6/19/08 @ Tampa Bay; L 3-8; (45-28)

It had to happen. The Cubs have joined the rest of the major league baseball teams by losing three in a row. This is also the first series they have been swept in.

As if that isn't bad news enough...Big Z will miss his next start. The Cubs opted for a more intense MRI, and pushed that back to next week.

I am glad the team heads home for a while. The only problem there is the White Sox will be chomping at the bit to prove THEY are the best team in Chicago.

Sean Gallagher got into trouble in the second inning, loading the bases with no one out. He managed to get out of the mess allowing only one run. That was all the scoring until the seventh inning. Gallagher ended up allowing only four hits and two walks in his six innings. He kept the Cubs in position to win.

In the seventh, it looked like they would. Hoffpauir and DeRosa started the inning by reaching base. Fontenot, Fukudome, and Theriot all drove in a run to put the Cubs up 3-1. Fukudome was on third and Theriot on second with only one out, Lee and Ramirez coming to the plate. Neither of them produced, and 3-1 was the way it would stand.

As we have seen all year, give the Cubs a lead in the seventh and it will be lights out. Marmol and Woody take over, no problem. Not today. Carlos Marmol faced four batters in the seventh. He walked the first two. Then it got bad. He hit the next two. All four ended up scoring. That gives Carlos an infinity for his ERA this game. No outs, four earned runs. The math doesn't work!

Again I'll thank the Kansas City Royals who defeated the Cardinals to day to preserve our lead in the Central Division. We left home on the 12th of June with a 3.5 game lead. Despite our 2-4 road trip, we return home tomorrow with a 3.5 game lead.

Hitting stars for the day: Derek Lee with three hits and Micah Hoffpauir with two hits. The offense wasn't up to the high standards it has set during this road trip. The Cubs have averaged almost 5.5 runs per game in 2008. This road trip they averaged 4. Let's get back to the friendly confines and get back to hitting.

The Cubs will have a six game home stand. Then they start their road trip on the South Side of Chicago, which almost makes it a nine game home stand. By the time they head to San Francisco on the last day of June we'll know more about both Zambrano and Soriano. Hopefully we'll have recharged the offense as well.