7/30/08 @ Milwaukee; W 7-2; (64-44)

More defensive ineptitude by the Milwaukee Brewers gave the Cubs a first inning lead that they never relinquished. With two outs and runners on the corners, Reed Johnson struck out. The ball bounced right through the five hole on Jason Kendall and went to the backstop. He hustled and made a throw that might have beat Johnson, but Prince Fielder couldn't hold on to the ball. Everyone is safe and the first run scores. Mark DeRosa followed that with an rbi single and the Cubs had a 2-0 lead.

Ryan Dempster allowed a lead off double to Bill Hall. After a fly ball moved him up, he allowed a walk, and managed to throw his own wild pitch to let Hall score in the first. After that he was dominant. He allowed only four hits the rest of the way with no walks. He struck out nine through seven innings, earning his twelfth win.

Derek Lee and Aramis Ramirez were hitless tonight. We've seen in the past that doesn't bode well for Chicago's chances. The solution might be in Soriano, Theriot, and Johnson picking up the slack and getting three hits apiece.

Soriano reached base safely his first four times up and scored twice. Theriot was called upon to sacrifice his first at bat, but then reached base safely five times in a row with three hits and two walks. His big hit was a triple in the sixth to chase Parra from the game and give the Cubs a 4-1 lead. Reed Johnson later singled to plate Theriot. He had three consecutive base hits as well.

I might argue that the key to the Cubs success isn't the Lee Ramirez hitting combination, but the Soriano effect. The Cubs are 6-2 with Soriano back in the lineup. The argument early in the season was that Fukudome brought patience to the whole team. They seemed to lose that, but have it back again. The confidence in Soriano at the top of the lineup may do more to relax the Cub hitters than the Fukudome effect.

Regardless the reason, Chicago has gotten hot again. There is now a four game lead over both the Brewers and Cardinals. Rich Harden goes today in an attempt for Chicago to get a four game sweep. Then it is back to the friendly confines for a nine game homestand.

7/29/08 @ Milwaukee; W 7-1; (63-44)

Carlos Zambrano continued his domination of the Brewers this season. He has pitched 21 innings against the Brewers and given up exactly one run.

Z is a big game pitcher. Against the Cards and Brewers, he is 2-0 (four starts) with a 0.43 ERA. You read that right, it is a zero ahead of the decimal point.

Gene Wojciechowski made a point in his recap; "July isn't August. August isn't September." That may be. But as for getting in the opponents head, this has to be good. Zambrano is now 4-1 against Sheets head to head. Sheets just didn't get beat, he got pounded.

Len & Bob were generous in saying he pitched well until the sixth inning. The Cubs were hitting rockets, they were just right at guys. In the second inning Kosuke laced one down the left field line and somehow Ryan Braun caught it on the run. DeRosa followed wiht a bullet caught by a leaping JJ Hardy.

The Cubs first run came on a DeRosa sac fly to the deepest part of center field. They had four hits in the first five innings in addition to those balls.

The sixth was the game breaker. It was almost the cycle in order. Lee led off with a single. Ramirez doubled off the wall. Fukudome tripled past a diving Ryan Braun. Unfortunately DeRosa couldn't come through with the home run. I am sure he is happy with the RBI single.

The hit parade continued. Singles by Fontenot, Soto, and Zambrano made for seven consecutive hits. Alfonso Soriano finally made the first out with a sacrifice fly. That was the end for Sheets. His sixth inning; 8 batters faced, seven hits, five runs allowed.

He probably could have had a little help in left field. On Ramirez's double, Braun quit running as if it were a home run. Now he probably wouldn't have made the play off the wall, but it was a good precursor to how uncomfortable he is in left field. He badly misplayed Fukudome's ball. All three singles following the triple were to Braun. Fontenot's was a short fly ball that it seemed should have been caught. Instead Braun tried to deke DeRosa into thinking he was catching it while he let it drop. After every play the camera showed Braun looking up at the big screen with a fore lorn look on his face.

Z ended up going eight innings, scoreless, before being relieve by Samardzija. He had a season high nine strikeouts, only two walks and five hits to go along with one broken bat. (After a failed sacrifice attempt when the game was still close)

Aramis was the offensive star with four hits, three of them triples. He was locked in for sure. Every Cub player, including Zambrano, had a base hit. Soto, Theriot, and Fukudome each had two bringing the total to 15 for the Cubs.

Chicago will put Ryan Dempster and Rich Harden on the mound for the last two games of the series. That won't make it any easier on the Brewers offense. There will be less pressure too as the Cubs are assured of leaving Milwaukee with at least a one game lead in the division.

7/28/08 @ Milwaukee; W 6-4; (62-44)

In a back and forth game, the Cubs took the lead three times against Milwaukee. Each time was courtesy of Derek Lee.

In the first inning, Alfonso Soriano led off with a double off the left field wall. After a Reed Johnson pop up on the infield, and a stolen base by Alfonso, Lee singled to right field to put the Cubs up 1-0.

Alfonso extended that lead in the third with a solo shot to left field. Against Florida, a good majority of his hits were to right field and right center. Tonight he seemed comfortable getting around on the ball and driving it to left field. He is back.

Ted Lilly pitched well with the two run lead. Allowing only two singles and a walk through four innings, he had set down nine in a row with one out in the fifth. Then the damage started. JJ Hardy homered. Ryan Braun followed that up with a shot of his own and the game was tied. But the Brewers weren't done. Fielder singled. Corey Hart doubled to score Prince, but was out trying to get third on the play. Bill Hall singled for the Brewers fifth straight hit, but was picked off first to end the inning. Thank the poor base running for two outs.

