tied for first with St.Louis.  The Cubs had a golden opportunity to get a win, with Brewers ace Ben Sheets throwing off a mound to live batters in two weeks, and boy was he rusty.  Sheets was out of the game by the fifth, giving up 4 runs.  He only gave up three hits but set a career high in walks, giving up seven of them.  Think about that.  Five innings, and ten runners on base and we only get 4 runs?  The Brewers on the other hand pounded the Cubs pitching staff.  They finished with 10 runs on seventeen hits and four walks.  Jason Marquis was horrible, also going five innings but giving up 5 runs on ten hits and one walk.  Big time PED user Mike Cameron came back to the Brewers line up and did a ton of damage, Cameron, Corey Hart, Bill Hall, and JJ Hardy all had three hits against the Cubs pitchers.  Just as bad as Marquis was the middle relief.  Kevin Hart came into the game in the sixth inning and gave up two single and a walk.  With the bases loaded and no out, Hart got Ryan Braun to hit into a fielders choice and Prince Fielder to hit into a double play.  Then in the seventh, everyone in the bullpen decided to stink it up at the same time.  Hart struck out Corey Hart, then gave up two more singles.  Lou brought in Sean Marshall to face lefty pinch hitter Tony Gwyn Jr, and proceeded to walk him to load the bases with one out.  Lou pulled Marshall for Michael Wuertz, and Wuertz walks Jason Kendall with the bases loaded to give the Brewers another run.  Wuertz got Weeks to line out to the shortstop, but then gave up a single to Cameron, scoring two more runs.

Fontenot his a bases loaded double off of Solomen Torres in the bottom half of the inning, which cleared the bases and cut the Brewers lead to 9-7.  Jon Lieber gave up a double to Fielder and with two outs, JJ Hardy singled Prince Fielder home.  That made it 10-7 and that would be the final score.  The offense was just brutal, with Reed Johson having his worst day as a Cubs, going 0-5.  Theriot was 1-5, Lee was 1-4 with a walk and a home run, Ramirez was 1-2 with three walks.  That means the 1-2 combo of Johnson and Theirot went 1-10.  Not going to win like that.  Fukudome also did terrible, going 1-5 with no walks.  Thanks for putting him on the cover Sports Illustrated. Fukudome has gone into a tailspin, and so have the rest of the Cubs.  Fukudome has hit .211 in the five games at Colorado and Washington and that average will go down after tonight.  The once red hot Cubs offense can't get a clutch hit to save their lives.  They better get it together quickly.  They still have two more with Milwaukee and three more with St. Louis.  The Cubs still have to face Jeff Suppan, who the Cubs lost to in the opening series, and Yovany Gallardo pitching on Wednesday.  Gallardo may be the most talented pitcher the Brewers have.  He will face off against Zambrano, which means Z can't pitch against St. Louis.  The Brewers have taken three of the first four games these teams have played.  Can the Cubs respond?

Go Cubs!

To be fair, he warned us.  Uncle Lou told us

"This is a long season. Let's not get all crazy about this thing. Let's just stay cautionary and let's just keep playing good baseball, that's all."

But how could we not get crazy.  We swept the PIrates, We pounded the Mets, we got win number 10,000 in Colorado, we were winning 1-run games, we were blowing teams out, we were drawing walks, hitting in the clutch, stealing, hit and runs, we were on fire.  Even Ronnie Cedeno told reporters that the Cubs were thinking about the World Series!!! How could we not go crazy??!!

But no, Lou was right.  After dropping two out of three against the lowly Nationals, we are r eminded that the Cubs are still the Cubs, and we still have a long way to go.  The Cubs really needed Sunday's win, but fell short and ended up with a 2-3 record on this last road trip.  Ted Lilly had another decent start, striking out seven, and giving up only two runs on four hits and two walks over six innings.  He had one bad inning, the second, where he gave up back to back RBI singles to Willy Mo Pena and Will Nieves with two outs, scoring two runs for Washington.  Lilly and the bullpen only gave up one hit after the second inning, but that still wasn't good enough to win.

 Washington's starter, John Lannan, pitched seven innings, giving up four hits, four walks, three strikeouts, and zero runs.  The Cubs had Lannan on the ropes a few times, but they could not get the clutch hit again.  Lannan had a no hitter going untl the fifth inning until Ronnie Cedeno and Henry Blanco hit back to back singles.  Cedeno stole third and Blanco advance from second when Lilly missed a bunt, but Lilly struck out, leaving runners at second and third with one out for the top of the lineup.  Reed Johnson made a great play to beat out an infield single, loading the bases up for Ryan Theriot with one out, but Theriot hit into a 6-4-3 double playing, ending the threat.  The Cubs had another chance to put some runs on the board in the top of the sixth, but came away empty handed.  Lee led off with a walk, but Ramirez hit into a double play ball, but Aramis hustled and the Nats only got one.  I have seen Aramis hustling more this first month of the season than I have since he got here in 2003.  You know the Nats didn't rush the play because they thought Ramirez wouldn't hustle, but he beat it out.  Fukudome hit a ball that Willy Mo Pena misjudged, putting runners at second and third with only one out.  Then, DeRosa grounded out to the pitcher and Cedeno grounded out to second, ending the threat.  The Cubs never came close again.

If the Cubs win 2 ou t of 3, we would have been feeling could.  If the Cubs would have swept the Nats, like we could have, we would have been going nuts, but now we come home with our tails between our legs.  A mighty mighty Milwaukee team is coming to town Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, followed by a three game set with the surprising Cardinals, who are now 1/2 a game back of the Cubs for first place.  The Brewers have much more thump then the Nationals, and their pitching is just as good.  The Brewers were able to take the opening series with the Cubs, 2-1.  Can the Cubs bounce back?  Can they make believers of us again?  We'll find out when Jason Marquis takes the mound against Milwaukee ace Ben Sheets, who missed his last start because of tricep tightness.  Zambrano faces Jeff Suppan in the second game, and Yyovani Gallardo, who missed the opening series, will face Ryan Dempster.  This is not going to be easy folks, so hold on to your hats.

Go Cubs!

After losing a heartbreaker the night before, the Cubs won in decisive fashion were able to avoid their first three game losing streak of the season.  With Saturday's win , the Cubs have matched the highest April win total in franchise history with No. 16 -- and there are three more games remaining. The team also won 16 in April 1969. Lou said before the seasson started that he wanted to get the Cubs off to a hot starts, especially since their are very few home games in September.  The Cubs still hold a 1 1/2 game lead over second place St. Louis and have a chance to make this a winning road trip with a win over the Nationals tomorrow.

Friday Night Heartbreak

It was a game that we have gotten used to the Cubs winning, but in the end,  backup catcher Wil Nieves' hit a two-run, walk-off home run off Bob Howry for the win.  It was Neves' first career home run.  The Cubs could not get a clutch hit, leaving ten men on base, including an eighth inning one out bases loadedsituation.  The loss took away from an incredible Reed Johnson catch that is being called one of the best catches ever. Ryan Dempster also pitched well, giving up only two earned runs in seven innings.  Dempster went deep into the game and other than a bad first inning, really should have gotten his fourth win.

Stopper Comes Through

The Cubs needed a good pitching performance to end a two game lossing streak, and he had another great outing.  This is by far the best Z has pitched in April.  Zambrano threw seven shutout innings, allowing five hits and striking out five.  He did walk four batters, but was able to get himself out of trouble every time.  The last three Cubs starters, Marquis, Dempster, and Zambrano all went seven innings, a relief for a bullpen that was definately taxed.  The Cubs were sparked by tablesetters Reed Johnson and Ryan Theriot.  WIth Washington's Matt Chico on the mound, Johson, Theriot, and Lee were 6-6 in their first three at bats.  Johnson and Theriot led off the game with back to back singles, followed by a Lee single to score the first run of the game.  Aramis popped out, but Fukudome walked to load the bases.  DeRosa hit a single to score Theriot and Lee, making it a 3-0 ballgame.  In the top of the third and one out, Johnson singled and reached third on a Theriot single.  Both runners scored on Derek Lee's double, and after just three innings, the Cubs led 5-0.  They may have scored more, but Derek Lee was caught stealing third base while Ramirez was up.  More on that later.  Aramis would later hit a two run double to give the Cubs a 7-0 lead.  Michael Wuertz looked a little better and Jon Lieber closed the game.

