Thank you again, Dusty Baker.  Thank you for insisting on using Corey Patterson and Paul Bako with regularity.  (My personal theory is that you keep them - and other ex-Cubs and Giants - on the team so that, before games, they can encircle you and wistfully reminisce about the good ol' days, when you used to win.)  Thank you for you stubborn belief that walks clog the bases, on account of how it's called hittin', not walkin'.  Thank you for your apparent lack of concern regarding things like scouting, splits, and match-ups.  Thank you, but I'm still beyond angry that the Cubs wasted three years of my life by insisting that you were somehow a competent manager.

Baseball has got to be the most philosophical of all the major sports.  You don't often hear about a football coach starting a player based on a "gut feeling."  But, in baseball above all others, there remains not just a fine line between managing with statistics and guts, but there still exists a flat-out resistance to trusting numbers over antiquated human intuition.  On this blog, we tend to walk the line.  We've got Colin, who uses numbers very wisely and well, and then we've got ... well, the rest of us, who spend half our time with our fingers in our ears and our eyes closed, shouting "not listening! not listening! not listening! la la la la!" and the other half of the time saying "ooooh, math!  la la la la!"

To be fair, as valuable as they really are, I insist on arguing that there is a point where pure numbers aren't enough.  For example if we relied on statistics alone, then without a moment's doubt, you want the guy with these numbers to be your closer: 33.1 IP, 33 Hits, 6 BB, 5 ER, 25 K, 1.18 WHIP, 1.35 ERA.  Only there exists a mental side to the game.  Maybe it's more obviously there in baseball, where a guy has 162 games to succeed or fail, as compared with football where he plays 16, or even basketball and hockey where they play 82 times.  Regardless, that guy with those numbers, let's just call him LaTroy Hawkins.2004, it turns out that he doesn't want to be a closer.  It turns out that the mental aspect of the game, the mind-blowing pressure of getting the last three outs with no room for error can be too much for a guy like LaTroy.  But I digress - the vast majority of the time, you want that guy with the 1.35 ERA as your top reliever.*

(*Only some people might argue that you want your top reliever setting up the closer.  Baseball can really make a body dizzy, eh?) 

In Dusty Baker's world, baseball is heavy on the gut and light on the brain.  Dusty's gut tells him that you put your center fielder at lead off, your second baseman in the #2 spot, and your best hitter in the #3 spot.  Okay, maybe your center fielder walks about as much as your crippled grandfather, but so long as he's speedy, he bats leadoff.  If it was good enough for that team Dusty once played for along with HANK AARON, then it's good enough for that team that Dusty Baker manages.  Consequently, in a world where every stat is increasingly weighed more heavily, and in a league in which every smart manager looks for all possible advantages, Dusty gets left behind in the ... well, in the dust.  In other, fewer words, Advantage Cubs.

Advantage Cubs, not that Rich Harden needed it.  When Harden is zeroed in like tonight, no team in baseball is going to get much going against him.  In this case, Harden went 7 innings, he gave up 2 hits, and he walked - shocker - 0 Reds while striking out 10 of them.  The Reds lack of patience, mixed with Harden's lack of control problems, allowed Rich to exit the game having thrown only 94 pitches.  The Cubs held only a fragile 1-run lead, but apparently teams that don't work pitching counts tend not to come back from deficits late in games.  Consequently, Carlos Marmol pitched another inning of no-hit ball (I believe he is now up to 11.1 straight) and Kerry Wood entered in a no-save situation to finish the Reds Mortal Combat style.  (In Lou's - and Wood's - defense, it was a save situation when Woody started warming up in the pen, but the Cubs offense came alive like Frampton in the bottom of the 8th).