Coming right back in the top of the seventh, the Cubs loaded the bases with one out and Derek Lee coming to the plate. He hit a ground ball to the shortstop that seemed like a double play. But the ball was hit slowly, and Reed Johnson had time to get deep into second base and forced an errant throw that allowed two runs to score. Cubs 4 Milwaukee 3.

That also forced CC Sabathia from the game. The Cubs really had a successful night against Sabathia, hitting him up for the most earned runs since joining the Brewers. They only had three strikeouts against him while getting nine base hits. Alfonso Soriano was especially locked in as even his third at bat ground out was a rocket that Sabathia deflected to the shortstop.

In the bottom of the seventh Bob Howry relieved Ted Lilly. With two outs, Russell Branyan hit for the pitchers' spot. With two strikes, he launched a moon shot to left field to tie the game once again.

Both teams were scoreless in the eighth inning, taking us to the ninth tied 4-4. After Fukudome struck out, Soriano worked a walk. Fontentot was brought in to hit for Howry, and he too drew a walk. Enter Derek Lee. Already with two rbi on the night, Lee doubled to right field to score Soriano. Fontentot was held at third, probably because Mike Quade had gotten Derek Lee thrown out earlier trying to score.

The Brewers intentionally walked Ramirez to load the bases. Soto struck out for the second out of the inning. Mark DeRosa hit a ball deep in the hole to shortstop. JJ Hardy tried to force Ramirez at second but was too late. Cubs 6 Brewers 4.

Carlos Marmol was the closer for the Cubs in this game. He came in as dominant as we have seen in a while. He had two consecutive strikeouts to start the inning and it didn't look like Hall or Cameron had a chance of getting wood on the ball. He did allow a two out walk before getting a fly ball to Soriano for the final out of the game.

This was a fun one to watch. Tense at points, but a real good battle between two solid teams. The Cubs had six of their eight starters get a base hit last night. With the big bats of Lee and Soriano going, that is a recipe for success. The Cubs now hold a two game lead going into the matchup of Sheets and Zambrano.

7/27/08 vs. Marlins; W 9-6; (61-44)

When I turned on the game, Derek Lee had just hit an rbi ground out to Hanley Ramirez. That put the Cubs on the board, but they already trailed the Marlins by five runs. Needless to say, I was disappointed. More of the same I assumed. Aramis Ramirez was the first hitter I saw, and he doubled into the ivy to make it a 5-2 game at the end of the third.

I was cautiously optimistic that there was plenty of time left in the game. The cautious part came from the recent struggles this team has had in scoring runs and holding leads. The three pitch strikeout to Kosuke Fukudome leading off the fourth didn't help things. But then things started to turn. Henry Blanco singled. Jason Marquis wanted to sacrifice, but VandenHurk couldn't find the strike zone and walked him. Alfonso Soriano came to the plate, already 2 for 2 on the day. He hit an opposite field drive into the right field stands that tied the game. His energy had seemed to help the offense upon his return from the DL. Today he was doing it himself.

The lead didn't last long as Dan Uggla hit a ball to Waveland Ave. to lead off the Marlin fifth. The 6-5 lead was the way the game stayed until the seventh inning. Pat Fitzgerald, head coach of the Northwestern football team, sang the seventh inning stretch and brought the Cubs some luck.

Derek Lee led off the inning with a home run. That was the first run the Cubs had scored against the Marlin relievers in this four game series. The game was tied, but the Chicago offense wasn't done.

Aramis singled to right, his second hit of the day. Edmonds sacrificed, but Ramirez was out at second. With one away, DeRosa walked. Kosuke popped up for the second out of the inning. Daryle Ward came in to hit for Blanco, and the Marlins changed pitchers. Nelson threw a wild pitch, allowing both runners to advance. The Marlins chose to walk Ward, and deal with the pitchers' spot.

Mike Fontenot was called on to hit. The Cubs broadcast showed a stat that over the last twenty games, Fontenot is hitting .357 with 5 home runs. He didn't disappoint today. He drove a one hopper off the wall in left field driving in three runs.

The Cubs called on Jeff Samardzija to pitch the eighth. He did so well, they called on him again in the ninth. He picked up his first career major league save. Samardzija retired all six Marlins he faced, striking out three in the process. The final out was a well hit ball by Jorge Cantu, but Edmonds made a diving catch in left center to end the game. The smile on Samardzija's face was wider than his hair is long.

With Houston rallying to beat the Brewers, the Cubs are alone again atop the NL Central. Cub fans can be happy about that. Even more, I think Cub fans saw more positive signs of an offensive resurgence. Soriano had his best game since coming off the DL. His first home run, his first multi hit game, and more rbi than the other games combined. That will give confidence to his team mates.

The other positive was Ramirez. He had three two hit games in the series against the Marlins. His bat, as has been said numerous times, is vital to the Cubs success. If both he and Soriano hit, runs will begin to pile up.

7/26/07 vs. Marlins; L 2-3; (60-44)

Since the Cubs acquired Rich Harden on July 8th, he has made three starts. In each of those, he struck out ten batters. He is the first Cub ever to notch double digit strikeouts in each of his first three starts. He has allowed only two runs in three starts, both on solo home runs. He is allowing less than one baserunner per inning pitched. Yet he is 0-1 with two no decisions. The Cubs have lost his last two starts, scoring a grand total of two runs in those two games.

My disgust for the lack of support should be apparent, but let me reiterate; This guy is sick. He has the best ERA in the league during the time he has been a Cub. The only two guys with more strikeouts have an extra start thrown in. Score some runs for this guy.

CC Sabathia is now 4-0 as a Brewer. He too has been dominant, throwing three complete games in a row. However, he is also getting run support. In his four starts, the Brewers haven't scored less than three and are averaging 5.5 runs per game.