Stealing Bases

I know that Lou wants the Cubs to be more aggressive, especially when it comes to stealing third.  The only trouble is that the Cubs have gotten caught twice trying to steal third in the past two games.  It didn't really cost them on Saturday, but it did on Friday.  With one out, Reed Johson was hit by a pitch.  He scored on a Ryan Theriot double, cutting the Nationals lead in half, 2-1.  With Derek Lee up to bat, Theriot was caught trying to steal third.  Lee would walk and Ramirez would reach on an infield single.  Who knows what may have happened if Theriot wasn't thrown out?  Theriot was later thrown out at second on a strike'em out throw'em out.  Pinella still feels it was the right move. 

"A lot of good things are happening that are not noticed by the casual fan," Piniella said of his strategy. "One, pitchers are slide-stepping against us a lot more. Two, infielders are holding runners on, which are creating more holes, and catchers are calling more fastballs, and those are all advantages.

"You don't want to see a baserunner thrown out with your [Nos.] 3, 4 hitters coming up."

Theriot ran on a changeup, which was a good pitch to run on.

"You take a risk," Piniella said. "With certain release points and also reports on how the catcher is throwing, certain times dictate you run and the percentages are in our favor. Unless you stumble, fall, or get a real bad jump, you've got an 85-percent chance of making it. When you do it, it works great.  We're creating opportunities and forcing teams to adjust to our style of play.  Nothing's going to work 100 percent, but if everything works 80 percent in your favor, you have to take advantage of those things."

Fair enough.  The one thing that Bob Brenly mentioned after Theriot was caught Friday and Lee on Saturday is that the runners are not getting good secondary leads and they need to be moving towards second as the pitcher is winding up instead of flat footed.  I am sure Lou and his staff will adress this soon.

Cubs Need Lilly To Come Up Big

The Cubs would love nothing more than to win tomorrow, take the series, make this a winning road trip, and get some momentum going into a big three game set at home against Milwaukee.  Lilly will start for the Cubs while John Lannan will go for the Nationals.  Like Odalis Perez, the Nats' starter on Friday, Lannan has pitched well but his record doesn't indicate this because of Washington's lackluster bats.  Lilly had a good outing last time and looks to build on that start.  Let's hope the Cubs can continue to make franchise history on this road trip, winning it's seventeenth game in April.

Go Cubs! 

Well, we weren't going to win every single game, but it kind of felt like we would.  The Cubs saw their six game winning streak come to an end at the hands of Rockies' sinkerballer Aaron Cook.  Those red hot bats finally cooled, that great defense had a costly error, and a real weakness of the team was exposed.  I am still happy with a split against Colorado.  Everytime you roll through that lineup, it is full of great hitters.  Helton, Holliday, Atkins, Hawpe, Tulowitzki.  Just scary, and the Cubs still won the first game and came close to winning the second game.  The Cubs just need to bounce back against the Nationals. 

Jason Marquis gave the Cubs a quality start, going seven innings, and giving up two runs on four hits and two walks with four strikeouts.  Unfortunately, one of those hits was a solo home run to Chris Iannetta in the seventh inning to pur the Rockies ahead 2-1 in the seventh.  Nice to see Marquis have a quality start. 

"I feel like I'm taking a step in the right direction," Marquis said. "I've been working hard between starts to be as consistent as possible. I'm trying to be real aggressive in the strike zone and make good pitches."

 On the flip side, Cook was able to cool off the hot Cubs' bats.  Therior, Lee, Ramirez, Fukudome, and DeRosa all went hitless.  When your 2-6 hitters don't get any hits, you aren't going to win many games.  Yet, even with such a bad offense day, the Cubs were still very much in it and had a chnace to win the game.  Down 2-1 in the top of the eighth, the Cubs looked like they would pull off another miracle win.  Geovany Soto started out the eighth with a single and Ronnie Cedeno came in to pinch run.  Felix Pie, the only Cub with multiple hits on the day, hit a single up the middle to put runners at first and second.  Pinch hitter Daryl Ward drew a walk to load the bases with one out.  Mike Fontenot hit a groundball towards second base, but he hustled to first to break up the double play.  With the game tied and only one out and Derek Lee on deck, Ryan Theriot hit the ball right at first baseman Todd Helton, who doubled off Fontenot to end the inning.  Wednesday night, Theriot gets it past Helton for the game winning hit and he's a hero. On Thursday it ended a potential big inning for the Cubs.

With the game tied in the bottom of the eighth, the Cubs big weakness so far was exposed.  The Cubs starters, other than Zambrano, have struggled to get past the fifth inning.  Lilly, Hill, Dempster, and Marquis have only been going four or five innings, putting a lot of miles on the Cubs bullpen. Every one of the Cubs bullpen staff has pitched ten or mroe innings.  Not only that, but two of them are really struggling, Kevin Hart and Michael Wuertz.  Wuertz was second in the league in stranding inherited baserunners last season, behind his teammate Carlos Marmol.  This season, Wuertz has ptiched 10.1 innings , given up 12 hits, seven earned runs, and three home runs.  Hart came up late last season and looked impressive, making the playoff roster over Jason Marquis, but this season he has struggled.  Hart took the loss today, but it wasn't entirely his fault.

In the bottom of the eight, Hart gave up a leadoff double to Holliday.  Atkins grounded out to short, moving Holliday to third.  Lou then had Hart intentionally walk Brad Hawpe to get to Troy Tulowitzki.  Hart did exactly what he was supposed to, get Tulowitzki to ground into an inning ending double play, but Theriot dropped the exchange from Theriot, allowing the go ahead run to score.  Ryan Spilborgh hit a two-out, RBI single gave the Rockies another run and giving the Rockies a 4-2 lead.  After the game, Theriot admitted to rushing the play;

"Yeah, you're trying to rush it," Theriot said. "If you don't turn it, they score. So of course you're trying to do it pretty quick. But the bottom line is you gotta catch the ball first and see what happens."

 The 136 Million Dollar Question

Alfonso Soriano told reporters he won't be going to the minors to rehab from his right calf injury he suffered on April 15th. 

''Last year I didn't do a rehab [assignment after a quadriceps injury], and this year I won't do a rehab,'' said Soriano, who fared well in his first on-field batting practice since last week's injury."

In his absence, the Cubs are 8-2.  When he was leading off for the Cubs, they were 7-4. NOt a huge difference, but what the Cubs have enjoyed is Reed Johson's presence at leadoff.  Johnson is an ideall leadoff hitter, taking pitches, able to bunt, and has a high on base percentage.  Johnson is hitting .311 with a .394 on base percentage.  He also has a team first philosophy.  When he is behind in the count, he chokes up on that bat and makes contact.  He really makes pitchers work and is a pesky out.  Soriano is an All Star, but people have always questioned if he should hit leadoff, especially since the leg injuries he suffered last year. He swings at a lot of bad pitches and he is a very streaky hitter.  When he's hot, he can carry the team on his back, but when he's cold, he looks really bad.  So with Soriano coming off the DL on May 1st, what will happen to Johnson?  Will he platoon with Pie, or is that a bad idea since Pie seems to be hitting the ball al little better lately?  One thing that we know, Lou has to bat Soriano in the leadoff spot.  He mopes when he doesn't bat lead off and then becomes an automatic out in the middle of the lineup.  Lou tried it earlier in the year and quickly pulled the plug on that experiment. Lou told reporters that as soon as Soriano is ready, he is back in the leadoff spot;

''We want to make sure that he can do all the things that a leadoff hitter needs to do,'' Piniella said. ''We don't want to take any chances here early in the year, bringing him back too soon, and all of a sudden we've got another problem on our hands. But, yeah, when he comes back, he'll go to left field and lead off.''

You know Cubs fans aren't going to tbe happy with this, but there is a reason that Lou is 14th on the all time list for winningest managers.  I know that somehow, someway, he will do the right thing.

New Streak

The Cubs need to get a new winning streak started on Friday when they head to the Capital to face the Washington Nationals.  Despite a new ballpark, the Nats haven't been too impressive.  The Nats will throw three lefties against the Cubs.  That means Johnson will lead off for those three games.  Ryan Dempster takes on lefty Odalis Perez.  Dempster hasn't lost a game and Perez hasn't won a game.  Perez has pitched well and has been a victim of horrible run support and bad defense.  Zambrano will take on Matt Chico in the second game of the series and Lilly will square off against John Lannan for the finale.  Let's get back to our winning ways!

Go Cubs! 