Offensively, the Cubs nibbed at the Reds all night long.  Cueto didn't do badly keeping them stymied; he only gave up 4 hits and walked 2 in 7 innings - and 111 pitches - of work.   Yet, hardly an inning went by where Cueto wasn't in trouble.  The Cubs had 2 runners on in the 2nd, Mark DeRosa hit a leadoff double in the 3rd, Ryan Theriot hit a leadoff double in the 4th, Geovany Soto hit a leadoff triple in the 5th, and the only time the Cubs turned an opportunity into a run was when Harden bunted Soto home.  

Point of fact, Harden's bunt and Soto's score was awesome.  Geovany played some great heads up baseball tonight.  His triple happened because of a lot of hustle and smart base running, and he scored off the bunt because he very effectively shadowed Edwin Encarnacion at third, making a speedy charge for the plate after Harden's bunt was scooped and tossed to first.  More impressive still, Kosuke Fukudome, who'd walked earlier that inning, wound up on third base from first while Soto slid home.  Contrast that with Alfonso Soriano, who was picked off at first for the second time in a week.  The Cubs aren't as bad at base-running as they were in Dusty's day, and in fact they are clearly fundamentally sound enough to make things happen, but the Fonz needs to keep his head in the game.  Repeated pick-offs reak of loss of focus.

It looked as though it was meant to be a close game until the 8th, when the Cubs busted it open.  Derrek, Aramis, and Kosuke all drove in runs while railing on Lincoln and Bray.  All told, the Cubs scored 5 on 8 hits and 3 walks, and they are now 29 games over .500.  But, best of all, both Milwaukee and St. Louis lost tonight, putting the Cubs 6 and 8.5 games ahead.  Chicago is now tied with Tampa for the best record in all of baseball.  

I didn't really get to blog about yesterday's game, which means that you were saved from having to read my frustration about the 8 hits and 7 walks that the Cubs failed to capitalize upon.  Not that you would have gotten a lot of bile from me, as it would have been half-hearted at best.  It's really very hard to be angry at this Cubs team, short of them running over my pet cats - and even then, I'd be more annoyed than anything.

Today's game provided plenty of reasons to feel joy.  The Cubs, down 2-0 in the 7th, uncorked the bats* and in Anti-'03 Fashion, blew the lid off of Dolphins Stadium for 8 runs.  The coolest thing was that they did it without homeruns - Soriano doubled in 2, Ramirez doubled in 2 more, Fukudome - who seems to be bouncing back and forth between his white bat and a black one - sac flied a run in (plus he made a stellar defensive grab early in the game), and Reed Johnson capped off the inning with the third double of that frame, this time for 3 more RBI.   

(*perhaps a bad pun for a team that once employed Sammy Sosa) 

Reed is now batting .314 as a Cub.  Like Edmonds, Reed Johnson was a late acquisition by Jim Hendry, plucked from the scrap heap, who has turned into an invaluable member of the Cubs.  If on April 1st you told me I would later say "I don't want to think about where the Cubs would be without Reed Johnson and Jim Edmonds," I would have thought you were yanking my crank, which sounds particularly dirty.  Moving on.

Ryan Dempster pitched 6 strong today.  He left after 96 pitches, after having allowed 5 hits, 2 walks, and 2 earned runs.  Oh, and he struck out 10.  Clownsevelt is now 14-6.  Never in a million years would I have expected this kind of production from him.  We could make an argument that Dempster is the Cubs MVP this year, but the reality of it is that he'd be fighting with a crowd of players for that distinction.  From Dempster, to DeRosa, to Soto, to the Fonz, the Cubs have had a number of players step up and do big things.

Oh, by the way, without much fanfare, Carlos Marmol has now gone 10.1 innings in a row without surrendering a hit, and his scoreless streak is up to 15 straight.  Maybe he also should be included in the field of potential MVPs, and, retrospectively, he flat-out absolutely belonged at the All Star Game.  

Series Recap: 

I hate the Fish.  Perhaps more than any other team in baseball, I hate the Florida Marlins.  I don't even hate the White Sox or the Cardinals, but after the 2003 NLCS, there is a vile spot in my stomach that belongs to that ragtag bunch of losers who can't even afford to keep a solitary good player who's eligible for arbitration.  