The bullpen gets some blame too. Even with the lack of solid run support, Harden has left two of his three starts in position to earn the win. In both situations the bullpen blew the opportunity. Today it fell on the shoulders of Sean Marshall. In his defense, he pitched a pretty solid three innings striking out five and giving up only one hit. Too bad that hit was a home run by ...who else.. Jeremy Hermida.

In the last fourteen innings against the Marlins, Hermida has scored all four runs for the Marlins. That includes three home runs. He hit the game winner Friday, hit another off Harden Saturday, and then tied the game against Marshall in the eighth. As luck would have it, he scored from second in the twelfth inning for the eventual game winning run. No chance this guy gets a day off today, right?

This is only the fourth time this year the Cubs have dropped a game in which they led after the seventh inning. The Marlins have done it two days in a row. The fish seem to have the Cubbies number, having won ten in a row coming into this series. They can leave with no worse than a split.

The Cubs need to make sure that happens. The Brewers won on Saturday so the Cubs are tied for first place. Heading to Milwaukee on Monday, it would be real nice to still be atop the standings.

7/25/08 vs Marlins; L 2-3; (60-43)

Ryan Dempster pitched a nice game today. He did allow a season high six walks in only six innings. Still, he only gave up one run and struck out six. He left the game at the end of six with a 2-1 lead.

The lead was courtesy of home runs by Geovony Soto and Reed Johnson. Speaking of Reed Johnson, this is his third game in a row with an extra base hit and extends his hitting streak to seven games.

The Cubs had their chances. They managed ten hits today. They had runners on third base four times, but all with two outs. None of them scored. Soriano was thrown out at the plate a separate time trying to score from second on a base hit by Derek Lee.

So Dempster left the game with three innings to go, leaving his win in the hands of the bullpen. The first guy called on had just arrived in town. Jeff Samardzija was called up to take Kerry Wood's spot on the roster. His opportunity to pitch came in the seventh.

He started out well enough. A strikeout against his first batter faced. But then Hanley Ramirez singled. He advanced to second on a steal and third on a fly ball. With two outs, Jorge Cantu doubled to tie the game. Rookie....you owe Dempster a meal. Kiss the win bye bye Ryan.

Samardzija pitched a perfect eighth and picked up a second strike out. He was pinch hit for, so the ninth inning fell to Bob Howry. His first batter faced, Jeremy Hermida, knocked a pinch hit home run that gave the Marlins the lead and eventual win.

The meat of the order just isn't producing. Our 3,4,5 hitters went 1 for 13. Our 6,7,8 went 5 for 10, with two home runs. That is two days in a row. Yesterday three different guys hitting 6,7,8 went three for nine with two home runs. Maybe Lou should move Ramirez and Fukudome to the bottom of the order and get them going.

Don't get me wrong, I am more than happy we have so many guys that can produce. However, we are going to need Fukudome and Ramirez to get hot again. Lee isn't doing too poorly, but the lineup has to be consistent top to bottom.

Still, here we sit at 60-43. Exactly the same as the 1984 team at this point. Only the 1969 team was better at this point, and we don't want to be compared to them. We will be in first place when the day ends, but possibly tied with the Brewers. It is time for a hot streak Cub fans. Maybe it starts tomorrow.

7/24/08 vs. Marlins; W 6-3; (60-42)

Carlos Zambrano can pitch. He can hit too! His double drove in the tying run in the fifth and scored the go ahead run on Derek Lee's bases loaded walk.

Aramis Ramirez then doubled home two runs. Derek Lee was out at the plate on thee play. He beat the throw, but had to slide wide to avoid the tag. He couldn't get back to eeach the plate.

Henry Blanco added a solo shot in the sixth to finish the Cubs scoring.

Z made it seven innnings to earn his eleventh win. He gave up only two runs while striking out six.

With Kerry Wood on th DL, Carlos Marmol came in for the save. He pitched the final out of the eighth and then the ninth. He struck out three, but made it nerve wracking. He managed to load the bases in the ninth before closing it out. It's never easy.

7/23/08 @ Arizona; W 10-6; (59-42)

Welcome back Alfonso! Coming off the DL and leading off for the Cubs, he got progressively better as the night went on. He struck out his first time up. An rbi and two fly ball outs were followed by a double in the eighth inning.

His performance was far from the best on the team, though his return may have inspired the resurgence. The star for tonight was Reed Johnson, hitting in the eight hole. He went three for four and scored two runs. He drove in four all in one swing of the bat. His eighth inning grand slam proved to be quite helpful as the D'backs moved within four, but never closer. Maybe with Alfonso back, the quest for playing time for the other outfielders will push them to perform better.

Ted Lilly grinded his way through six innings to earn the win. He gave up six hits, but struck out six. He gave up three runs on his way to earning a win.

Aramis extended his hitless streak to 24 at bats before getting a single in the eighth inning. He is now 1 for 25 since the All Star break. Derek Lee added a couple hits and is creeping back towards the .300 mark on the year.

Chicago is 2-4 since the break, and have let their lead slip to one game over the Brewers. Their perch on top of the NL central, a spot they have occupied since May 11th, is perilous. Let's hope the return of Alfonso, and the return to Wrigley, will change fortunes for the Cubbies.

7/22/08 @ Arizona; L 2-9; (58-42)

Lou says not to worry. In fact, after the team hit so well without batting practice on Sunday, he decided to cancel batting practice Tuesday and Wednesday. Relax, Lou says. It is just mid July.



Cub fans don't relax. Our overly optimistic attitude starts on the first day of spring training, but masks in inner fear that the other shoe could drop at any time.