Ladies and gentleman, if I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes, I wouldn't have believed it.  I'm going to be honest with you, I really thought the Cubs were going to lose this game.  No one gets this lucky.  No one gets this many clutch hits.  Sooner or later the breaks stop going your way.  I wasn't that disappointed, with the Cubs having won five in a row.  But wait!!!! The Cubs were having none of that, came back, and stole a game from the Rockies.  The Cubs won an unbelievable ballgame tonight, 7-6 in extra innings to become only the second team in MLB history to reach the 10,000 win milestone.  If this is one of my beautiful Cubs dreams, don't wake me up! Let me sleep!!

I don't even no where to start.  How about the Cubs hitting to triples, one from Fukudome and one from Lee?  How about Lee and Soto having four hit nights.  How about that homer by Soto in that second?  How about Rich Hill and the Cubs leading 3-0 in the bottom of the sixth before giving up five runs and going through four pitchers? 

Could you believe that the Cubs had the bases loaded in the top of the seventh with only one out and one runner already in, before DeRosa lined out and D-Lee was doubled off second?  That should have been the ballgame.  All momentum should have gone to the Rockies.  The Cubs should have just hung their heads and given up?  But no, this team has fight.  After Bob Howry set down Holliday, Atkins and Hawpe in order in the bottom of the eighth, the Cubs had one more chance to win it.  Derek Lee started off the inning with a single.  Then to the surprise of Len and Bob, every member of Cubs nation, and Derek Lee himself, Lou pulled him for a pinch runner, Felix Pie. No pinch runner was needed as Aramis jacked one to deep left center off of Manny Corpas, who blew a game the night before, to give the Cubs a 6-5 lead.

Kerry Wood came in to close it out, and looked phenomenal, getting Tulowitzky and Torreabla out on consecutive strikeouts.  But then Rockies manager Clint Hurdle put in long time Cubs nemisis Scott Podsednick into the game.  Podsednick killed the Cubs when he was a Brewer, killed the Cubs when he was with the White Sox, and now he was standing at home plate against Wood.  I knew he would score.  Podsednick singled and scored the tying run on a Spilborghs double.  Ok, now the Cubs really should have lose.  The closer comes in, blows the game after the Cubs took the lead in the ninth, and again Colorado has the momentum

Then, in the top of the tenth, Kip Wells took over for Corpas.  Soto singled to lead off the inning and was lifted for pinch runner Mike Fontenot. Cedeno bunted to move Fontenot into scoring postition.  Daryl Ward came in to pinch hit for Wood and was intentionally walked.  With one out, Reed Johnson worked the count, but popped out to short left field.  With two outs and his Canjun twin on second, RyanTheriot hit a single down the first base line, scoring Fontenot.  Just to make things interesting, Carlos Marmol had to pitch the 10th and face Todd Helton, Matt Holliday, and Garrett Atkins, with Mark DeRosa playing first base!!  No sweat for Marmol as he retired them in order and the Cubs win. 

This was an amazing game and I am just going to soak this up.  My brother was at the game and will email me photos soon.  Jason Marquis will take the hill tomorrow against the Rockies in a day game, 2:05 start.

Go Cubs! 

The Cubs don't have to convince the Mets that they are for real, not after the Cubs put another beat down on them, this time 8-1.  The Mets have got to be thankful this was only a two game series.  The Cubs hit a combined 15 runs off the NY, while the Mets could only manage two meager runs.  Not only that, but the Cubs did it in front of a nation wide audience, and now the Cubs are beginning to open a lot of people's eyes.  Lou is trying to keep Cubs fans from going too crazy;

"This is a long season," Piniella said. "Let's not get all crazy about this thing. Let's just stay cautionary and let's just keep playing good baseball, that's all."

Sorry Lou, but the Cubs haven't started out this good since 1975. Heck, old Crawly still wasn't even born yet!   Not only that, but the Cubs are playing great baseball.  Did you realize that the Cubs are in the top five of every important hitting category?  They are in the top five in average, runs, onbase percentage, slugging, on base plus slugging, and stolen bases.  Great defense, smart baserunning, high on base percentage, cluch hits, and hopefully the pitching is starting to come around. Ted Lilly finally got his first win of the season, and will hopefully pitch like the Lilly we saw last season.  Lilly went six innings, giving up only four hits and one run.  The real test in this game came in the fourth inning.  For whatever reason, Lilly has had trouble this season in the fourth inning, but today he overcame that.  The Cubs blew a bases loaded no outs oppotunity in the second, when Ronnie Cedeno struck out and Henry Blanco hit into a double play.  Then it was the Mets' turn.  In the top of the fourth, Lilly had a no hitter going.  He got the first batter, Jose Reyes, to strike out.  Then, former Cubs Angel Pagan hit a double to break up the no no.  Lily walked the next two batters, David Wright and Carlos Beltran, to load them up with only one out.  Lilly kept his composure and was able to get Carlos Delgado and Dameon Easley to pop out, ending the threat.

The Cubs offense came roaring back in the bottom of the fourth.  After Ramriez flied out to start the inning, Fukudome hit a single to right.  Mark DeRosa hit a fly ball for the second out, but Ronnie Cedeno, fresh off the heroics from Monday nights game, hit a double, and Fukudome flew around the bases to score.  Is Fukudome not the most fun player to watch?  The Mets intentionally walked Henry Blanco to get to the pitcher, Ted Lilly.  With runners at first and second and two outs, Lilly hit a soft liner in between the pitcher and first base, and Delgado and pitcher Luis Figueroa thought the other would get it and Lilly was safe, loading the bases.  That's when Reed Johnson singled, scoring Cedeno and Blanco and making it a 3-0 game.

Lilly was able to work out of another jam in the sixth.  After getting Wright to ground out, Lilly walked Beltran and gave up a single to Delgado.  Easley singled to the load the bases with one out.  Lou kept his faith in Lilly, and Ted got Brady Clark to ground out for the second out, but Beltra n scored, making it 3-1 with runners at first and second and two outs.  Lilly got Raul Casanove to ground out to end the inning. Bob Howry came in to relieve Lilly and worked a quick 1-2-3 inning in the seventh.  In the bottom of the inning, Aramis greeted Mets reliever Joe Smith with a single and tKoske followed that up with a double, putting runners at second and third with no outs.  DeRosa singled,scoring Ramirez and giving the Cubs a 4-1 lead.  The Cubs were able to load the bases, but couldn't score anymore runs.

Then in the bottom of the eighth, it was time for more Ronnie Cedeno heroics.  With Jorge Sosa pitching, Felix Pie and Derek Lee hit back to back singles.  Aramis flied out, but Fukudome walked to load the bases.  It looked like the Cubs would miss another opportunity when DeRosa hit a ball to shortstop Jose Reyes for an easy double play ball to end the inning, but Reyes had a brainfart and threw the ball home for the foce out.  Insteasd of an inning ending double play, Ronnie Cedeno came to the plate and hit a grand slam, giving the Cubs an 8-1 lead, sealing the win for the Cubs.  Cedeno had a career high five RBI's.

Playing the Hot Hand

It's a good problem to have, but I wonder how Lou manages the lineup.  The team has played the last two days without Theriot, and the Cubs have really gotten on a role after the Soriano injury.  Since then, Reed Johnson has been incredible leading off and Cendeno look like an entirely different player.  Cedeno was 10-for-18 (.556) on the homestand with 10 RBIs, while  Johnson was 11-for-28 (.393) with four RBIs.  Johnson is the  prototypical lead off hitter the Cubs have been looking for since Kenny Lofton in 2003.  He works the count, takes pitches, and has had his fair share of cluch hits.  He seems to be full of hustle and has a high baseball IQ. 

"He's a pesky hitter who works the count, puts the ball in play," Piniella said. "Occasionally he'll bunt for a base hit. He sets the tone."

The Cubs actually lead the NL in on base percentage.  Kosuke Fukudome leads all Cubs regulars with a .442 OBP going into Monday's game against the Mets, followed by Geovany Soto (.437), Mark DeRosa (.425), Derrek Lee (.419), Reed Johnson (.418) and Ryan Theriot (.408).  The Cubs are wearing down pitchers, getting men on base, and now those solo home runs are becoming 2 or 3 run homers.  Even grand slams.  With all these guys getting on base, they are putting more pressure on the pitchers and getting better pitches to hit.  Just to let you know, the last time the Cubs led the league in on base percentage-1945.