Therefore, you can probably understand how satisfying it feels to see the Cubs travel down to the hole that is Dolphins Stadium and walk all over the Marlins.   Sure, 2 games were close, but the Cubs now leave the putrid state of Florida with 2 wins in 3 tries (pretending the Rays never happened), and I feel slightly less nervous about the prospects of the Marlins storming the weak NL East and sneaking into the playoffs.

The Cubs, by the way, are now 76-48.  28 games over .500.  They have a 31-31 record on the road.  And they are back in Chicago on Tuesday, hosting the lowly, bottom-feeding Reds.  They've already got 11 wins this month, with 13 remaining it does not seem out of the question that the Cubs might exit August with 20 wins in total.  Best yet, on July 17th, the Cubs were 57-39.  Since that time, they've gone 19-9.  They are piling on wins, and somewhere, a Brewers fan is weeping, while a Cardinals fan is at this point too numb to feel.

Current Record: 76-48
Position in the NL Central: 1st place, 5.5 games in front of Milwaukee and 7.5 ahead of St. Louis
Best Possible Record: 114-48
Worst Possible Record: 76-86
On Pace For: 99-63
Magic Number: 34, as powered by CubsMagicNumber.com

I'm away from home tonight, so there isn't a lot of time for any recap.

Instead, I will leave you with these thoughts:

1. Bob Howry tried his hardest to give up a homer in his inning of work, but the Marlins managed to non-chalantly turn their backs while whistling, allowing him to escape unscathed.

2. Henry Blanco was recently voted most likely to shiv you in a shower.

3. I can't say that I blame Fontenot for not throwing his tiny frame across the plate in an attempt to make contact with what should have been called a ball.  However, after the home plate umpire called it a strike the first time, then Fontenot should have been playing a more defensive game with his bat.  

4. Can't win 'em all.  Gotta take 'em one day at a time.   God willing, the Cubs will catch them the next time.  Let's wait and see what happens.  And other cliches.  Go Cubs.

About a month ago, the Cubs were a bad team on the road, the Brewers were surging, and Kerry Wood was nursing a blister from hell.

On this day, after beating the Florida Marlins, the Cubs are one of only a handful of teams with a non-losing road record, the Brewers are eating dust in the rear-view, and Kerry Wood is walking a line once trod by Rod Beck - albeit without the cocaine or hookers. Chicago has now won their last 5 games in a row, including a streak of 9 straight on the road dating back to July 23. Even more impressive, they've also amassed a winning streak of 1 game against Florida in Florida dating back to, like, 2005 or something. That's quite the impressive streak, and it truly examples how the most important win is the one that just happened, the most important game is the one that comes tomorrow, and the past, just like the future, should have no weight in the present. Or at least it aught to. If the Cubs can enter the playoffs with that kind of mentality, then dominance and victory shouldn't be too far off.

Anyway, the game looked pretty well over after Carlos Zambrano coughed up 4 runs in the 3rd, putting the Cubs behind the Fish 5-1. Chicago retaliated with 2 in the 4th off of a DeRosa 2-run homer, and that appeared to be the end of any offense for either team.

Carlos was not at his best, although he managed to buckle down and throw 6 innings on - guh - 119 pitches, 62 for strikes. He walked 5, struck out 6, and probably had a few miniature strokes while flipping out between innings. A solid 2-inning relief appearance by the underrated Chad Gaudin kept the game close, but nobody could have predicted that it would come down to the bat of one man who, having gone 4 for 40 as a pinch hitter this year, stepped up to the plate in the top of the 9th with 2 on and 1 out. Darryl Ward proceeded to hit a homerun, proving yet again that any goat can be a hero for a day. Cub bloggers everywhere, who have long been calling for Ward's release, are probably pleasantly silenced for one night. However, this blog will stick to its guns and insist that Ward leaves baseball for his natural second calling - using his massive posterior as a life-saving emergency floatation device for white water rafters who have toppled into the drink.

