cubs win

Having Soriano back completes this team. Suddenly when he comes back everybody pretty much plays to their potential. Nice to see. Good win to keep sole posession of first.

I didn’t realize how tense I was during the last few innings last night until the final out. Sweet relief a win.

Mostly Positives: Lots of hits (Lee, Ramirez, Fukodome, Soto, Soriano etc.), Avoid the sweep.

Time to hang tough and get back in rhythm versus a good team in the marlins and then four tough games in Sausage town.

I wasn’t able to watch most the game but turned on the radio right when Lilly got the single (then the base-hit). I saw the inning where RJ got the Grand Salami, but I really can’t believe what is happening with Howry. I always thought of him as pretty reliable, but this season he is proving me wrong. Cotts looked great though. Glad to see our bats are back.

Both teams we played, played WAY better than they normally do, and the Cubs played far worse than they normally do.

Here’s hoping we take 3 of 4 from the Marlins (I think Z, Dempster AND Harden will all pitch in this series, so that’s not a stretch), and get this thing back on track.

And it wouldn’t hurt, ahem, if the Brewers lost a game very now and then.

Has done a nice job,

Bull pen was the strong a few months back, let hope it returns

I am so connected to this team, I actually let the last few losses affect my day… Silly me, with the Cub love. It feels so good to be coming off a win last night. They really played well. Fonzie made contact, although he had only one hit. D.Lee didn’t hit into a double play. Ramirez got a hit, (really should be 2 hits, but they called that one an error- tough error). Lilly pitched well, got a hit, even stole a base… Now for the Marlins… Time to fry those fish up, and serve them! I reserve special hatred for the Florida Marlins, as I’m sure many of you do… I think the Cubs should easily be able to take two of three, (at home, Marlin’s pitching not so strong this year). If I had to guess with the way they’re talking, they might bring the Shark up to sub for Kerry if he has to go on the DL. At first I thought, bad idea; but bringing him up for limited duty, with a defined role- could be beneficial to him. Depending on how he pitches, it could also be beneficial to the team. We’ll see…

I just watched the ninth inning on mlb.tv and Marmol’s slider was looking rather White Castle-ish again last night. He really made Chad Tracy (the last out of the game) look silly on three straight sliders. Apparently Marmol just needed a little bit of rest to that he could get back on top of that pitch and have it break downward again.

I had to go to sleep last night early; we’re exhausted going through my wife’s recovery.

But! When I went to sleep, it was 4-3, Lilly was settling in, and the DBacks weren’t doing much. I figured “they got a better than 50% chance of winning this one, to win the season series!”

And I was right!

This win was huge, yes HUGE. Although it is still early, this win was huge. If we lost, all of us would be flipping out because we would be tied in first with the brewers. White Sox fans would be laughing at us, and it would begin to feel like a typical cubs year. But, NO! WE DID NOT GET SWEPT!
Soriano’s return was crucial to this teams confidence. There are people on this site that will complain about him, and I will myself sometimes, but there is obviously no question how this club feels when he is in the lineup. Suddenly the lineup is balanced, energized, confident….... motto for the season as always: WE WILL BE JUST FINE! I need a picture to represent that statement…. I want to key it in as the Cubs motto of 08. We got the team, so we shouldnt worry, although that is easier said then done. GO CUBS! CHEERS!

Man! Things are getting good. The Brewers are showing everybody how bad they want to win. The Cards just won’t give up, and the Cubs… are fighting everyone and everything to stay on top. Get ready to see some good baseball folks!

I just wish… every time I read the trade rumors, I don’t see the Cubs named anywhere. I hope they are out trying to get some bullpen help. We need some.

What happened to the batter helping the pitcher get some time to rest after running the bases? After Lilly scored his run on the Theriot groundout, it seemed like Lee made the final out before Lilly had even sat down in the dugout. Lee take any time coming to the plate or take a pitch.

