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.

Stoked

For seeing My Morning Jacket on Saturday night in Dallas.



Check back for a full report with (hopefully) pics on Sunday or Monday.

Feel the reverb!

Inexcusable loss

Result: Nationals 13, Cubs 5. The Cubs lead the NL Central by 4.5 games over the Brewers and 7 over St. Louis. Those two teams easily dispatched the patsies they were playing at home.

What happened: Complete breakdown by the pitching staff, specifically Jason Marquis, Neal Cotts and Chad Gaudin. Together, not only could they not hold a 4-0 lead, but they were pummeled and embarrassed by the worst team in baseball. With that four-run lead entering the top of the sixth, Marquis was cruising. But, he quickly loaded the bases on an infield hit and, you guessed it, two walks. After a sacrifice fly, Neal Cotts came on and quickly surrendered the lead on a grand slam by Willie Harris. The Nationals, a ragtag collection of has-beens and never-will-bes (with perhaps the exception of Ryan Zimmerman) pounded the ivy and sent three home run balls into the seats or onto Waveland. This is a team that before Thursday had lost 12 straight games. This does not let the offense off the hook, either. For four straight home games now it has under-performed. On a day when the wind is gusting out, five runs will not cut it. On the bright side, Derrek Lee finally hit another home run. The Cubs had better win Saturday and Sunday, or else this is a wasted homestand. Just wretched.

Up next: Nats-Cubs at noon today at Wrigley. Odalis Perez vs. Ryan Dempster.

Cubs take 7th straight series win

Results: The Cubs split the final two games with the Reds, seeing their bats go near-silent. The Reds won 2-1 on Wednesday, while the Cubs recovered to take the finale 3-2 on Thursday. The Cubs' lead over Milwaukee in the NL Central is now 5.5 games. St. Louis is 8 back.

What happened: Wednesday -- the Cubs wasted an outstanding pitching performance by Ted Lilly. They couldn't solve the typically hittable Bronson Arroyo, managing just three hits. Lilly allowed only two hits in seven innings, but they both led to runs. Alfonso Soriano appeared to loaf on a pop-fly double to left by Edward Encarnacion, which led to the eventual winning run. You have to take the bad with the good with Soriano. The Cubs grounded into inning-ending double plays with runners in scoring position in both the fourth and fifth innings. Thursday -- Carlos Zambrano returned to form on the mound, and stayed true to form at the plate. Big Z (13-5) gave up just one run on six hits in seven innings of work, and his fourth home run of the year proved to be the winning margin. The Cubs managed just six hits and failed to tally after scoring once in each of the first three innings. Kerry Wood struck out two in a perfect ninth inning for his 26th save.

Concerns: The offense seems to have suddenly gone into a slump particulary Derrek Lee, whose power outage should be bothersome. Lee has only four home runs since the end of May, and his hit few extra-base hits in recent weeks. Would Lou Piniella dare shake up the lineup if he continues to hit for little power?

Up next: Nationals-Cubs today at 1:20 at Wrigley Field. John Lannan starts against Jason Marquis. I'm going to be honest here: the Nats are terrible, and anything less than a Cubs sweep will be a disappointment.

Harden near perfect as Cubs blank Reds

Result: Cubs 5, Reds 0. The Cubs are now tied with the Rays for the best record in baseball at 77-48. They lead the Brewers by 6 games and Cardinals by 8.5 in the NL Central. Milwaukee lost at home to Houston and St. Louis did the same to Pittsburgh.

What happened: Rich Harden fired seven innings of two-hit ball, striking out 10 and walking none. Johnny Cueto provided the Reds' end of what was a pitchers' duel. He allowed just one run in seven innings, and that came thanks to the hustle of Geovany Soto. The Cubs' catcher led off the fifth with a triple, and with one out scored when Harden laid a bunt down the third base line. Soto followed third baseman Edward Encarnacion down the line, and when Encarnacion threw to first for the out, Soto dashed home, beating the throw. Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez added RBIs in the 8th, and Kosuke Fukudome put it out of reach with a two-run single. Carlos Marmol and Kerry Wood contributed scoreless innings in relief, as the Reds sent just 30 men to the plate in the contest.