Now Pinella will have to face a bunch of questions when Soriano gets closer to being off the DL on May 1, one week from Tuesday.  Ryan Theriot, before the back spasms was also doing a great job.  So what does Lou do?  What would you do?  Nice to have these problems and nice to still be in first place.  Now the Cubs try to become the second team in MLB history to get 10,000 wins.  Let's go get' em in  Colorado. Rich Hill takes on Franklin Morales in game 1.   

 Go Cubs!

A lot of people are wondering if the Cubs are real or not.  A lot of doubters point to the fact that a lot of the Cubs victories have come against some bad teams.  But on Monday night, the Cubs faced the New York Mets, everyone's pick to win the east after signing Santana, on ESPN.  It was a matchup between Carlos Zambrano and John Maine under the lights at Wrigley.  Man, if you saw it on a nice high def TV, Wrigley Field looked just gorgeous.  The crowd at Wrigley got to witness a great game, as it was a nail biter all the way until the seventh inning, when the Cubs busted it open to take the first game of the two game series 7-1.  It's games like these that make you feel like this may be a magical season at Wrigley.

As expected, it started out as a pitchers dual.  Zambrano was really on tonight, Big Z gave up only five hits, walked two and struck out four over seven innings. The defense also came up big, turning four double plays.  The Cubs were able to get to Maine in the bottom of the fourth, when Derek Lee led off the inning with a single.  That's when Aramis Ramirez hit a home run to tie the game.  Ramirez has now homered in cosecutive games and it looks like he's heating up.  In the top of the sixth, Z ran into a little trouble.  Endy Chavez started out the inning with a double that just missed being a home run.  John Maine was up next, and bunted the ball right in front of home plate.  Soto tried to throw out the lead runner at third, but Chavez got a good jump and everyone was safe.  With runners at first and third, Jose Reyes hit into a double play, scoring Chavez and cutting the Cubs lead in half.  With the double play, it looked like the inning was done, but Luiis Castillo hit an infield single and David Wright drew a walk.  That brought up Carlos Beltran with the tying run at second.  Z go Beltran to fly out to left to end the threat.

Busting it Open

With the Cubs leading 2-1, Carlos Marmol took the mound in the eighth inning.  He made quick work of the Mets, getting them out in order. Marmol made veteran pinch hitter Marlon Byrd look goofy on a knee buckling breaking ball.  With Kerry Wood warming up in the bullpen, the Cubs were looking to add some insurance runs.  The inning started out well, with Derek Lee reaching on an error by the shortstop Jose Reyes.  Relief pitcher Aaron Heilman hit Aramis, putting runners at first and second.  Then the place went nuts, chanting Fukudome's name, and he didn't disappoint. Fukudome fought off pitch after pitch before slapping a single to left field to load the bases with no outs.  But then it started to happen.  Mark DeRosa had a horrible at bat, striking out for the first out.  Than Geovany Soto popped out for the second out.  It looked like the typical Cubs, loading up the bases and then letting the pitcher off the hook, swinging momentum back to the opposing team.  Not only that, but Ronnie Cedeno, who was a late game addition after Theriot couldn't play with back spasms, was up to bat.  Cedeno was 0-3 at that point, reaching base on an error by David Wright.  Down quickly in the count, it looked like the Cubs would spoil the opportunity, but then Cedeno hit a ball up the middle to drive in Lee and Ramirez and give the Cubs a 4-1 lead.  After that, Heilman was pulled and Jorge Sosa came into the game.  Lou brought in Pie to pinch hit for Marmol, and Pie jacked one to right, giving the Cubs a 7-1 lead.  Pie's reaction was priceless.  Wood put 'em away 1-2-3 and the Cubs put on a dazzling display of ptching, defense, and timely hitting.

Is this team for real?  I don't know.  I keep staring at stats and can't believe how well the Cubs are doing offensively, especially when it comes to seeing pitches and taking walks.  The soft underbelly of most teams is middle relieff.  Have the pitcher throw a high number of pitches, get him out of the game  by the fifth or sixth inning, and go to town on the stiffs that most teams have in their bullpen.  I just though that Monday nights win against the Mets had one of those magical feelings at Wrigley, the kind that really get Cubs fans excited and make the doubters take notice. After struggling so bad in April last season, this is the kind of start Lou was looking for.  The Cubs play game two of the series at 1:20 tomorrow, with Ted Lilly taking on Nelson Figueroa.  Lilly wants to contribute in the worst possible way, and how nice would it be to see Ted get his first W tommorrow.  Let's keep our fingers crossed and hope that Ted can finally get it going.

Go Cubs! 

What a glorious day!  What a glorious weekend.  Crawly Senior and I had the pleasure of wattching the Cubs pound Pittsburgh 13-3 on Sunday, completing their second straight sweep of the Buccos.  Not only that, but St. Louis got crushed and Eric Gagne blew a save for Milwaukee, putting the Cubs in first place!!!  Hey Hey!!  The Cubs offense is just clicking on all cylanders, as the Cubs hit 29 runs in the weekend series with the Pirates.  The starting pitching is still not where it needs to be, but I am sure enjoying this April a ton more than I did last season.  Listening to sports talk radio, I heard people wondering if this team is real or not, claiming that they are just beating teams with losing records.  Look, the Cubs didn't make their schedule and not only that, they are winning the games they are supposed to, something that hasn't happened over the last few years.  All I am saying is that I am happy that the Cubs are in first place. 

There are many things that excite me about this team.  I love the 1-2 punch of Reed Johnson and Ryan Theriot.  In the bottom of the fourth inning in Sunday's game, Johnson was hit by a pitch.  Theriot was up next, showed bunt, but the pitcher threw two pitches out of the strike zone.  With a 2-0 count, Johnson was running, Threriot hit the ball to the right side of the infield, and Johnson scored from first with Theriot advancing to second when Nady's throw to home plate was late.  The Cubs are also a more patient team and that is allowing them to score more runs.  Do you realize the Cubs are second in MLB in runs scored, third in hits, fourth in total bases, have the fifth highest in average, second in on base percentage, and second in on base plug slugging percentage?   How about the Cubs being fourth in the amount of walks drawn?  Still feel like that clogs the bases Dusty?  The Cubs are also seventh in stolen bases.  Lou Pinella and hitting coach Gerald Perry have turn this team from a bunch of hackers into a disciplined hitting team.   

Do I think all is well in the world of the Cubs?  No.  Are starters are struggling to get past the fifth. Are bullpen is again giving up too many walks.  Questions remain on where to bat Soriano when he comes back from his injury.  Will our left handed starters begin pitching better?  Is Kerry Wood going to stay healthy?  These are all areas of concern for the Cubs, but at the end of the day, there is only one stat in baseball that matters most: Wins, and right now,  the Cubs keep racking them up.  Now, the real test comes for the Cubs.  Starting Monday, the Cubs have a two game series with the Mets, then fly to Colorado for another two game series.  They travel to Washington for three (that one shouldn't be difficult), then they play three with Milwaukee at home, travel to St Louis for three, Cincy for three, and then come back to Wrigley to fave the hottest team in baseball in the Diamondbacks and one of the toughest pitching staffs in San Diego, who will play in a four game series.  The Cubs then have three more games at Wrigley, than go to Houston and Pittsburgh.  When the dust clears on May 22, I believe this will really tell if the Cubs are for real or not.  If they can stay close to the top of the division after this schedule, I like our chances. 

Us Against The World

So, apparently Cubs fans are the most hated, obnoxious, and racist fans in baseball.  All week, Cubs fans have heard how horrible they are from all sides.From old man  Marty Brennaman's crabby rant, to ironically the most hated and obnoxious columnist in Chicago, to jealous Brewer's bloggers ,  people have been taking shots at us from all sides.  That's fine that we're the target of all their jealousy and rage.  Real Cubs fans know that there are no better fans in baseball.  Are there idiot Cubs fans?  Absolutely.  Are there obnoxious Cubs fans?  Of course.  Are there racist Cubs fans?  Unfortunately.  Just like their are idiotic, obnoxious, racist fans in every ballpark in every city in the United States.  Are there no drunk stupid fans in Milwaukee? OOOOhh, of course not. Everybody goes to Brewers games in suit and ties and keeps score.  In fact, they don't even sell beer at Miller Park.  And there is absolutely nooooooo racist fans in Cincinnati.  Everyone knows that Cincinnati is the most tolerant city in the US.  So to all those haters out there, keep hatin'. Cubs fans piss people off because we will go anywhere to cheer our team on, including other teams' ballparks.  Then we really get them mad when our cheers are louder than the cheers from the home team.  They hate us because we have fun, we love our ballpark, and we love our team.  Do we do stupid thing?  Yeah.  Are we going to do stupid things in the future?  For certain. But we're going to keep doing what we've always done; root, root, root for the Cubbies!   And most importantly, we will follow this team anywhere in the world, and if you don't like it, learn to deal with it.