After Ward elevated the Cubs to their first lead since the 2nd inning, Kerry Wood stepped in for his first close save situation since his return from the DL. He made things interesting. He walked Haney Ramirez, he hit Cantu after wild-pitching Ramirez to second, and then he struck out Amezaga to end the game.

The Cubs are now 28 games over .500 and 5 games ahead of the Brewers, who play the Dodgers starting about 10 minutes from now. In all of baseball, only the Angels have a bigger lead over the 2nd place team. I'll leave you with that.

In tonight's game, Atlanta's hitters finally remembered how to do their jobs, but not until after the Cubs continued their torrid offensive onslaught.

The Cubs pummeled Tom Glavine, lighting him up for 7 earned runs in 4 innings of work. (Memo to Glavine: mmm, retirement.) Chicago hitters combined for 14 hits, 8 walks, and they scored 11 runs. Every regular contributed, with the biggest nights coming from the Fonz and Aramis, who hit homeruns and combined to drive in 5 runs. Other fun figures - Lee, Soto, DeRosa, and Reed Johnson all hit doubles. Soto was one of only two regulars to only get one hit - but, then again, he drew 3 walks. Aramis was 2 for 2 when he left the game due to a hip contusion that shouldn't keep him out of the lineup at all. Oh, and the Braves cried a lot.

On the pitching front, Lilly gave a mehdiocre performance. He allowed 4 earned in 6 innings, primarily off of 8 hits. But, hey, he also struck out 8 while walking only 2 and, best yet, he won his 12th game of the year. Did anybody in early May think that Ted Lilly would ever be 12-6 at any point this season?

Meanwhile, somewhere right now there's a guy on a bus keeping a seat warm for Howry. He allowed 4 more hits tonight, 3 of which turned into runs, thanks to a 3-run shot by Jeff Francoeur. Damn you, Howry! Ahem. More impressive is that Mark Kotsay, who went 5 for 5, hit for the cycle in a loss. As far as I know, the last time an opponent hit for the cycle in a loss was Willie Magee in 1984 in the game that will always be known as The Sandberg Game. You know what else happened in 1984?

Anyway, the Cubs have now won 8 straight on the road. This is the first time they've won 8 straight since 1945. Do you know what else happened in 1945?

One last thing. I forgot to mention that, yesterday, the Cubs won both double headers by 8 runs, something that hasn't happened since 1908. Do you know what else happened in 1908?

Series Recap: I have man-love for Carlos Marmol. Since July 20th, Marmol has gone 13 innings without allowing a run to score. In that time, he's given up 2 hits, 8 walks, and he's struck out 17.

He's also gone 8.1 innings in a row without surrendering a hit. In that time, he's walked 3, and he's struck out 12.

One month ago, his ERA was 4.13. Today, it's 2.89. In other words, it's dropped 1.24 runs in less than 30 days; in fact, it's taken 19.

For that reason and more, the Cubs have swept the Braves. They are now 4.5 games ahead of the Brewers and 7.5 games up on the Cardinals. They have won 4 straight and 7 of their last 8. In their last 17, they are 14-3. They have pulled within a win of a .500 record on the road. The Brewers have been one of the hottest teams in baseball, and yet they are 4.5 games out.

Team of destiny, anybody?

Current Record: 74-47
Position in the NL Central: 1st place, 4.5 games in front of Milwaukee and 7.5 ahead of St. Louis
Best Possible Record: 115-47
Worst Possible Record: 74-88
On Pace For: 99-63
Magic Number: 37, as powered by CubsMagicNumber.com

Rumor has it that it's a pretty hard feat to win both games of a double header. I imagine it is perhaps even tougher when your team plays poorly on the road. Then, take that difficulty factor and multiply it times Marquis. In other words, Double Header(Cubs+Road Series) x Marquis = Very Unlikely, but it still happened anyway. That's just the kind of season we're watching.