Up next: Reds-Cubs at 7 tonight at Wrigley. Bronson Arroyo starts for the Reds, while Ted Lilly gets the nod for Chicago.

Cubs finish road trip 5-1, lead Central by 5

Results: The Cubs split the last two games with the Marlins, losing 2-1 on Saturday and winning 9-2 on Sunday. They lead the Brewers by 5 games and St. Louis by 7.5 in the NL Central. The Cubs have the best record in the National League at 76-48.

What happened: Saturday -- Lou Piniella stacked the deck with left-handed hitters against righty Anibal Sanchez, but if failed to pay off as the Cubs were shut down offensively. The Cubs left all kinds of runners on base, and closer Kevin Gregg got Mike Fontenot looking to end the game. Two of the three strikes on Fontenot appeared to be outside, and hadn't been called strikes all game. The Cubs' only run came on a homer by Henry Blanco. They wasted a pretty solid spot start from Sean Marshall, who struck out eight in five innings. Sunday -- The offense erupted for eight runs in the seventh inning to give Ryan Dempster his 14th win of the season. The Cubs appeared destined to a second straight frustrating offensive day, as they were shut out through six innings by Chris Volstad, despite getting runners on base frequently. But they came through with three bases-loaded doubles in the seventh -- from Reed Johnson, Alfonso Soriano and Aramis Ramirez. Dempster allowed two or fewer runs for the 16th time in 28 starts. He struck out 10 free-swinging Marlins.

Spotted: Seated ringside for World Wrestling Entertainment's "Monday Night Raw" program were Dempster, Fontenot and Bob Howry. With the event in town, they took advantage of the night off. WWE champion CM Punk, who is apparently a big Cubs fan, wore ring attire with a modified Cubs "C" logo on it.

Up next: Reds-Cubs tonight at 7 from Wrigley Field. Johnny Cueto for the Reds and Rich Harden for the Cubs.

Ward's pinch-HR stuns Marlins as streak continues

Result: Cubs 6, Marlins 5. The Cubs won their ninth straight road game and fifth consecutive overall to improve to a league-best 75-47. They have now won 15 of 18 games. With Milwaukee's loss to the Dodgers late Friday, the Cubs lead in the Central is now 5.5 games. St. Louis is 7.5 back.

What happened: Daryle Ward, oft-maligned for his failure to produce off the bench virtually all season, launched a mammoth three-run blast off Kevin Gregg in the ninth inning, stunning the dozens of Marlins fans at Dolphin Stadium. Entering the ninth down 5-3, the Cubs got two men on base with a Mark DeRosa walk and single by Reed Johnson. Ward then followed with a majestic blast to right field on an 0-1 pitch off the Marlins' closer. Kerry Wood let two men reach base in the home half of the ninth, but struck out Alfredo Amezaga to end the game. Florida pulled ahead 5-1 early thanks to poor control from Carlos Zambrano and a three-run homer by Jorge Cantu, who seems on his way to becoming a Cub killer. DeRosa got the Cubs back into the contest with a two-run homer in the fourth. DeRosa reached base all four plate appearances, with three walks to go with the home run. Chad Gaudin earned his fourth win as a Cub, with two perfect innings of relief.

Concerns: Zambrano's wildness. This start wasn't as bad as his two previous, but walks really hurt. Of his five runs allowed, four reached base via walks. Still, he was able to get through six innings and keep the Cubs close. He again ran up a pitch count well north of 100. ... Aramis Ramirez sat out Friday with his bruised hip. The injury is not supposed to be too serious, but you never know. Hopefully, we'll see him at least available to pinch-hit tonight.

Up next: Cubs-Marlins at 6 p.m. today in Miami. Sean Marshall earns a start after his stellar work out of the bullpen. Anibal Sanchez starts for Florida.

Cubs finish off Braves, increase lead

Result: Cubs 11, Braves 7. The Cubs improved to 74-47, 4.5 games ahead of the Brewers, who finally lost a game -- to Jake Peavy and the Padres. St. Louis is 7.5 back.