We are everywhere!!

Go Cubs! 

After the Cubs suffered a bit of a let down on Thursday, they came right back to beat Ian Snell and the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2.  Rich Hill got the first win for a lefty starter this season and the Cubs were able to do just enough to get past Ian Snell.  Hill, who confidence was in the dumps, was able to give the Cubs five innings, giving up one run on three hits and three walks with four strikeouts. 

"It was a start in the right direction for him," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. "Like I told him, he needs to build on this now. He went out there and threw the ball. There were a couple rough spots, but it was a vast improvement. He threw the ball well today and let it go."

It was another stomach turner for the Cubs. Hill walked the first batter he faced, Nate McLouth, on four straight pitches.  Luckily he was able to calm down.  The offense also struggled in the beginning of the game.  The Cubs had runners in scoring postition in the first, second, and third innings and failed to score a run. The worst of these blown opportunities was in the bottom of the third.  The Cubs were down 1-0 and had one out in the third when Ryan Theriot hit a triple.  With D-Lee and A-Ram coming to the plate, it looked like the Cubs would be able to tie it, but Lee grounded out to the pitcher and Aramis flied out to right.  It looked like it was going to be one of those days.  But Fukudome led off the fourth inning with a triple.  Mark DeRosa singled, tying the game, and then Geovany Soto hit a double, putting runners at second and third with no outs.  Boy, when Soto is out of the lineup, it really hurts the Cubs.  Reed Johnson hit an infield single, scoring DeRosa and giving the Cubs the lead.  For the second day in a row, there was a mix up with the signals, and Rich Hill grounded  into a fielders choice instead of bunting, but Eric Patterson hit a ground ball to short, allowing Soto to score and give the Cubs a 3-1 lead.  That insurance run would be the difference in the game.

After Hill was pulled in the fifth, it was up to the bullpen to preserrve the win.  Jon Lieber and Sean Marshall combined to work the sixth inning, giving up no runs.  Then Carlos Marmol came out to pitch the sixth and struck out the side.  Then, Lou had him go back out in the eighth, and Marmol ran into some trouble. McLouth led off the inning with a solo home run, making it a one run game.  He got the next two batters, Luis Rivas and Freddy Sanchez out, but then walked Jason Bay and gave up a single to Xavier Nady.  With the winning run at second and two outs, Marmol got Adam LaRoche to strike out swinging.  Kerry Wood came out and pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to get a new winning streak started.  Let' see if the Cubs can beat Tom Gorzelanny for the second time this season.  The Cubs will be sending Jason Marquis to the mound.

Lou News

Two bits of Lou news that I thought was worth noting.  First off, Lou will have Reed Johnson bat lead off.  Good to see Lou is reading Crawly's Cub Kingdom!!  With Fontenot, Theriot, and Patterson not doing much at lead off, it will be nice to see if Johnson can set the table for the big boys. Johnson has six hits the last two games and is hitting .375 for the season.

Lou also stepped to the plate for Cubs fans after senile old fart Marty Brennaman ripped Cubs fans for being "the most obnoxious fans" for throwing a bunch of balls on the field after Dunn hit a homer the other day.   Pinella told reporters

"Marty's a Cincinnati guy, obviously he's rooting for the Reds.  But I don't think our fans are obnoxious. They get into the ballgame, they enjoy coming out to a ballgame and that's why they draw here the way they do. It's a fun environment and they get into it.

"As far as winning the division -- hey, I like Marty Brennaman, I really do, I was over there for three years -- but he has nothing to do with the Cubs winning or losing, I can tell you that," Piniella said.

Put that in your Depends and smoke it old man.  Mark DeRosa also weighed in on Brennaman's comments, and either knowingly or unknowingly hit the nail on the head.

"I don't want to get into a war of words with him," Chicago's Mark DeRosa said. "I respect how he handles his profession, but I didn't agree with what he said. I think he could've used different wording.

"They're very passionate people and passionate fans," DeRosa said. "You're torn in situations like that [when they threw balls back] -- you get a chuckle out of it, and at the same time, it wastes 10 minutes of your life. I don't think he needed to go that far with the comments. Obviously, he has some deep-seated hatred for Chicago."

There are probably tons of reasons that Brennaman has deep seated hatred towards Chicago.  He probably is still bitter his son Thom (nice spelling Marty) was not being moved quicker up the ladder at WGN and that Harry Caray was pushing to get his grandon Chip into the booth.  Marty was always jealous of Harry and his popularity. 

Let's go for two in a row tomorrow.

Go Cubs! 

Uggh Just when the Cubs were looking great, they take a step back.  Look, I know its hard to sweep any major league team, and I know that you can't win'em all.  It's just the way we lost this game that was irritating.  It was just a bunch of bad baseball, and Ted Lilly is not making Cubs fans any less nervous.  After being a hero the other night, Mike Fontenot also stunk it up.  Even the coaching was a mess.  All in all, a pretty crummy day.

All though the box score show that Lilly had a bad game, six hits, five runs, and three walks in six innings, he at least looked better than he did in last Saturday's loss to the Phillies.  The walks really hurt him and Joey Votto really hurt him.  Like last Saturday, Lilly was cruising through the first three innings, giving up only one walk and one hit.  And like last Saturday, the fourth inning killed him.  He got Griffey to strikeout to lead off the inning, but then walked Adam Dunn, gave up a single to Jeff Keppinger, and then walked Edwin Encarnacion to load the bases.  Votto than doubled, clearing the bases.  With the Cubs still in the game down only 3-1, Lilly got Keppinger to ground out to lead off the sixth.  Encarnacion doubled, and than Votto hit a home run to give the Red a 5-1 lead.  The scary thing is that it doesn't seem like Lilly has his velocity where it needs to be.  He's not going to get to many major league hitters out with an 86 mile per hour fastball out.

It's baffling," he said. "My confidence is still there, for the most part. Obviously I'm not as confident as if I were 4-0, but I still feel good about what I'm capable of doing. I'm just losing patience as far as wanting to give us a solid outing and a chance to win. I certainly owe that to my teammates."

Not like the offense was much better.  After getting so many clutch hits the last few days, the Cubs fell short on Thursday.  The Cubs went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Fontenot, Fukudome, and Henry Blanco all struggled today and left way too many men on base.  Fontenot went 0-5, leaving seven men on base.  Fukudome went 0-4, leaving 4 men on base.  Blanco was 1-4, leaving seven men on base.  Theriot and Lee were'nt much better, both going 1-5.  It was the first time the Cubs saw Reds pitcher Edison Volquez, but they also didn't hit the Reds' bullpen either.  There were tons of missed opportunities to blow the game open and shift momentum.  The Cubs had the bases loaded and only one out in the bottom of the second, when Henry Blanco struck out.  Lilly was up next and drew a walk, giving the Cubs a 1-0 lead.  Fontenot grounded out to end the inning.  In the third inning, Theriot singled to lead off the inning, but that vanished when Volquez struck out Lee and Theriot was caught stealing.  In the fourth inning, DeRosa walked and Reed Johnson singled, putting runner at first and second with no outs. For some reason, Henry Blanco, batting in front of the pitcher Lilly, struck out attempting to bunt.

I don't know what happened there," Piniella said. "We never had the bunt sign on the whole at-bat. I thought Henry might be trying to leg out a bunt single or something. I don't know exactly what happened. Obviously it was just a mix-up in signs."

"We miscommunicated on the first pitch,"Third base coach Mike Quade said. "Because of our series of signs, that messed up the rest of the entire at-bat. Whether the bunt was on, the bunt wasn't on. Whether we were playing hit-and-run, we weren't playing hit-and-run. Henry is one of the most reliable guys on this club. He doesn't miss signs. He gets everything. He has executed the hit-and-run, the squeeze, all of that."

With the Cubs only down 5-2 in the bottom of the sixth, Fukudome grounded out.  DeRosa singled and Johnson doubled, putting runners at second and third with one out. Blanco reached on an infield single, making it 5-3, but Johnson couldn't advance to third.  With runners still at first and second and only one out, pinch hitter Daryl Ward flied out and Fontenot grounded out to end the threat. 