Our cleanup hitter is mired in his second streak of 20 plus hitless at bats. Our closer is one day away from the DL with a blister on his finger. We are still waiting to see how our left fielder will do when he returns from the DL. Our set up man had the worst two outings possible heading into the All Star break. It is in our nature to worry.



But, this too will pass. One more game today in Arizona, then we head home. Thirteen of the next seventeen are at home, and the road trip is only to Milwaukee. The Cubs could stand some home cooking for sure.

7/21/08 @ Arizona; L 0-2; (58-41)

Randy Johnson is undefeated in his career against the Chicago Cubs. What a shame for Rich Harden. Harden took a perfect game into the fifth and a no hitter into the sixth, but took the loss for the Cubs who couldn't manage to score a single run. In fact, they only had two runners reach second base all night. Theriot finally was the first Cub to touch third base, but with two outs in the ninth inning.

Harden ended up going seven innings. He gave up only one hit, but it was a home run to Alex Romero. That was his first career home run. Rich struck out ten on the night and walked only two D'backs. That is back to back ten strikeout games in his first two trips to the mound in Cubs' blue. I had no idea what a shut down pitcher this guy was when we made this trade. When he gets a little luck on his side he should roll.

No point in talking offense, since there wasn't any. The Cubs hit the ball harder against Randy Johnson than Arizona did against Harden. Only problem was they were right at people. Theriot's lead off at bat was a foreshadowing of things to come. He ripped a ball down the third base line for what appeared to be a double. Instead Mark Reynolds, Arizona third baseman and National League leader in errors (18), makes a diving stop and throws Theriot out from his knees. Theriot went hitless thus ending his career high hitting streak at thirteen.

It was like that all night long as the Cubs hit balls solid, but only to the warning track for Chris Young to track down. It marked the fourth time this year the Cubs have been shut out. Three of those have been preceded by Cubs pitcher throwing a shutout. Maybe, just maybe, when throwing a shutout, we should allow a run in the ninth from now on, just for luck. Only once this season have we thrown a shutout and come back the next day to even score, much less win.

The offense will need to find some middle ground for this second half run. Consistency will be more important down the stretch. Throwing up gaudy offensive statistics in a single game looks great, but getting two hit the following day doesn't help you gain ground in the pennant race.

Alfonso played in a class A game today, and will try his hand, pun intended, at a Triple A game today. He should be back in the starting lineup no later than Thursday.

7/20/08 @ Houston; W 9-0; (58-40)

Ryan Dempster picked up his first road win in almost two years. He also picked up the spirits of the entire Cubs fan base. How quickly we can forget we won the last three series prior to the All Star break. Instead we were focused on losing our last game before the All Star break and the first two coming out of it.

Even more exciting was the way the offense poured it on in the Houston series finale. Nine runs on thirteen hits, and all that with no batting practice. An on field fan event in Houston prevented either team from getting BP before the game.

It would be hard to single out one offensive hero for the day. Here are the candidates.

Mike Fontenot - Three of a kind. Three hits, three runs, three rbi. Fontentot homered in the fifth and doubled in the ninth.

Derek Lee - One, two, three. One run, two hits, three rbi. His double in the first inning provided the first run and he scored on Edmonds single to give the Cubs all the runs they needed.

Ryan Theriot - Lucky 13. His hitting streak continued and stands at thirteen games now. He went three for five with two rbi and a run scored.

Regardless whom you may choose, it is good to see the offensive firepower again. It was only the second time in the last six games they have scored more than three runs. Kosuke even got a couple hits on the night.

Dempster really threw a good game, and I was hoping he would get a shot at a complete game again. He only allowed six hits and one walk in eight innings while striking out seven. Only in the fifth inning did Houston get a runner to second. They started the inning with three singles to load the bases with no outs. But Dempster struck out two and induced a foul pop out by Kaz Matsui to prevent any runs from scoring.

He was over 100 pitches at eight innings, meaning Carlos Marmol got a chance. He made the most of it getting all three batters he faced out. That could be a boost of confidence for him as we start the second half.

With the Cardinals and Brewers both sweeping their series, St. Louis a four gamer, Chicago had their lead cut to two and three games respectively. Luckily the Brewers will head to Busch Stadium for a four game series starting Monday, Cub fans can hope for a 2-2 split. Chicago needs to have a good series against the D'backs in Arizona before returning home to face the Marlins.

They will start off with Rich Harden trying to get his first win as a Cub. They will face the Big Unit. The Cubs missed Randy Johnson in their sweep earlier this year. It will be nice to see if the offense can continue tonight against a future hall of famer.

7/19/08 @ Houston; L 1-4; (57-40)

The Chicago Cubs guaranteed another road series loss on Saturday night.

The only run came from the pitching staff when Z himself hit a home run. Attention position players! The Harden trade made the pitching rotation solid, but you will have to score runs to win games.

The Cubs did manage nine hits, only Soto and Ramirez going without. Even Kosuke, whose recent struggles earned him the seven spot last night, managed a hit.

Ryan Theriot picked up three hits, continuing to be unconscious. He has the seventh highest batting average in the major leagues! He is tenth in on base percentage and even ranks tied for 25th in stolen bases. We could stand to have him touch the plate a few more times, but that has more to do with the guys hitting after him.

Chicago managed baserunners in each of the first five innings, but failed to score. The third inning gave them their best shot. With one out, Reed Johnson and Derek Lee had back to back base hits. Alas, Ramirez struck out and Soto grounded to the pitcher to end the inning.

Zambrano had a decent outing on the mound; six and a third with only six hits, but Houston made the most of them getting four runs.

I say there is no reason for panic yet Cub fans. We started the season slow, we start the second half slow.

Let's give everyone a couple series to settle back in, get Soriano back, and then see how we are doing.

