Braves-Cubs, Wednesday 6/11/08

Result: Cubs 7, Braves 2. Cubs lead the NL Central by 2.5 games over St. Louis with a record of 42-24.

What happened: Ryan Dempster pitched the team's first complete game in nearly a year, and the offense scored all seven runs in the first three innings. But the big news was Alfonso Soriano going down with a fractured finger on a hit by bitch from Jeff Bennett. Soriano will miss at least six weeks.

The game was out of reach when: Jim Edmonds singled home a pair in the third, making it 7-0. Dempster kept the Braves scoreless until the 8th, striking out 11 and walking zero. Considering he also gave a taxed bullpen the night off, it's a shame Dempster's efforts are overshadowed by the Soriano injury.

Concerns: The response to Soriano's injury is a major concern, from the perspective of the team, media and fans. This shouldn't be a death blow, but more on that below.

Up next: Cubs vs. Atlanta, 1:20 p.m. at Wrigley. The Cubs go for their 11th straight home win. Could we see more beanball today?

Now playing: Radiohead "Karma Police" -- inspired by the notion that Cubs fans' collective glee over the Cards' loss of Albert Pujols resulted in some kind of otherworldly correction. Probably just a coincidence. This opioid cut from Radiohead's pre-tedious days still gets play around El Hijo's casa.