Then, in the top of the seventh, the defense fell apart. Jon Lieber came in and Norris Hopper to ground out to Theriot, but Ryan booted the ball and Hopper reached on the error.  Then, Ryan Freel bunted to move Hopper to second, but with Lieber and Lee playing the bunt, Fontenot forgot to cover first and everyone was safe.  With the wind blowing to right center, Ken Griffey Jr hit home run number 596, making it 8-2 and ending any chances for the sweep.

Fontenot has been struggling since being moved to the leadoff spot after Soriano's injury, going 2-for-15.  I wonder if it wouldn't be better if Reed Johnson hit lead off and Theriot or Fukudome hitting second.  I guess there is no need to panic since it was only one game.  What is making me panic is that Rich Hill will be making the next start for the Cubs as they open the next series against the Pirates and Ian Snell, who is having a terriffic season so far. You know the Pirates want to kick some Cubbie butt after we swept them at home.  We missed Snell last time too. 

Brennaman Blows

Marty Brennaman went off on Cubs fans after the ball throwing incident Wednesday night.  After Adam Dunn hit a homer, people started throwing balls onto the field.  I wasn't happy that Cubs fans did it, but Brennaman took it a step too far.   Brennaman said ;

"This is the kind of thing that makes you want to see this Cubs team lose.  Among all baseball fans....far and away the most obnoxious fans in baseball in this league are those that follow this team right here.

That is so typical of Chicago Cubs fans (throwing the balls onto the field)

You simply root against them.  I've said all winter, they talk about this team winning the division and my comment is they won't win because at the end of the day, they are still the Chicago Cubs and they will figure out a way to screw this whole thing up."

Screw you Brennaman and the high horse you rode in on.  You are now considered an enemy of Cubs fans everywhere.  I agree with you that it was stupid of those fans to throw the balls on the field, but you had no right to blast all Cubs fans.  This is not over old man. I look forward to the next Cubs Reds game I go to so I can heckle you in the booth.  Your cranky old *** is not welcomed at Wrigley anymore and remember, Cubs fans have a long memory.  Maybe if the Reds knew how to draw fans, you might realize that there are always a few bad apples in the bunch . Cubs fans in general, are smart, caring, and loyal fans.You sound just as idiotic as your smug, idiotic buddy Joe Morgan.  This isn't over Brennaman, not by a long shot.

Go Cubs!

  Wow, I was not expecting that!  One day after beating Cub killer Aaron Harang and losing left fielder Alfonso Soriano for two weeks, I was worried that there would be a little let down.  But no way was there a let down as the Cubs put a beat down on the Reds.  It was fun to finally watch a game that doesn't make you pull out your hair and give you heartburn. 

It all started in the bottom of the first after Mike Fontenot grounded out to first to start out the game. After that first out, the next five Cubs all got on base.  Theriot doubled, Lee hit a single, and Aramis drew a walk.  With the base loaded and one out, Fukudome worked it to a 3-2 count and hit a ball down the third base line that was just foul and shattered his bat.  So what does he do next?  He hits a double down the first base line to clear the bases.  Bob Brenly put it best when he said  "How do you defend against that guy?"  Good question Bob.  DeRosa hit a double, scoring Fukudome and the Cubs had a 4-0 lead.

After getting Brandon Phillips to strike out in the top of the second, Zambrano walked Adam Dunn.  Then Edwin Encarnacion hit a single to put runners at first and second.  The next batter, Joey Votto, hit what looked like an easy pop fly, but DeRosa, who started out the game playing left field, saw the wind take the ball over his head and bounce into the bleachers for a ground rule double.  The score was now 4-1 with runners at second and third and only one out.  All eyes were on Zambrano, to see if he would melt down, but the Cubs luckily got a little lucky.  Javier Valentin grounded out to Zambrano, who caught Encarnacion in a run down off third for the second out.  Then Josh Fogg looked like he had a basehit up the middle, but the ball hit the mound, popped up, and landed in Theriot's glove.  Theriot tossed it to Lee and the threat was over.  Zambrano had smooth sailing from there. 

Derek Lee started off the third with a homer to center.  That was Lee's sixth homer of the season.  That equals his home run total for the entire first half of last season.  I just find that amazing.  After that, the next three batters reached base, Aramis walking, Fukudome hitting a single, and DeRosa walking, before Geovany Soto hit a two run double.  That was it for Fogg, gone without retiring a batter in the third.  With DeRosa at third and Soto at second, Reed Johnson hit a sac fly.  Then Zambrano helped his own cause by hitting an rbi single to score Soto.  Fontenot eventualy scored on a nice play and by the end of the inning, the Cubs were up 10-1.

At that point, iit was no longer a game, just a party at Wrigley.  Zambrano gave up two runs on eight hits over seven innings for the win. He also had three hits, including a double and an RBI, and had hits from both sides of the plate.  Reds starter Josh Fogg was charged with nine earned runs and seven hits over just two-plus innings.  Major a-hole Kent Merker, the guy who got in some altercations with Steve Stone, gave up a double to Z, threw a wild pitch, and gave up a run on a Fontenot single. Wednesday's loss was the fifth in a row for Cincy, and the Cubs are 7-3 in their last ten games.  After St. Louis beat Milwaukee again, the Cubs are now in sole possession of second place in the NL Central. 

Slight Negative

Adam Dunn finally snapped out of his slump, hitting a monster home run onto Sheffield.  As usual, someone threw the ball back onto the field, and then 20 more balls littered the field.  I have talked about some of the negative behavior I have witnessed at Wrigley over the last few years.  I don't know why people do stuff like this.  Don't say alcohol.  I have been drunk at thousands of Cubs games and have never thrown anything onto the field of play.  It just makes Cubs fans look bad.  After hearing how stupid the Phillies fans sounded booing their home team constantly last weekend, I would hope that Cubs fans would learn a thing or two.  I really wish these people who are acting like idiots would go do it  somewhere else. 

Keep it Rolling

Winning these first two games were huge for the Cubs.  Now Ted Lilly, who has struggled this season, has no pressure to win this game. If he pitches well, great.  If not, we still won the series.  He can focus on improving his game and contributing to the team.  How nice would it be to sweep Dusty and his Reds out of town.

Go Cubs! 

The Cubs bats greeted Dusty Baker and his slumping Reds by breaking out their whooping sticks.  Even before the first pitch, Cubs fans were nervous.  Aaron Harang, who always pitches well against the Cubs, was on the mound and we had our number 3 starter, Ryan Dempster going.  Then, in the first inning, Alfonso Soriano does his little hop to catch a fly ball and injures his calf.  He had to have Ryan Theriot on the field.  Soriano never gets injured his whole career, then he comes to the Cubs and has three leg injuries in less than a year and a half.  136 million dollars down the toilet. Mike Fontenot came in to lead off the game and Mark DeRosa moved from second to left. 

 Things got worst in the top of the second when Dempster walked the first two guys he faced.  With no outs and runners at first and second, Edwin Encarnacion hit a ball to left to drive in Brandon Phillips.  With runners still at first and second, Dempster got Joy Votto to strike out, Paul Bako to fly out, and Harang to ground out.  The Cubs were able to strike back in the bottom of the second when Fukudome led off the inning with a single.  Mark DeRosa, who always kills the Reds, crushed a home run to left center to give the Cubs a 3-2 lead.  The good times didn't last though, as Jeff Keppinger singled and Ken Griffey Jr hit his 595th home run, putting the Reds back ahead 4-3.  Luckily, Dempster was able to stay out of trouble for a while.

In the bottom of the fifth, Dempster hit a fly ball to center for the first out.  Mike Fontenot then hit a double and his canjun twin, Ryan Theriot, walked.  Wow, how nice is it to have table setters.  Ask Derek Lee, as he crushed a hanging slider to give the Cubs a 6-4 lead.  After the home run, Theriot and Fontenot, all 5'10 of them, waited for Derek Lee at home plate.  Lee looked like Willy Wonka and Theriot and Fontenot looked like oompa loompas.  The great thing is that this is Lee's fifth home run.  Lee didn't have five home runs until June 1st last year.  He already has that in two weeks.  The combination of Lee, Theriot and Fontenot also was key in the top of the seventh, this time for their defense. 