7/18/08 @ Houston; L 1-2; (51-39)

Derek Lee and Aramis Ramirez are hitless...the Cubs are likely to lose. It's as simple as that.

Throw in a stellar pitching performance by Brian Moehler and you get today's result, a 2-1 loss at Minute Maid Park.

Jim Edmonds led off the fifth with a solo shot to give the Cubs the lead. Ted Lilly had been pitching an equally impressive game. Mike Fontenot doubled and advanced to third with only one out. Lilly and Fukudome couldn't get him home. That was the last iinning Chicago had a baserunner, as the Astros staff threw a perfect four innings.

Carlos Lee tied the game with his own solo shot in the seventh. In the bottom of the ninth, Miguel Tjada led off with a double. Hunter Pence drove him in with a walk off hit in the left center gap.

Ryan Theriot extended his hitting streak to eleven with a two out double his second trip to the plate. Geovony Soto added the only other Cub hit on the night.

7/13/08 vs Giants; L 2-4; (57-38)

The Chicago Cubs entered today with the best overall record in the major leagues. With a win, they would enter the All Star Break in sole possession of that distinction.

They had Ryan Dempster, (the most successful pitcher at home this year) going against Tim Lincecum (the most successful pitcher on the road this year), in an afternoon start at Wrigley Field.

The road warrior won.

Tim Lincecum not only pitched a great game, for the second game in a row against the Cubs, he had the go ahead RBI!

Dempster didn't have his best stuff today. He had a real tough third inning that put the team down three runs. He managed to stay in the game for almost seven innings, but had to scratch and claw the whole way.

Lincecum, on the other hand, dominated. He pitched eight innings, giving up only six hits while striking out nine. Only Derek Lee managed two hits against him.

Ryan Theriot did manage one hit, to extend his hitting streak to ten games. That is a new career high, and he is batting .425 during the last ten games. Today was the first time in five games he didn't manage a multi hit game.

So our beloved Chicago Cubs head to the All Star break tied with the LA Angels for the best overall record. They are 6-3 in their last nine games, winning all three series two games to one.

When they start up play again on Friday, in Houston, everyone should be rested and healthy, even the five guys playing in the All Star game. Alfonso should be coming back around the 24th of July, giving the team an added offensive boost.

There are sixty seven games to go in the regular season. Nineteen against St. Louis and Milwaukee. They lead the Cardinals in the NL Central by 4.5 games. They will control their own destiny.

7/12/08 vs Giants; W 8-7; (57-37)

Chicago....meet Rich Harden. Five and a third innings, TEN STRIKEOUTS, no runs allowed. Harden allowed five hits and walked only three Giants. Impressive outing for the former Oakland A.


His teammates welcomed him well, providing him seven runs in four innings. He left in position for a win, turning things over to another former A, Chad Gaudin. Gaudin simply finished the fifth and then turned it over to the rest of the bullpen.


Kevin Hart didn't do poorly, but allowed two runs in his inning. Cotts and Howry combined for a scoreless eighth, turning the game over to Carlos Marmol with a 7-2 Cub lead. Marmol was horrible, to say the least. He allowed five hits, one potentially could have been an error on him, walked one, and gave up five runs.


Carlos Marmol, you owe Rich Harden dinner and then some. His stat line was superb and he should have been rewarded with a win in his debut. Theriot, you get some blame too. Don't throw the ball from your back with the tying run on third base. Great job keeping it in the infield, stand up and throw the ball back to the pitcher. You're buying drinks.


Luckily for Chicago, the damage...for that inning....was over. The Cubs didn't score in the ninth...good, otherwise Marmol gets the win...so extra innings, here we come. The Cubs had been 6-4 on the season, the Giants 5-3.

In the bottom of the tenth, the Cubs mimicked yesterday's eighth inning. Theriot leads off with a single, advances to second on a bunt, forcing Bochy to decide does he pitch to Lee or Ramirez. He chose to pitch to Lee and got him, allowing him to walk Ramirez. Soto grounded out and we go to the eleventh.

Sean Marshall led off for the Cubs with a single past shortstop. Not too bad a performance for Mr. Marshall. Two perfect innings pitching, one for one at the plate. DeRosa walked to give the Cubs first and second with no one out. Fontenot bunted to the third base side which allowed the Giants to get Marshall at third.

That brought up Reed Johnson. Johnson singled through the right side. Giants rightfielder, Emmanuel Burriss, came up throwing. His throw was on time, but on the first base side. By the time Bengie Molina dove back to the sliding DeRosa, he had touched the plate. The Cubs celebrated at the pitchers mound mobbing Reed Johnson, hero for the day.

Piniella, in the post game comments, didn't express any concern over Marmol. Cub fans have some reason to be concerned and hope that following the All Star break he finds his form again. Rich Harden was brought here to help the Cubs win a World Series. He definitely helped them win today. Along the way I suppose individual players like to have decent statistics. He deserved a win today, but the box score won't show that. A minor disappointment among an otherwise exciting win.

7/11/08 vs. Giants; W 3-1; (56-37)

I don't understand the logic of intentionally walking Derek Lee to get to Aramis Ramirez. Both are great hitters and both can hurt you. Granted it set up the force play at every base, but in the end it just added an rbi to Aramis' stats.

Jason Marquis and Matt Cain both pitched superbly through seven innings. Each allowed only three hits, holding the opposition scoreless. Jason Marquis may be trying to prove me wrong. Maybe he can be a strong second half pitcher for the Cubs.

