You knew it wasn't going to be that easy.

And that's OK. Nothing worth much ever is. Sometime later today, we should hear the results of an MRI on Carlos Zambrano's right shoulder. He left Tuesday's start against Houston after five innings complaining of pain in his arm. That came after he was skipped in the rotation on Sunday. Manager Lou Piniella also revealed on Wednesday that Rich Harden has some pain in his right arm. Harden's next start has been pushed back to Wednesday against St. Louis.

At the same time, the Cubs have hit a season-worst 5-game losing streak. Houston completed an improbable sweep on Wednesday night, as the mediocre Randy Wolf fired a complete-game shutout. On Tuesday, the Cubs rallied from a 7-3 deficit to tie the score, thanks in part to four home runs, but failed to pull ahead late despite numerous golden opportunities. Geoff Blum's homer off Kerry Wood in extra innings was the game-winner. On Monday, Roy Oswalt pitched into the ninth as the Cubs were shut out again.

Fortunately, the New York Mets helped out immensely, sweeping the Brewers in Milwaukee. So here's where we stand: with just 22 games remaining (23 for Milwaukee) the Cubs still have a 4.5-game lead in the NL Central. They are 30 games over .500. And, barring an absolute freefall (knock wood) will definitely make the playoffs, even if Milwaukee steals the division. Can they win without Zambrano? I think they can. Without Z and Harden? That will be very difficult. The rotation would then be Dempster-Lilly-Marquis and maybe Marshall. I don't think that is good enough to beat Milwaukee or maybe even Arizona.

Up next: the Cubs go to Cincinnati to face a Reds team that has given them fits. I can't express how huge Friday's game is. It would snap the losing streak and probably ease some of the tension surrounding the team. In fact, it may be good for the team to hit the road and avoid all the hype around Wrigley Field. The Cubs will miss Edinson Volquez, which is a plus. They are going to have to have their hitting shoes on. Meanwhile, Milwaukee will be hosting the lowly Padres for three games. San Diego's best chance to win a game this weekend will likely come Saturday when Jake Peavy takes the mound.

Phils bounce back to earn split; Cubs' lead at 4.5

Results: The Phillies beat the Cubs 5-2 on Saturday and 5-3 on Sunday. The Cubs lead over the Brewers is now 4.5 games. Milwaukee swept the pathetic Pirates over the weekend.

What happened: Jayson Werth torched Cubs pitching all weekend. The Cubs left scads of runners on base both Saturday and Sunday. They hit practically nothing but singles all weekend. Carlos Zambrano missed his start Sunday with a "tired arm," but is supposed to pitch on Tuesday. Bleh.

Up next: Astros-Cubs today at 3 from Wrigley. Roy Oswalt vs. Jason Marquis. Milwaukee hosts the Mets.

Late Soriano HR pushes win streak to 7

Result: Cubs 3, Phillies 2. The Cubs are now 85-50 and lead the Brewers by 6.5 games in the NL Central. Milwaukee beat Pittsburgh on Friday, 3-1.

What happened: The Cubs managed just four hits, but drew seven walks, including four in the sixth inning as they tied the score on Kosuke Fukudome's bases-loaded base on balls. Soriano then put the Cubs ahead with his 23rd homer in the bottom of the seventh. Jeff Samardzija and Carlos Marmol made the slim lead hold up. Samardzija earned his first MLB win, and Carlos Marmol recorded five outs for seventh save, striking out three. Rich Harden allowed just one earned run in five innings, but ran up his pitch count and was out of the game early. The Cubs appeared to get a big break in the top of the seventh, when Ryan Howard was called out on a close play at first. Replays showed that he beat the throw, and the go-ahead run would have scored.

Up next: Phillies-Cubs at 2:55 today on FOX. The Phils send the resurgent Brett Myers to the mound against Ted Lilly, who is seeking his 14th win.

Ramirez's slam beats Phillies

Result: Cubs 6, Phillies 4. The Cubs lead the NL Central by 6.5 games over Milwaukee and now have the best record in baseball at 84-50. The Brewers were idle on Thursday and play at Pittsburgh this weekend.

What happened: The Cubs were shut down through seven innings by ace lefty Cole Hamels, managing only one run on an RBI triple by Mark DeRosa in the fifth. Philly took a seemingly comfortable lead with three runs in the sixth, but the Cubs got to the Phils' bullpen. Pinch-hitter Mike Fontenot greeted Ryan Madson with his ninth homer of the season, making it 4-2. After back-t0-back singles by Alfonso Soriano and Ryan Theriot, Chad Durbin was brought in and he walked Derrek Lee. Aramis Ramirez then launched a Durbin fastball deep into the centerfield bleachers, sending Wrigley into bedlam. That made a winner out of Bob Howry, who came on to relieve Ryan Dempster, who was not as sharp as usual. Kerry Wood pitched the ninth for his 28th save.