In the top of the seventh, Dempster was starting to run out of gas. Bako started out the inning with a single, then pinch hitter Scott Hatteberg drew a walk, putting runners at first and second with no outs. That was all for Dempster, who managed to scatter five hits and walked five over six-plus innings, striking out three. Out of the bullpen came Carlos Marmol to face former Cub Corey Patterson.  With runners at first and second, Pattesron bunted hard back to Marmol, who made an ill advised throw to second.  Everyone was safe and the base were loaded with nobody out, going into the heart of the Reds order.  The next batter, Jeff Keppinger, hit a ball that should have gone to centerfield to tie the game, but Mighty Mike Fontenot made an amazing diving stab, and flipped the ball from his glove to Theriot.  They only got one out, and the Reds scored on the fielder's choice to make it 5-4, but that play changed the momentum of the inning.  Marmol got the next batter, Griffey Jr, to ground into a 3-6-3 double play, Lee to Theriot, back to Lee.  It was amazing and the crowd went nuts. The Cubs never looked back, with Ramirez, DeRosa, and Theriot all driving in runs.  Theriot hit a two run homer.  Michael Wuertz struggled again out of the pen, but Wood closed it out for a 9-5 win.

Look, I'm not stupid.  Even though Soriano is struggling, the Cubs are still a better team when he's healthy, but his injury may show the importance of DeRosa and the need to upgrade at second base.  DeRosa filled in nicely for Soriano, and played left field well.  He is perfect to have when someone gets injured or needs a day off.  With Fontenot at second, the Cubs were a much better defensive team.  If DeRosa was at second in the top of the seventh, he doesn't come close to that ball Keppinger hits, two runs score, and there would still be no outs.  You need to be tight defensively up the middle, and that's what Fontenot brings.  He also has a great swing and would be a nice number two hitter.  Now Fontenot started out hot when Aramis went down last season and DeRosa moved to thrid.  He then cooled off.  No one know how long Soriano is out, but it will be interesting to see if Fontenot can cut it offensively in the big leagues.  He is also another left handed bat.

Tonight also proves why Marmol should not be the closer.  Lou loves to use Marmol when the game is on the line.  He was the best when it came to stranding inherited runners last season, and he is keeping runners from scoing this season.  Without Marmol, it doesn't matter who your closer is because you won't have the lead in many games.  Marmol puts out a lot of fires for Lou and there is no one else who could fill that role.

Beside Wuertz's poor outing, the other negative of this game was Felix Pie.  He was bad.  Read bad.  Not even close.  On a day when every single batter got a hit, including pinch hitter Reed Johnson and Ryan Dempster, Pie was 0-4.  Not only that, it was an ugly 0-4, with three strike outs and four men left on base.  I wonder if Corey Patterson looked into the hometeam dugout and saw himself when he was a young ballplayer.  I hope they can fix Felix' swing, or Pie may end up like Patterson, a journeyman centerfielder.

Hopefully the Cubs can take the second game of the series.  On paper, it looks like we have the advantage,with Zambrano going against Josh Fogg.  Fogg has never impressed me, so let's see how the Cubs' lineup looks tomorrow.  Let's hope the bats keep cooking and the Cubs keep winning.

Go Cubs! 

Alfonso Sorianon was injured catching a routine fly ball.  According to Bandastic, who is sitting in my seats tonight, he injured his calf doing his little hop.  He was helped off the field by Ryan Theriot

More info to come

Big deal.  Dusty Baker is coming back to Chicago.  Do I hate the guy? No.  Do I think he was an overrated manager who blew a chance of the lifetime to get to the wrold series?  Yes.  Do I hold him responsible for Steve Stone leaving the Cubs?.  Yes.  Do I still think he held back the development of younger players like Ryan Theriot by playing guys like Neifi Perez?  Yes.  Do I think that he played the race card when things didn't go his way? Yes.  Do I believe that he made excuses for himself and his players and never held himself or anyone on the team accountable? Yes

Ok, I changed my mind.  I do hate Dusty Baker.  And now, Dusty and his new team, the Reds, are coming into town.  Baseball if a funny game.  The Reds took 2 out of 3 from the Brewers, in Milwaukee.  Then, the Reds lose three in a row to Pittsburgh, who the Cubs swept the series before.  Will the Reds be extra amped up to win one for their new skipper, especially with the negative reception Dusy will get?  The Reds finally have a solid pitching staff, but now their bats have gone cold.  Over the three game series in Pittsburgh, the Reds were 6-for-35 (.171) with runners in scoring position and stranded 32 runners on base. They did not hit any home runs.

The Cubs have their own problems, especially with starting pitching.  Carlos Zambrano struggled in his last start, and our two lefties look awful.  Ryan Dempser, who surprisingly has been the best of the Cubs pitchers so far, will take on Aaron Harang, the Reds ace, in game one of the series.  Big Z will see if he can bounce back against struggling Reds' starter Josh Fogg.  In the last game of the series, Ted Lilly will look to solve his 08 woes against Edinson Volquez, one of the two dynamic young pitchers the Reds have starting.  The other, Johnny Cueto, won't be ptiching in the series.  

The scary thing is that both Lou and Dusty are saying the same things.  Both want to go with faster lineups to manufacture runs.  After having most of the weekend off, Felx Pie will  be back in the lineup.  Ronnie Cendeno may get the start at second, but Mark DeRosa has an excellent career average against the Reds.  Speaking of excellant career averages, the Reds hope that Adam Dunn will again kill the Cubs.  Dunn has been struggling this season,  going 6-for-36 with five RBIs overall this season with 10 strikeouts and only one home run.  Dunn's 20 homers, 43 runs and 43 walks at Wrigley Field since 2001 are the most by a Cubs opponent. Personally, I'd be happy if he keeps slumping.

The Brewers face off against the Cardinals, which means this is a great opportunity to gain some ground in the division.  The Cubs need to get the bats going, and the pitchers need to avoid walks.  Hopefully we can start playing better in all aspects of the game

Go Cubs! 

I feel like somehow I keep getting transported to the past, maybe by a time machine, to Cubs seasons' past.  This 2008 version of the Cubs seems very similar to the 2007 Cubs after the first two weeks.  Bad baserunning, bad defense, bad bullpen, walking to many batters, not taking enough walks, and no clutch hits.  There are two big differences beween the 08 and 07 Cubs.  In 07, the Cubs at least had some starting pitching.  This season, the Cubs bullpen has worked more innings then any other team in baseball.  Both of their starting lefties, Rich Hill and Ted Lilly, cannot get out of the fifth inning.  The other big difference is that somehow, some way, the Cubs are actually winning games, especially one run ballgames and extra inning games.  As bad as it looked in Pittsburgh and Philly, the Cubs actually are coming home after a winning road trip after taking the final game of the series against the Phils, 6-5.  Some of those bad breaks that went against the Cubs last year are starting to go our way.

Jason Marquis, recovering from strep throat, was able to weasle out of plenty of jams and keep the Cubs in it.  Marquis loaded the bases with one out and only gave up one run.  The Cubs were able to jump out in front thanks to three singles by Henry Blanco, Alfonso Soriano, and an RBI single by Reed Johnson.  Derek Lee then hit a double, driving in two more runs and giving the Cubs a 3-1 lead.  Jason Werth made it 3-2 on a leadoff homer by Jason Werth, in the bottom of the fifth, but Mark DeRosa returned the favor by hitting a leadoff homer in the top of the sixth that went over the foul pole.  Phils' manager Charlie Manuel was thrown out after arguing with the third base umpire.  With the Cubs leading 4-2, Marquis was done for the day and Michael Wuertz, who has been one of the most reliable relief pitchers came into the game.  Wuertz gave up a solo home run to Eric Bruntlett to start out the inning, then gave up three singles in a row, tying the game 4-4.  With runners at first and third and no outs, Sean Marshall came into the game and got Chase Utley to fly out, but the go ahead run crossed the plate.  Marshall and Marmol finished the inning with the Cubs now down 5-4. 

In the top of the eighth, former Cubs Tom "Flash" Gordon came into the game.  He got Fukudome to strike out swinging, but then walked Mark DeRosa.  DeRosa was replaced by pinch runner Ronnie Cedeno.  Ryan Theriot hit a single, and the Cubs had runners at first and second with one out.  Felix Pie was announced as the pinch hitter, but then the Phillies changed pitchers, bringing in lefty JC Romero to pitch.  Lou called Pie back and brought in Geovany Soto.  Cedeno then stole third on a very close play, putting runners at first and third.  Geo Soto then tried to check his swing, but the ball hit the barrel of his bat and inbetween the first and second baseman, tying the game. 