The Cubs have now won 7 games straight on the road. Even though St. Louis won earlier today, and even though the Brewers are winning as of this writing, both will lose ground today to a team that outscored their opponent 18-2.

In the first game, the Cubs knocked 14 hits while drawing 6 walks. They had multi-hit games from 6 of 8 starters; the 1-for-5 Derrek Lee and 0-for-4 Kosuke Fukudome the only two sad participants. Geovany Soto and Jim Edmonds both hit homers and doubles. Mark DeRosa went 2 for 3 with 2 walks, a double, and a steal.

It was pretty much More of the Same in game two. The Cubs achieved 10 more hits, they drew 6 more walks, and while nobody hit homeruns, all but 2 regulars got hits. One such regular who successfully put wood to leather was Fukudome, who went 2 for 5 with 2 RBI. All this in comparison to an Atlanta team that combined for 12 hits in both games, and only 3 in their second loss of the night.

Perhaps the biggest shock of the night comes from Jason Marquis, who arguably out-pitched Rich Harden. Marquis only threw 5.1 innings of work, but he only walked 2 while giving up 6 hits. In contrast, Harden walked 5 in his 5 innings of work while giving up 2 hits. It was not Rich's best night, even if Atlanta tried valiantly to make it look like it was.

The Cubs used 6 relievers over the span of the 2 games, and only Neal Cotts was used in both. He went 1.2 innings total, striking out 2 and allowing 1 hit, and the Cubs pen in total pitched 7.2 innings, allowing 4 hits, 1 walk, and 0 runs, while striking out 7.

This puts the Cubs at 73-47, or 26 games over .500. A very rudimentary search of previous seasons tells me that the last time a Cubs team was 26 over .500 was in 1984; the date in which they achieved that total was August 29th, when they were 79-53. They'd finish the year 96-65, 31 games over the .500 mark.

It's August 13th and the Cubs are on pace to do better. In fact, at their current pace, the Cubs are en route to their best record since ... 1945, when they won 98 games. But more importantly, they remain above the pack in the NL. I'm stating the obvious, but it would be fantastic if they entered the playoffs with home field advantage.

If you were a Cubs fan who has lived through 1974, 1980, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002, and 2006, then you have seen in this season a Cubs team that's won more games than any of those other Cub teams from those years in 47 fewer games played. Imagine that - the Cubs in the first week of August have already eclipsed Chicago teams that belong in our worst baseball nightmares. It shouldn't give us a feeling of accomplishment; we should be outraged that the Cubs have given us so many wasted seasons.

However, let's take comfort in this - it may not end in the achievment of the ultimate goal, but 2008 does not appear to be another one of those hopeless, wasted years. At the very least, this Cubs team should reach the playoffs, quite possibly with the best record in the National League, and there's a simple reason why. These guys play good baseball and they get big hits. Today was another example of that.

Apparently, Lou Piniella does not read this Cubs blog, to my surprise. If he did, then he might realize the futility that comes with throwing strikes to Carlos "Cliff" Lee. When a Cubs pitcher throws strikes to Carlos Lee, the ball tends to wind up a long ways away from the catcher's mitt, usually by at least 400-or-so feet. In the 3rd inning today, after having surrendered an RBI to Lance Berkman, wonderful* Cubs pitcher Jason Marquis decided that Carlos Lee at the plate with runners on was the equivalent of No Bubbles, No Troubles. He proceeded to deliver to the Astros a 3-run lead on a silver tray, as Lee predictably smacked a 3-run shot into the atmosphere.

(*You don't think Marquis fits the definition of "wonderful?" C'mon, every time he pitches, aren't you filled with wonder about why Jim Hendry saw fit to give him a multi-year contract?)