What happened: The Cubs roughed up Tom Glavine, much to the delight of El Hijo, and overcame a near-miss bench-clearing brawl and Mark Kotsay hitting for the cycle. Repeating a recent pattern, the Cubs jumped ahead early, scoring two in the first. They went ahead 5-1 on Aramis Ramirez's three-run homer off Glavine in the third. Soriano added a two-run homer later. Ramirez left the game after scoring a run in the fifth. Kotsay lost a Geovany Soto fly ball in the high Atlanta sky, and Ramirez raced home from second. The relay throw was up the third-base line, causing Aramis to slide and land awkwardly. He laid on the dirt around home plate for a couple of long minutes before being helped up and walking off the field on his own. We'll see. Lilly didn't have his best stuff but once again benefited from unreal run support to pick up his 12th win. He drilled Yunel Escobar in the 6th and both benches emptied, but no punches were thrown, nor was anyone ejected. Good to see Lilly protecting his teammate (Soriano, whose head was thrown at Wednesday), no matter what he tells the media.

Concerns: Obviously, Ramirez's health is a potential season-changing event. The Cubs probably can't win the pennant without him. Now the word is that it may just be a hip-pointer type injury, and not the feared "oblique strain." ... Bob Howry's struggles continued, giving up a three-run bomb to Jeff Franceour, thereby letting Atlanta get back in the game. Fortunately, with Kerry Wood healthy for now, the Cubs are flush with quality relievers. Carlos Marmol came in to put out the fire, getting four outs on 11 pitches. Wood pitched a scoreless ninth.

Up next: Cubs at Florida, tonight at 6. Carlos Zambrano has been awful in August. Can he bounce back tonight? Josh Johnson goes for the Marlins, who have PWNT the Cubs in recent years, especially in Miami.

Cubs sweep doubleheader, hit high-water mark

Results: Cubs swept a day/night doubleheader in Atlanta, taking the first game 10-2 and the second 8-0. Chicago leads the NL Central with a league-best record of 73-47. They are 3.5 games ahead of the streaking Brewers and 7.5 clear of St. Louis.



What happened: The bullpen was stellar in both games, combining to go 7 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, allowing only four hits.

Game 1: The Cubs scored a pair of runs in each of the second and third innings, then blew the game open with a three-run fifth. Geovany Soto went 3 for 3 with 4 RBIs, and Jim Edmonds added to his Cubs legend by clubbing his 16th homer, while also scoring and driving in three. Jason Marquis pitched into the sixth for the win, and Jeff Samardzija added two scoreless innings of relief. Alfonso Soriano admired his blast to left, trouble was it failed to leave the park and he got only a single out of it. He was chided by Lou Piniella and ultimately apologized to teammates. That wasn't good enough for Atlanta, whose Francisley Bueno threw a pitch behind Fonzie's head.

Game 2: A four-run first was all that was needed for Rich Harden and the Cubs' relievers. Aramis Ramirez drove in the Cubs' first run, and Derrek Lee scored to make it 2-0 with a nifty slide around the catcher's tag at home. Kosuke Fukudome blooped a two-run single down the left field line. Fukudome had two hits in the game and a couple other solid at-bats. Maybe he is showing signs of breaking out of this extended slump. If not, we will see more Reed Johnson and Mark DeRosa in the outfield. The Cubs never hit the ball particularly hard in the nightcap, just in the right places. Harden gave up just two hits, but got in trouble and saw his pitch count soar because of five walks. As a result, he was lifted after five shutout innings. Chad Gaudin, Neal Cotts, Kerry Wood and Sean Marshall combined to finish it off.

Up next: Cubs at Braves, tonight at 6:05. The Cubs go for the series sweep with Ted Lilly on the mound against a returning-from-injury Tom Glavine. The Cubs will go for their eighth straight win on the road.

Cubs take series from Cards, still lose ground to Brewers

The Cubs managed to take two of three games from the Cardinals in an electrified Wrigley Field over the weekend. However, with the Brewers sweeping four games from the Washington Generals, err, Nationals, the Crew actually sliced 1.5 games off the Cubs lead in the NL Central. The Brewers are now 3.5 back, while the Cards are 6.5 out after beating Florida on Monday. The Cubs, with an NL-best record of 71-47, enjoyed a day off.