Up next: Phillies-Cubs today at 1:20. Joe Blanton vs. Rich Harden in a matchup former Oakland A's rotation-mates. Thursday's win was a big one for the Cubs. It was a great way to start a long weekend series against a potential playoff opponent and to pick up another half game on the Brewers. Every winning season contains some signature wins, often comebacks, and this will surely go down as one for the '08 Cubs.

Lead up to 6, but schedule gets tougher

Results: the Cubs completed a three-game sweep of hapless Pittsburgh, clubbing their way to a 14-9 win on Tuesday, and shutting out the Bucs 2-0 on Wednesday afternoon. The Cardinals rallied by Milwaukee 5-3 on Wednesday, increasing the Cubs' lead over the Brewers to six games.

What happened: Tuesday -- Carlos Zambrano struggled but Geovany Soto helped bail him out with a homer and seven RBIs. The Cubs fell into an early 3-0 hole, but battled back with four runs in the fourth. The game see-sawed back and forth several times before the Cubs blew it open with a seven-run eighth, capped by Soto's second three-run double of the game. Alfonso Soriano added three hits, while Derrek Lee drove in two and scored twice. Sean Marshall got the win with a scoreless relief inning. Zambrano continues to struggle in August, though he claims to be fine, physically. On Tuesday, he allowedsix earned runs on eight hits and four walks in 4.1 innings. Wednesday -- Jason Marquis shut out the Pirates over seven innings, and the Cubs played small ball to scratch out a pair of runs. Reed Johnson started the Cubs' rally in the seventh with a leadoff bunt single. Mark DeRosa followed with a double to left, and Ronny Cedeno brought home Johnson with a soft grounder. Backup catcher Henry Blanco made it 2-0, getting down a suicide squeeze bunt. Marquis had his best start of the season, allowing five hits and walking NONE in seven scoreless innings. Carlos Marmol and Kerry Wood closed it out with scoreless frames.

Up next: Phillies at Cubs tonight at 7. The Phils are neck and neck with the Mets in the NL East and will provide a stern test for the Cubs over four games this weekend. Tonight, the Phillies send Cole Hamels to the mound against Ryan Dempster. The Cubs play 26 of their final 29 games against teams with winning records.

Cubs hit 31 games over .500; lead back to 5

Result: Cubs 12, Pirates 3. The Cubs lead the NL Central by 5 games over Milwaukee, which was idle on Monday. The Cubs have the best record in the majors at 81-50, and are 31 games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 1984 season.

What happened: The Cubs roughed up Pittsburgh starter Jeff Karstens, the same pitcher who shut them out over six innings on August 1. Aramis Ramirez lined a three-run homer as the Cubs built a 5-0 lead after three. They blew it open with a five-run fifth inning. Kosuke Fukudome and Jim Edmonds each broke out of prolonged slumps. Fukudome went 3 for 4 with four RBIs. Edmonds clubbed two doubles and a triple. Derrek Lee, returning from a day off due to back spasms, came through with three hits as well. Lilly hurled seven solid innings, benefiting once again from generous run support. He struck out seven and gave up three runs over seven innings.

Up next: Cubs-Pirates again tonight at 6:05. Carlos Zambrano goes for the Cubs. Ian Snell for the Bucs. The Brewers and Cardinals start a two-game series tonight in St. Louis.

Cubs recover to take 8th straight series; have best record in MLB

Results: The Cubs defeated Washington 9-2 on Saturday and 6-1 on Sunday. They claimed their eighth consecutive series win and now lead the NL Central by 4.5 games over Milwaukee with an MLB-best record of 80-50. Milwaukee swept Pittsburgh to pick up one game over the weekend.

What happened: Saturday -- Aramis Ramirez smacked a pair of three-run homers to help Ryan Dempster win his 15th game of the season. Ramirez' s first bomb came in the fourth, and was more than enough for Dempster. He added some insurance with a three-run blast in the eighth. Dempster pitched into the eighth inning, allowing just one earned run. Sunday -- Rich Harden showed once again he is every bit the ace acquisition that C.C. Sabathia is, allowing just two hits while striking out 11 in seven innings. The only real mistake by Harden came on Austin Kearns's solo home run in the third. Mark DeRosa and Geovany Soto homered early to stake Harden to a lead, and Kosuke Fukudome added a pinch two-run homer in the eighth to put the game on ice.

Concerns: Derrek Lee left Saturday's game early and sat out Sunday with back spasms, a reoccurring injury the past couple of seasons. ... Despite winning two of three in the series, the Cubs lost ground to Milwaukee, which has abused the weaker teams in the NL, such as the Nats. Unfortunately, the Brewers' schedule the rest of the way is much more favorable than the Cubs'. The Brewers and Cards are off tonight before starting a two-game series on Tuesday in St. Louis.

Up next: Cubs-Pirates tonight at 6:05 from the best ballpark in MLB. Ted Lilly starts for the Cubs against Jeff Karstens, who shut down the Cubs earlier this month at Wrigley Field.