But, hey, it was okay. It's just that kind of year for the Cubs. They score 4, the Cubs score 4 more. In the bottom of the 3rd, with 2 outs and 2 strikes against him, Mark DeRosa hit a clutch grand slam that was really just the opening card to the main event that is the continued dominance of Alfonso Soriano. (Phew, that sentence was a keyboard-full.) Soriano, who saw his second at bat of the inning thanks to a Fukudome double, a Soto walk, and, more impressive, a double by Marquis, hit another homerun, his 5th since returning from a broken hand*, putting the Cubs in the lead for good. I could almost hear the fight leave the Astros, which was a pretty impressive feat since I was working at the time and I could only follow the game through a sports ticker.

(*Rumor has it that broken hands often cause players to lose power. Maybe that's the case with Soriano, which makes me think that a fully healthy Fonz would be putting up Nintendo Numbers right now. As it is, he's already resembling Roy Hobbs. Luckily for him, Kim Basinger has hit the wall, so he won't have that temptation waiting to toss him back into a month-long slump.)

Au Naturale

The Cubs added on to their absurd score in the 4th, giving them 11 runs on the game. All told, the immense Chicago Juggernoffense (I'm coining that phrase, which I'm sure will not be contested since it's pretty lame) had 11 hits, drew 6 walks, and forced an average of 35 tears to trickle down the faces of most Astro fans out there. Jason Marquis went 6.1 innings, looked as mediocore as usual, but still was able to walk away with his 7th win of the season. All told, not a bad day ... or a bad series.

Series Recap:

If the Cubs are able to win 2 out of every 3 games they play this month, then they'll be in a pretty good position come September. As it is, they probably could have swept Houston, but the weather did not cooperate and apparently our Cubs preferred to lose in an offensive sputter rather than win while risking a lightning strike. It's okay, if your friends ask about the near-tornado, just tell them that it was the first seal of the apocalypse cracking open. Forgive me if I'm recycling a joke I've made about six times in the last two days.

The Cubs will now enjoy an off-day before hosting a 3-game set against St. Louis. The Cardinals are perilously on the brink of becoming a non-factor this season. If they lose tonight and tomorrow, then they will be 7 games out of 1st place, and a Cubs sweep will put them in Pittsburgh territory on the year. I'm not saying it'll happen, or even that it's likely to happen, but a Cub fan can wish, right? And, hey, it really might happen. It's just that kind of year.

Current Record: 69-46
Position in the NL Central: 1st place, 5 games in front of Milwaukee and 6 ahead of St. Louis
Best Possible Record: 116-46
Worst Possible Record: 69-93
On Pace For: 97-65
Magic Number: 43, as powered by CubsMagicNumber.com

Bob Howry has got to go. Not that it's entirely his fault - Rich Harden was cruising like a missile until the wheels came off after the 5th inning. Hey, it was bound to happen. But the problem remains in Bob Howry, whose presence on this team does not justify the promise of a sandwich draft pick next year. Screw the draft pick, either send him home with Mystery Fatigue or send him home with You Suck Too Much to Play Disease.

Thankfully, the Cubs offense was there to make it all moot. The team combined for 14 hits, 5 walks, and they scored 11 runs thanks in part to huge days by Alfonso Soriano (3 for 5, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI), Derrek Lee (4 for 5, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 Runs) and Mark DeRosa (3 for 5, 2 2B, 3 RBI).

Back to Harden for a minute - so, he got chased 2 outs into the 6th. His only issue remains his recurring problem with surrendering the homerun, but I would like to point out some very happy statistics for you: tonight included, Harden has pitched 30 innings, of which he's struck out 47 while walking 12. In his last two outings, he's walked 1. No complaints there.