Of course, Lilly then walked the first batter in the next inning and then gave up the Jackson triple. I wonder if Lee had helped him catch a little break whether he would have even given up that run.

and I want to say I had so much fun in the threads last night, I was literally laughing my arse off at the jocularity and merriment that was had by all. Thanks everyone! My wife kept coming into my home office wondering what the hell I was laughing at all night!

is going to come back to Wrigley on his 8th birthday (apparently in the next few weeks) and toss out the first ball. His father wants to surprise him with the trip and has to figure out how to get him to practice pitching.

Good news all around. Cubs win (ohthankgoodness), Cubs are back to form, and a little boy is about to have an experience of a lifetime.

Life doesn’t get any better than that.

Soriano actually had a double not a single… just sayin’.

I want 3 of 4 from the fish, at least, I’m greedy.

Getting ahead of myself but I really hope this team gets jacked up for this Milwaukee series next week. It would be nice to send them the message that they are still 2nd tier in the NL Central by taking 3 of 4. I think it will be a good gauge to see if this team is going to tighten up when the pressure is elevated.

Let’s start rolling again!

...in today’s Sun-Times? Gordon Wittenmyer writes:

And with Milwaukee finishing off a sweep of St. Louis for its seventh consecutive win, the outburst couldn’t have been more timely.

Gordo, dude. Get off Twitter and fact check your articles. There’s still a game left in that series.

First let us simply put to bed that a walk is as good as a hit, but sometimes a walk is better than a hit. Dusty Baker is a baseball idiot when he stated he didn’t like walks for they clogged the bases…..walks escalate the pressure as invariably it effects umpire’s calls, catcher’s signs, pitcher’s choices and batting situations. Cubs tie or exceed their 1975 record and they will be in the WS.

Soriano; the record is clear, this team wins with Soriano in the lineup and is an average team without him. That would be the same with DLee, A Ramirez and possibly G Soto as well. They have played almost half 47 games without Soriano in the lineup (you could add 2 games in which he was hurt, Cubs won both those games), they are 24-23 when Soriano is on the IR and 35-19 when he is not.

Soriano as Piniella stated in the interview sets up the Cubs offense. Not only an immediate offensive force when leading off, Soriano is a force when the lineup turns over being a run producer. What this does is allow Piniella work the edges of his lineup and bench, which is a Cubs strength.

Fukudome, I think Fukudome showed fatigue and with Soriano back and Fontenot playing effective in the lineup I think playing DeRosa in RF more would do well making him more productive. The same goes for Ramirez who probably shouldn’t be dieting while playing.

Samardzija, I thought all along he would have an impact on the Cubs chances. If Howry needs to find what is troubling him, my guess is he is hurt for I have not seen his good slider for a while, even last year it was only a show piece.

Remember, even though that dome sucks for the Cubs, we still took the series, 4-2. Now let’s get some payback on the Marlins for the agony they put us through last September

Lilly was scrappy on the base paths last night?

Lilly showed me a lot last night. Not great but good enough.

(and since I didn’t see much) didn’t it look as if Johnson’s slam WAS interfered with? Unless—it hit the top of the wall, the yellow line….I almost flipped over to FSN AZ but then I’d have to hear Mark Grace, and who would want to subject onself to that…

Chicago TV can’t have the same production capacity as Phoenix. Guess that’s the type of replay that MLB wants—which would have taken the slam away. Who knows what would have happened after that…

But the Cubs hadn’t had a break in weeks….

likewise, the cold, lifeless Cubs Road Team must heat up, especially at home now. Like someone mentioned above, it’s time for some payback against the Marlins, but they could be formidable, taking 3 out 4 against the Dodgers in LA before the AS break.

so I don’t know, and I guess the point is moot, anyway

BCB is one big happy family again. Here’s hoping that Big Z is in a like frame of mind this evening.

The Score just reported that Levin was also cut from the bidding for the Cubs

Just talked about it on again the Score. Said that highest bidder won’t win by default (which we already knew).

Talked about how a first-time owner or somebody who “disrupt” other owners. Basically tried to dismiss Cuban’s chances.

None of this may be new info but do with it what you will