9/15/08 vs. Astros @ Milwaukee; W 6-1; (90-58)

Ninety Wins! For only the fourth time since I have been on the planet, the Chicago Cubs professional baseball team has posted 90 wins. And there are still 14 games to go! They maintain an eight game lead on Milwaukee heading into a three game set with the Brewers at Wrigley. That will be the Brewers first under interim manager Dale Sveum, since they fired Ned Yost today.

Imagine that conversation. Brewers GM: "Ned, the organization is going to have to make some changes. Go clean out your locker, but stay out of the way of the Cubs who are using our field to expand their lead on us." Poor timing to say the least.

The Cubs won their 90th game much like they won their 89th. Alfonso Soriano scored in the first inning to put the Cubs up 1-0. They added to that lead throughout the game, while their pitcher kept the Astros hitless. At the end of the sixth inning, the magical season was seeming just a bit more magical. Cubs pitchers had held the Astros without a hit for fifteen consecutive innings. The seventh was started with an error on Aramis Ramirez...and the crowd cheered. Unfortunately, a base hit followed that and the no no was gone. However, that was the only hit allowed all day. The entire two game series for that matter.

In their last three games, Harden allowed two runs, Zambrano none, and Lilly one. That's 27 innings with three earned runs. 1.00 is a pretty good ERA I think. Thank the pitchers for getting this team on the right track. And we all know, good pitching wins playoff series.

The Cubs did play long ball today. Edmonds had a solo shot and the big inning was the sixth. Lee and Soto each had two run bombs to put the game out of reach at 6-0. Chicago's offense hasn't been silent during these wins. They have exactly seven hits in each of the last three games. However, the pitching has stolen the show.

What a difference a week makes. Last Monday was a day off for Chicago. They had barely broken their six game losing streak with a win at Cincinnati, only to lose again the next day. Talk of the inevitable collapse was on us. Tuesday was another loss, this time to the Cardinals.

But then something happened. The Cubs won two one run games behind solid pitching from Lilly and Harden. Then Hurricane Ike gave Chicago two days off. During those two days, the Brewers dropped both games to Philadelphia. Chicago got back to playing ball with yesterday's no hitter, while Milwaukee dropped two more. Now Ned Yost is fired, the Cubs almost go back to back no hitters when they haven't had one since 1972, and the lead seems all but insurmountable.

The only question surrounding the Cubs now is who is the first round opponent. What seemed to be a foregone conclusion that the Brewers were the wild card team, is gone. If the Phillies catch and pass the Brewers, Chicago gets the Phillies instead of the NL West champs.

What's on deck for Chicago. A sweep of the Brewers...come on we are all thinking it....clinches the NL Central title at Wrigley Field against the team that beat us on opening day. Talk about a spiritual cleansing!

GO CUBS GO!