Theriot led off the eighth with a single and advanced on Fontenot's sacrifice. That is when Derek was intentionally walked. Again, one out and a runner on second? A runner on third, sure, then a double play ends the inning with no run scoring. But Theriot wasn't going to score on a grounder. Regardless, Ramirez stepped to the plate with a chance to be a hero. And on the first pitch he saw, he succeeded. He hit a ball into the left field stands, just fair by a few feet. His seventeenth of the season, and his 64th, 65th, and 66th rbis. He leads the Cubs in both categories.

Theriot's single was his second hit of the game. He has 36 multi hit games this year, leading the National League. As big a fan as I am of the-riot, I didn't foresee this kind of year from him.

Kerry Wood picked up his 24th save, tops in the National League, allowing one run in the process. With the tying run on base and Wood facing Aurilia, all I could think of was the St. Louis game on Sunday. But Woody got Aurilia to ground out to first base to end the threat and seal the win.

The Reds beat Milwaukee today, extending the Cubs lead to 4.5 games. St. Louis jumped back over Milwaukee for second place as they beat the Pirates.

7/10/08 vs Reds; L 7-12; (55-37)

In the eighth inning Thursday, neither team scored a run or even got a hit. I mention this because in every other inning one of the teams scored. The wind was only 12 mph, but the home runs were plentiful. Mike Fontenot hit one for the Cubs, a two run shot in the fourth. The Reds did a little better, hitting seven! Included in those, Griffey hit career number 605. David Ross notched two himself.

Ted Lilly, susceptible to the long ball, only gave up two of them. He left the game in the third inning having already thrown 63 pitches and having given up four runs.

Four bullpen pitchers took the Cubs the rest of the way, each giving up their share of the remaining eight runs. Chad Guadin, acquired in the Rich Harden trade, made his debut as a Chicago Cub. He pitched two innings allowing only two hits. One of them was David Ross' second long ball for his only earned run allowed.

The Cub offense kept trying to do their part, but every time the Reds answered. With the game tied 1-1 in the second, Ryan Theriot delivered with a two out two run base hit, giving the Cubs a two run lead. The Reds came right back with an RBI double by Griffey, and a two run bomb by Brandon Phillips.

In the fourth Fontenot hit his two run homer cutting the lead to three. The Reds responded with solo shots in the fifth and sixth to keep it a five run game.

The Cubs still took 2 of 3 from the Reds to win their second series in a row. They lost a game to the Brewers, who moved into second place at 4 games back. St. Louis lost as well and remains 4.5 back.

7/9/08 vs Reds; W 5-1; (55-36)

Carlos Zambrano earned his tenth win of the season Wednesday night at Wrigley Field. In doing so, he dominated the Reds, retiring 20 in a row following a second inning home run to Adam Dunn. Thanks to Geovony Soto cleaning up Jeff Keppinger, who reached on an error in the first, Z faced only one batter over the minimum through eight innings. Lou let him bat in the bottom of the eighth, and run the bases, leading me to believe he would go for the complete game. He didn't. Carlos Marmol pitched the ninth in relief, but didn't make it all the way through. Kerry Wood came in to face one batter with the bases loaded and earn the save.

Zambrano kept pace with Ryan Dempster, who picked up his tenth win on Tuesday night. Ted Lilly will look to get his tenth in the series finale on Thursday night. Three starting pitchers at ten wins before the All Star break is pretty good, right. Rich Harden's stats in most categories are better than any of those three.

He has a better ERA, strikeouts per innings pitched, as well as WHIP. We have known for most of the year this team could score runs. It looks as though the pitching has solidified, and with one acquisition, could challenge for the top staff in all of baseball.

You do have to score to win...and offensively, Aramis led the way at the plate, with two rbis on a double and a solo home run. That completed his cycle...over two games...since he singled and tripled on Tuesday night. He also made another nice defensive play at third.

Derek Lee had a nice defensive play in the ninth. Paul Bako led off and hit a ball headed down the right field line. Derek was in position to make the play when the ball hit first base and caromed high and back to Derek's right. He made a bare handed stop of the ball and flipped to Marmol covering.

After struggling through a tough couple of weeks, starting with their first losing streak of four, a win tonight gets them to .500 during those two weeks. It also gets them back to twenty games above .500 on the season.

Last night was particularly effective as the Brewers and Cardinals both lost. That increases the lead in the NL Central to 4.5 games. The Angels and Rays are both on losing streaks, putting the Cubs just one game back in the loss column to the Rays for the best record in the league.

Go Cubs Go!

7/8/08 vs Reds; W 7-3; (54-36)

The Cubs won two games in a row. That was a long two weeks in the life of a Cub fan.

Ryan Dempster, aside from one crazy inning, pitched well and is now 10-0 at Wrigley Field. The fourth inning for him was, to say the least, erratic. He had four walks on the night. All in the fourth inning, forcing in the only run he allowed. Other than that, he only gave up two hits over seven innings.

Offensively, the Cubs had multiple contributors. My boys and I, at the game, were betting on who would score the first run. Turned out to be Ramirez, so Zach was the winner. Aramis tripled to lead off the second inning and scored on Geovony Soto's sac fly.

Aramis ended up with two hits and an RBI to go with his run scored. His best plays may have been on defense. He had diving stops, one to his left one to his right, and on both occasions was able to get up and make the throw to beat the runner.

Soto added a two run homer later in the game to lead the team with three runs batted in. Mike Fontenot had a double and a home run, two runs scored and two rbi.

The boys and I had a great day at Wrigley in what is hopefully a great season. Our seats are down the left field line, up from the bullpen. Foul balls are rare, but tonight we had a shot. Aramis fouled one hard in the fifth inning that landed one row behind us. The storms that hit Chicago missed Wrigley, and I can't get enough of singing Go Cubs Go.