Closer Kerry Wood came into the game in the bottom of the eighth, and only gave up a single.  The Cubs did nothing in the top of the ninth, and then the bottom of the ninth was heart pounding.  Tell me if I am the only one that thinks this, but once again, my time machine came and took me back to 1989.  When Kerry Wood comes into the game, do you feel like you did when Mitch "Wild Thing" Williams, came into the game.  You are either going to see amazing stuff, or be scared half to death, or both.  In the bottom of the 9th, he walked the first batter he faced, Pat Burrell.  Burrell was pulled for pinch runner and former Cardinal So Taguchi.  The next batter, Pedro Feliz, bunted the ball and Wood made a dangerous throw to second to get Taguchi out.  He then hit pinch hitter Greg Dobbs, putting the winning run at second with only one out, but he got Eric Bruntlett to strike out.  With two outs and runners at first and second, Derek Lee made an amazing play to snag the game winning double from Carlos Ruiz to keep the game alive. 

In the top of the tenth, pitcher Rudy Seanez walked Ronny Cedeno to lead off the innign.  Cedeno advanced on Ryan Theriot's sacrifice and Geovany Soto walked.  With no more position players on the bench, Lou called on Carlos Zambrano to pinch hit for Kerry Wood,. Z hit a ball to the shortstop for what would've been a 6-4-3 double-play, but Z was hustling down the line and Chase Utley's throw was short and got past first baseman Ryan Howard.  Cedeno was able to score the go-ahead run.  Of course, nothing is easy for the Cubs.  Bob Howry came in for the save and quickly got the first two batters out.  He then gave up a double to Chase Utley that was about one foot away from being a home run.  With Utley on first, Howry intentionally walked Ryan Howard.  The next batter would have been Burrell, but he was lifted in the ninth for a pinch runner and So Taguchi took his place.  Taguchi grounded out to end the game. 

Besides the obvious pitching woes, the Cubs offense has been spotty at best.  Lou addressed this after the game.

"We haven't been consistent," Piniella said. "We've had some good offensive days, and we've had other days where we haven't done much. About the only thing I can do is start putting more speed into the lineup.  When you don't have much speed and you're not hitting, you look lethargic on the field. The possibility there is to put as much speed as we can and force the action a little more. We've done that in a few games, but I've basically stayed in a set lineup. Outside of that, we just have to keep working."

"You've got to go the other way with the ball a little more, and stay on it longer," Piniella said. "With our team, I think patience is not our biggest strength. One thing I can do is play a quicker team and that's in the back of my mind."

There.  Someone finally said it.  The Cubs are not a patient team. You can just see it, especially against pitchers like Brett Myers the other night or Cole Hamels.  The Cubs just hack away and don't wait for the right pitch. 

The Return Of Baker

Tomorrow I will give my two cents on the whole Dusty Baker saga.  You all know where I stand on this.  The Cubs have a tough series ahead with the Cincinnati Reds.  The Reds are coming off a tough sweep to the Pittsburgh Pirates.  They will send Aaron Harang to pitch against Ryan Dempster.  Tensions will be high and it will be interesting to see if the Baker factor will add some more fuel to the fire.

Go Cubs!  

Well, the streak was bound to end sooner or later.  The Cubs had five wins in a row going into tonight's game against the Phillies, and they got the fireworks started early, but it wasn't enough to get it done.  Carlos Zambrano struggled in the first game of the series against the Phillies and the defense didn't help much either.  As Pat Hughes put it tonight, the Cubs either hit all or nothing against Phillies starter and big A-hole Brett Myers.  The Cubs only had five hits off of Myers, but three of them were solo home runs by Lee, Ramirez, and Soriano.  The only other player to have a hit for the Cubs was Mark DeRosa. 

After getting two outs in the first inning, Myers gave up back to back jacks to Lee and Ramirez in the first inning to give the Cubs a 2-0 lead.  The good news for Cubs fans is that Lee has has now equaled his home run totals for both April and May 2007 (four) -- and it's only his 10th game of the season. But as we've seen so many times before, the bats went cold.  Myers threw breaking ball after breaking ball, After the first, the Cubs only had one hit, an infield single by DeRosa, until the sixth inning.  It was the same old Cubs, hacking away instead of waiting for a good pitch to hit. 

Meanwhile, Zambrano was able to keep the Phillies hitters down for a few innings, but he wasn't locating his fastball.  He started having his Carlos meltdown in the fourth inning.  He started out falling behind Chase Utley, who eventually singled,  He then got Ryan Howard to ground to Lee, who threw to second, but Utley slid hard and Theriot couldn't put anything on the throw to Zambrano and Howard was safe.  The next batter, Pat Burrell, hit a ball that still hasn't landed, tying the game up at 2-2.  In the fifth inning, Z got two quick outs, then gave up a walk to the lead off hitter, Shane Victorino.  The next batter, Greg Dobbs, doubled to left-center. Kosuke Fukudome, playing center, made a back-handed catch on the run, but Soriano bumped him and knocked the ball out of his glove, allowing Victorino to score.  Lou came out to argue that Fukudome had taken a few steps, and that it should have been called an out. 

"That's what the umpire said -- it wasn't a full transfer," Piniella said . "He bumped into Soriano, and the ball dropped out of his glove."

"I did catch the ball," Fukudome said, "but as I ran past Soriano, the tip of the glove hit -- maybe Soriano's leg, maybe his torso -- and the ball popped out of my glove. It was nothing but my fault that I didn't hold on to it. The ball did come into my glove. I thought I made the catch."

The funniest(or saddest) part was Soriano's response. 

"I don't know where it hit me," Soriano said. "I was more scared because I saw him running to catch the ball, and I wanted to tell him to get out of the way. He didn't see me."

Technically, the play should have been made by Soriano, who misplayed the ball.  Fukudome made an amazing play to get to the ball.  Had Soriano moved out of the way, the Cubs may have gotten out of the inning without any further damage. 

Soriano did make it up to the team, leading off the sixth with a solo home run, tying the game at three.  Unfortunately, Z couldn't put them away.  Z fell behind Ryan Howard 2-0, who then hit double to left center. Burrell then hit a double that got past Daryl Ward scoring Howard with the go-ahead run.  This caused Z to start jumping around like a moron.  One of these days, one of his teammates is really going to kick the crap out of him for that (Barrett tried that once!) 

"What can I say?" Ward said. "I'm doing the best I can. It's been three weeks since I've been in right field. It's tough getting good jumps after not being out there that long. There's not really any excuses. I gave it my best effort. It was over my head. If it was side to side, I think I had a good chance of catching it. Once I got there, it was over my head, and I tried to get it in as quick as possible."

You really can't blame Ward.  After Soriano tied the game at three, I though that Ward should have been taken out of the game to upgrade defensively.  I understand Lou wanting to get Ward some at bats, but you have a tie game and you need to play good defense.  That was Lou's fault for leaving him in.   Carlos Ruiz hit a single,scoring Burrell and that put the game out of reach.  Brad Lidge saved it for the Phillies.

Uh-Oh

The Cubs really needed Z to pitch a great game, and he didn't.  Now the Cubs have to face lefty Cole Hamels on Satuday and have struggling starter Ted Lilly going.  Hamels was 2-0 last year with a 1.80 ERA and is 2-1 in his career against the Cubs.  Let's try to get another streak started.  We only have to win one more game to make this a winning road trip.

Go Cubs!   

If I told you that the heart of the Cubs lineup, Lee, Ramirez, and Fukudome went a combined 0-12, you would think the Cubs probably lost the game.  If I told you that Rich Hill's pitch count was 72 after three innings, you could assume the Cubs got beat. But hey, we were playing the Pirates, so we were able to get the win, sweep the Pirates, and win our fifth game in a row!  What a wacky series of bad baseball games.

After burning up all the arms in the first two games of the series, we needed a good long start from Hill, and he was abysmal.  He couldn't find the strike zone to save his life.  After the Cubs got one run in the first inning, Hill came to the mound and gave up a double, threw a wild pitch, gave up a single that scored a run, walked the next two batters, gave up a run scoring sac fly, gave up another single, and gave up another run scoring sac fly before finally getting out of the inning.  Hill managed to work a 1-2-3 inning in the second, but in the third he gave two more waks, but escaped any further damage, but by that time Lou had had enough.

Your Bus Tickets To Iowa Mr. Hill and Mr. Pie

Lou was fuming in the dugout.  After the first, he had some words for Hill, and Hill slammed his helmet.  Lou was barking at Larry Rothchild every second that Hill was pitchin