Braves-Cubs, Tuesday 6/10/08

Result: Cubs 10, Braves 5. Cubs lead the NL Central by 2.5 games over St. Louis with a record of 40-24. The Cards beat Cincy, but appear to have lost Albert Pujols for awhile.

What happened: Ted Lilly got off to a rocky start but recovered, pitching into the 7th for his sixth win. Greg Norton blasted a 3-run HR in the first. Omar Infante led off the second with a triple, but was stranded there and the Braves never seriously threatened Lilly again.

The game was out of reach when: Geovany Soto put one into the basket in left in the 8th, making it 10-5. Atlanta had threatened in the 7th and plated two in the 8th, but Soto's 11th HR -- a welcome sight after he struggled on the road trip -- seemed to ice the win.

Little things: Scott Eyre got one big out -- striking out Gregor Blanco to end the 8th in a one-run game -- but that ran his streak of scoreless appearances to 31. Lou no doubt knows his name by now ... The Cubs ran the bases well and stole three bases, with Kosuke Fukudome's swipe leading to an important insurance run in the 8th ... Reed Johnson continues to produce when he plays. He drove in a pair of runs, giving him a ridiculously high total of 27 RBIs for a guy who doesn't play everyday and usually hits 8th when he does, and he made a terrific running catch in front of the ivy early in the game.

Concerns: Bob Howry was unable to get through the 8th. Carlos Marmol came in for the final out of the 7th, using just 3 pitches. Wisely, Lou Piniella turned it over to Howry with a three-run lead. Unfortunately he couldn't hold it, giving up two runs on four hits. It would be GREAT if Howry could take some of the pressure off Marmol, and indirectly, Kerry Wood.

Up next: Cubs vs. Atlanta, 7:05 p.m. at Wrigley. The Cubs go for their 10th straight home win.

Now playing: My Morning Jacket -- "Evil Urges." Jim James and co. have not chosen the path of least resistance, mostly eschewing the reverb-y jams found on "At Dawn," "It Still Moves" and "Z." A couple of tracks even sound like Prince outtakes. That's not necessarily a bad thing, and overall I'm not saying there's not a lot of quality there. It's just going to take some time and a few more spins. http://www.myspace.com/mymorningjacket