Not to mention, William Peterson does a great job with the seventh inning stretch and we got to see him in the stadium as we left. The only disappointment was that it was tote bag day instead of 1908 cap day (tomorrow)!

Rich Harden is a Cub

The Cubs have acquired Rich Harden from the A's. In return they gave up Murton, Gallagher, and Patterson.

Props to Matt Snyder for calling Patterson's hot streak trade bait.

A minor leaguer is in the deal as well and the Cubs get another pitcher, making it a six player deal. Harden is expected to pitch against the Giants at Wrigley this week.

I am a Cub fan, not a baseball expert. Visit Matt Snyder's blog to see analysis of the trade.

Ballhawks

It's hot out, and with no action we needed some rest.

Game Day

Just over two hours fom game time. On my way to Waveland Ave for BP.

Day Off

The Cubs are off today before their six game home stand that leads them to the All Star Break. When they resume play tomorrow night against Cincinnati, I will be in the stands. I am taking my three boys to see the game. We got lucky and we'll get to see Dempster as a starter, live in person, for the first time.

At about the same time, one hour to the north, CC Sabathia will be making his first start for the Brewers. His acquisition has the baseball world rumbling about the Brewers challenging the Cubs for NL Central supremacy. Jayson Stark did a nice job of debating the issue, and ended up defending the Cubs.

It will be breakneck pace from here on out. After the All Star break, the Cubs won't get another day off until August 7th, and only six total the rest of the way. If Sabathia is what the Brewers need, and the Cardinals keep defying logic, this will be an exciting September.

7/6/08 @ St. Louis; W 7-1; (53-36)

The Cubs scored early and often on Sunday and took the third and final game of the series 7-1. The series win was their first since sweeping the White Sox in late June.

They tallied sixteen hits on the afternoon, with every position player except Matt Murton getting at least one hit. Derek Lee and Ryan Theriot led the way with three hits apiece. Aramis Ramirez was two for three and added two sac flies to drive in three runs on the day. Cub fans are happy to see his slump behind him.

Mark DeRosa had another good day, driving in a run and going 2 for 4. Reed Johnson scored two runs in the lead off spot and also went 2 for 4. Geovony Soto, on the day he was named to the All Star team as a rookie, hit his fifteenth home run of the year.

Sean Marshall earned his first win since August 24th of last year. He was the beneficiary of a hot offense, but shut the Cardinals down in his third start of the year. His only run allowed was on Ryan Ludwick's home run. He pitched six innings, striking out four, before turning things over to the bullpen.

The season series with the Cardinals is now even at three games apiece. We won't see them again until August, when we host them for a three game stand. As happy as I am to extend the lead in the Central by a game and win our first series in four tries, I can't help but think of the impact of yesterday's game. That would have put us at 4.5 games ahead of both the Brewers and the Cards, and given us a 4-2 advantage in the season series. The Cubs played well enough to have won all three games and it hurts when one gets away.

The Cubs have a day off today, then a six game homestand heading into the All Star Break. Not that it won't be much of a break with most of the team making the trip. We need to get four or five wins this week building off the solid play this weekend.

All Star Results - Cubs Send Seven to NY

Kosuke made it. So did Ryan Braun. Ken Griffey, Jr ended up being the odd man out as Brewers fans and Cubs fans pushed to get their man in the game.

Geovony Soto starts as a rookie, the first time a rookie catcher starts for the NL.

Alfonso Soriano was voted a starter as well, but we are yet to find out if he will play.

In player balloting, Ryan Dempster, Kerry Wood, and Aramis Ramirez were added to the team.

Carlos Zambrano was a manager's selection.

In addition to those seven, Lou Piniella is on the NL coaching staff.

The Red Sox also placed seven players in the All Star game. No other NL team had more than two players.

7/5/08 @ St. Louis; L 4-5; (52-36)

Kerry Wood came into the game in the ninth inning with a two run lead. He had the 5, 6, 7 hitters coming up. The game seemed well in hand for the Cubs. Far from it.

He walked the first two before Adam Kennedy doubled, scoring one and putting the tying and winning runs in scoring position with no one out. After an intentional walk, he induced a ground ball force at home and a pop up to shortstop. For a brief moment it seemed possible he could still get the save.

But with two outs, Rick Ankiel singled to center scoring two runs and ending the game. The Cubs, who have been so good at coming back late and winning, got a taste of their own medicine. It was a heartbreaking defeat. The Cubs were one inning away from taking the first two games of the series and setting their sights on the sweep. Now they are going to be fighting to take two out of three and the momentum has shifted to St. Louis.

Silver Linings:

• Aramis Ramirez ended his drought of 28 hitless at bats with a two run homer in the eighth.
• Derek Lee has a five game hit streak in which he is 10 for 21
• Mark DeRosa had a couple hits including a solo home run. The home run was his eleventh of the year, only two shy of his career best.
• Ted Lilly pitched a nice game, going six innings, striking out five.
• Carlos Marmol didn't give up a three run home run.

7/4/08 @ St. Loius; W 2-1; (52-35)

Carlos Zambrano returned to the mound for the first time since June 18th and he did so in impressive fashion. He pitched six innings, striking out five and allowing no runs. He showed signs of the competitive frustration we have come to love in the bottom of the second. Yadier Molina hit a swinging bunt that neither Z or Geo called. The result was a delay in fielding the ball and no play at first. When Geo handed the ball back to Zambrano, he tried to slam the ball into his glove but missed. The ball bounced off his palm and fell to the ground. I love the intensity.

It was a good thing Zambrano was sharp because the Cubs only managed two runs. Kosuke gave the Cubs an early lead with a solo home run in the first. In the top of the second it looked like Geovony would add another, but the ball hooked foul. He didn't hook it as much in the fourth inning, hitting is 14th long ball of the year. On the night Soto was three for three.