Speaking of complaints, Bob Howry continued the cycle of abuse - he pitched to Carlos Lee. Carlos Lee scores more often against Chicago than A-Rod does at the Penthouse Club. I swear to the lord, I don't care the scenario, in any close game from here on out, Carlos Lee Must Walk. It should be written into Piniella's book, it should be drilled into the brains of all hapless Cub pitchers everywhere, and, for God's sake, it should be tattooed on Bob Howry's pupils so he can't help but see it at all times.

The Cubs and Astros play the rubber game tomorrow. If it was anything like today, it will be a great game.

The Cubs lost to the Astros tonight, as between tornadoes they were unable to rev up their offense.  Of course, we will never know for sure what would've happened in a fair weather evening, nor will we know what would've happened in the 9th, but if the previous 8 innings are any indication, the Cubs would have quickly and weakly ended the game as they apparently were not in favor of playing through the first seal of the Apocalypse.

Dempster pitched well in his 5 innings, but not enough to avoid the loss as he made the rookie mistake of pitching to Carlos Lee.  He also walked a runner home in the 4th.  This isn't shocking as Ryan has always been a lack-of-control pitcher, but it's ironic because it was the only free pass he issued in his 5 innings of work.  Offensively, the Cubs left 6 men stranded throughout the night.

And, really, that's all I've got about the game.  Chicagoans, remember, double check that all your stuff is still there.  Cub fans all around the world, the most interesting story may be the collapse of the Brewers, who are tussling with each other and appear to be cracking at the seams.  But I wouldn't get too excited - a year ago, the Cubs team was suffering from infighting as well.  We all know the result of that.

I'll be honest - I missed everything since Friday.  I went on a mini-vacation this weekend, and consequently did not know that the Cubs had won the last 2 games of the series until a few hours ago.   Let's not get too thrilled by it - the Cubs should always, always beat teams as rotten as Pittsburgh.  In fact, I remain disappointed that they failed to sweep.  However, before you think I protest too much, I don't think a Cub fan out there can be upset with the 5 and 6 game leads held over the second and third place teams in the Central right now.

Offensively, in their 2 wins, the cubs combined for 21 hits, 7 walks, and 13 runs scored.  Reed Johnson had a huge Saturday, going 3 for 4 with a double, but he made his biggest impact on Sunday when he hit a 2-run, pinch hit homerun in the 8th.  He was followed that game by Alfonso Soriano, who hit his 19th of the season.

Ted Lilly acheived his 11th win of the season, but Carlos missed out on his 13th as he opted to exit early, his eyes set on the playoffs and staying fresh.  His game was almost spoiled by Chad Gaudin, who was booed mercilessly for his efforts, but who won for the 3rd time since coming to Chicago thanks to Johnson and Soriano's back-to-back homeruns.

Carlos Marmol was wasted on Saturday, pitching a flawless and pointless 9th inning, and he gave Cub fans reasons to be wasted on Sunday, pitching another strong 9th for his 6th save of the season.  He's definitely back on track since the All Star Break, but sweet fancy Jesus, Lou, use him wisely!

And the Cubs now enter Houston, which should be a fine tune-up for the St. Louis series.

Hey, I'm not crazy enough to suggest that this is a definite scenario, but as the Cubs battle a fairly light-weight team, the Cardinals will be squaring off against playoff-bound juggernaut Los Angeles, which I write only somewhat sarcastically*.  If - big if here - the Cubs play well against Houston, and if the Cardinals struggle against the Dodgers, then Chicago will find themselves in the rare and happy position of landing St. Louis an early-August killing blow.  The stars will have to work valiantly to align themselves, but could St. Louis be 10 games out a week from tomorrow?

Nah.  But it surely would be cool. 

(*Damn them for acquiring Manny!   Dammmmnnn theeeeemmmmmmm!!!) 

Current Record: 67-45
Position in the NL Central: 1st place, 5 games in front of Milwaukee and 6 ahead of St. Louis
Best Possible Record: 117-45
Worst Possible Record: 67-95
On Pace For: 97-65
Magic Number: 46