Notes from the weekend: Jim Edmonds stuck it to his old club, pounding two homers in Friday's 3-2 win. It took 11 innings and a Henry Blanco RBI single to put away the Cards. ... On Saturday, Carlos Zambrano endured his worst outing of the season, as the Cards hammered four home runs, including a pair by Troy Glaus, on the way to a 12-3 win. Sunday night before the ESPN cameras, Ryan Dempster earned his team-best 13th win, pitching into the 7th inning. The Cubs broke the game open with 5 runs in the sixth thanks in part to some uncharacteristically poor Cards' defense. That came in part off Chris Carpenter, who left the game with yet more arm trouble.

Up next: Cubs at Atlanta tonight at 6:05. Atlanta had been struggling mightily before taking 2 of 3 at Arizona last weekend. Rich Harden takes the mound for the Cubs, opposing Atlanta's Charlie Morton.

Cubs take 2 of 3 from Astros; Cards in Chicago for big series

Wednesday's result: Cubs 11, Astros 4. The Cubs came back from an early deficit, scoring the final 10 runs of the game, keyed by an eight-run third inning. After the Cards lost to L.A. on Thursday, the Cubs lead the Brewers by five games and Cards by six.

What happened: Mark DeRosa clubbed a grand slam and Alfonso Soriano smacked a three-run homer as the Cubs battered Brandon Backe in the eight-run frame. After a shaky early going, Jason Marquis settled down and pitched into the seventh inning, saving the bullpen a bit.

Up next: Cardinals-Cubs today at 1:20 from Wrigley. The Cards are six games back, and the Cubs could shovel some dirt on them with a sweep. Conversely, the Cards can really cinch up the NL Central standings if they could reel off three straight at Wrigley. That would sound unlikely, considering the Cubs' remarkable 43-16 home record.

The pitching matchups for this weekend: today -- Braden Looper vs. Ted Lilly. Saturday -- Todd Wellemeyer vs. Carlos Zambrano. Sunday --Chris Carpenter vs. Ryan Dempster.

El Hijo returns: Cubs 5 games up in Central.

After about a week off to hide out from the brimstone heat, El Hijo is back with a Cubs update...

Standings: The Cubs are now an NL-best 68-46, five games clear of the Brewers and 5.5 ahead of St. Louis, who comes to Chicago this weekend.

Last weekend: the Cubs showed signs of fatigue on Friday. Coming home from the triumphant four-game sweep at Milwaukee, they looked lifeless and were shut out by the Pirates. That sparked increased talks about playing Friday and Saturday night games. El Hijo has long approved of increased night games, and this would be great. Imagine a September pennant race game at Wrigley on a Friday night. Talk about atmosphere. On Saturday, Ted Lilly overcame early wildness and pitched into the seventh. The offense manufactured more than enough runs, and the Cubs even stole three bases. Sunday's game was a wild one. Piniella removed Carlos Zambrano after five innings to give him so well-deserved rest, but the bullpen could not hold a 5-2 lead. Reed Johnson bailed them out with a pinch two-run homer.

Monday: Heinous thunderstorms swept through Chicago, leading to a near three-hour rain delay. The Cubs were once again silenced by journeyman Brian Moehler, who shut them down earlier this summer in Houston. Baffling. It was 2-0 after five innings, and then the rains came. After the delay, they played a couple more innings, but the game was called in the eighth. You had to like the Cubs' chances of scoring two or more in the final two innings. So, they kinda got hosed there. Maybe MLB needs to revisit its policy on suspending games, especially when teams are going to be playing again the next day.

Tuesday: Once again the Cubs squandered a big lead, only to pull out the victory. They led 6-1 after two innings, but Rich Harden gave up several longballs and Houston shockingly took a 7-6 lead. But, Alfonso Soriano clubbed a three-run homer in the seventh and the Cubs won 11-7.

Up next: Astros-Cubs, 1:20 today at Wrigley. Brandon Backe takes on Jason Marquis.