Bob Howry relieved Big Z in the seventh. In the eighth he gave up Pujols 300th career home run to make it a one run game. Neil Cotts came in to get Ankiel and end the inning.

Woody pitched the ninth without allowing a run. He only allowed one hit, but controversy was plentiful. Troy Glaus led off the inning working the count to 3-1. He headed to first on ball four, but it was called a strike. As much as I am a Cub fan, that ball wasn't a strike. Then he took a pitch only minimally better for strike three. Yadier Molina had a similar pitch, low and away, during his at bat that was called a strike. It was all LaRussa could talk about after the game.

While Soto hit impressively today, Ramirez continued his slump going hitless in four at bats. Jim Edmonds struggled in his return to St. Louis, also going hitless in four at bats, but with a hat trick thrown in.

The Cubs opened their lead in the Central to 3.5 games with this win. If we can get back to back wins for once, we can guarantee a return to Wrigley with no less than that lead.

7/3/08 @ San Francisco; L 3-8; (51-35)

The Cubs scored three runs off Tim Lincecum in six innings, getting to the San Francisco bullpen in the seventh. The only problem was they didn’t score against the bullpen, and their own bullpen gave up four runs of their own.

Going into the seventh inning the Cubs trailed 3-4. Thanks to a two out two run double from Mark DeRosa in the sixth, the Cubs seemed in position to win a come from behind close ball game.

Instead, in the seventh Jose Ascaino allowed a single to lead off the inning. Then he royally screwed up his attempt to field a sacrifice bunt, allowing all runners to be safe at first and third with no out. Lou went to Marmol to face Rich Aurilia. Carlos repeated his performance from yesterday giving up a three run homer.

Carlos has struggled as of late. In his last seven games, he has given up ten earned runs, been charged with two losses, and blew the lead once. Needless to say, the Cubs need him to get out of this funk in a hurry.

The Cubs never recovered, failing to score in their last two innings. Again they fail to win back to back games.

Chicago welcomed back two of their offensive players today. Reed Johnson returned from the DL and Aramis Ramirez returned from a three game absence.

Reed Johnson made his return known early as he doubled to lead off the game. Lou put Reed back in the lead off spot and hit Kosuke second. All the talk was how Lou had settled on Kosuke, but Johnson was always in the lead off spot leading up to his DL stint. He scored on a Derek Lee single to give the Cubs the early lead.

Ramirez, on the other hand, continued the drought he had been in before leaving. He went hitless in four at bats, extending to eighteen the number of at bats without a hit. Just like Marmol, he needs to get the ship righted soon.

Luckily for the Cubs, this current lack of consistent success hasn’t caused them to surrender the lead in the NL Central. Both Milwaukee and St. Louis lost yesterday, and the Cubs maintain a 2.5 game lead. Their destiny is in their own hands this weekend as they start a series with the Cardinals tonight.

7/2/08 @ San Francisco; W ; (51-34)

Go Mike Go!


Go Mike Go!


Hey Chicago what do you say,

Fontenot went yard today.



Ryan Dempster was well on his way to his first road win. He had given up a two run shot in the sixth, but still led 3-2. The Cubs added to that in the seventh, making it 5-2. In comes Carlos Marmol...only to give up a three run shot with two outs. Back up two hitters, he gave up a two out walk. Cardinal sin right there. Then a single, then the home run.

So in the span of 5 outs, Dempster goes from the potential winning pitcher (on my fantasy team no less) to a no decision. Now the game is in doubt. Until Fontenot hits.

In his previous at bat Mike had gotten most of a ball and driven in to left center, but it was run down at the track. This time he hit a 3-1 pitch to a shorter portion of the park. That shot not only gave the Cubs the lead, but stretched his hit streak to six games.

That run also put Carlos Marmol in position to earn the win. He didn't pitch the eighth, Howry did. So Marmol's line is 1.0 innings pitched, two hits, one walk, and three earned runs. AND THE WIN. If, as I stated in regards to Jason Marquis, baseball is a game of averages; then this makes up for the Soriano dropped ball in Pittsburgh.

Woody came in to pitch the ninth. He got two quick outs, but then gave up a triple to Castillo. He finished it off with a strikeout looking, his second of the night. That earned him his 21st save of the season.

The first five runs for the Cubs came courtesy of a home run by Edmonds with Soto on base and a two out single by Soto scoring two. Murton plated the other run with a double play ball. Only Theriot didn't get a hit for the Cubs tonight as they picked up their 51st win of the year.

7/1/08 @ San Francisco; L1-2; (50-34)

Marquis pitches well. Cubs lose. Remember that baseball is a game of averages. The line drive caught is made up for by the bloop single. D Lee going 0 for 12 is made up for by a 5 for 5 game in the middle of that streak. Marquis has pitched poorly and won, and tonight that caught up to him.

He didn't get the run support he has been accustomed to. He really pitched a solid game. Seven innings, only two runs, and five strikeouts. Unfortunately for him, and Cub fans, no offense. Like I said, evens out for when he gave up five earned in seven innings against the White Sox, but earned the win as the Cubs posted 11 that day.

Matt Cain, pitching for the Giants was in shut down mode today. He allowed only two hits and three walks through eight innings. The Cubs mounted their best chance when he left. Brian Wilson came in to close the game for the Giants, and gave up three of the Cubs five hits in the ninth.

Derek Lee led off the ninth with a triple, and scored on a Soto single. Fontenot singled...five game hit streak...to put the winning run on base. But that is where it stayed. Theriot struck out to end the game.

So again, the Cubs fail to win a second game in a row. Eight games now without winning any back to back. Suffice it to say, we are in a slump.