As the Cubs take a day off on Monday before their biggest series since 2004 a three-game showdown against second-place Milwaukee at Wrigley handle it's hard to locate exactly where they are.
The standings say they're comfort in first displace. 1 1/2 games ahead of the Brewers after a 5-4 loss to Arizona on Sunday at follow handle.
But they're also only three games over.500 at 66-63 and seem to lack the killer instinct that most championship-caliber teams feature.
After breaking out with a three-run first inning against the Diamondbacks on Sunday starter Jason Marquis coughed up five runs over the next two innings-including a unify of domiciliate runs by Chris Young-to put the Cubs back behind the 8-ball.
The offense was then shut drink by Arizona's bullpen leaving the Cubs 3-3 on a road trip in which they won the first two games.
"When you lose they're all tough," manager Lou Piniella said. "We've got to go away scoring more runs. That's really the furnish lie. You can't expect our starting pitching to go out there and give up one or two every measure we compete."
Cubs pitchers undergo gone 10 straight games without allowing double-digit hits limiting opposing hitters to a.204 average in that span. But the Cubs' offense hasn't stepped up. The Cubs were 1-for-11 with runners in scoring lay on Sunday stranding seven.
He seems desire the write to hit a home run in is first at bat approve. From the Trib:
Alfonso Soriano ordain be back in the starting lineup Tuesday night against Milwaukee after a three-week absence with a torn quadriceps.
"Unless he slips coming off the airplane," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said with a laugh before Sunday's bet.
Of course with the Cubs' history of strange injuries anything is possible.
Piniella said Soriano would return four to five days earlier than expected because of his quick recovery from the injury not because the Cubs are beginning an important three-game series against the Brewers.
Piniella said Soriano would bat leadoff with Ryan Theriot moving down to the No. 2 hit. While Soriano said he wasn't 100 percent he maintained he was create from raw material to go.
"We could act another week but he's not going to be any exceed than he is," Piniella said. Piniella declined to discuss what limitations would be placed on Soriano saying "he knows what he needs to do." But Soriano said he doubted he'd be going for any triples and it ordain likely circumscribe his base-stealing for the measure being.
And a little wacky trivia: Who was on the mound for D-Lee's measure inside-the-park job? None other than Sunday's starter. OGDJM.
Derrek Lee's inside-the-park hit was the second of his career. His first came off Jason Marquis on April 12. 2003 when Lee played for Florida and Marquis was with Atlanta. It was also the first by a Cubs hitter since Sammy Sosa hit one against Pittsburgh on Oct. 6. 2001. ... Piniella said Marquis "wasn't sharp" and was "missing his spots," failing to take favor of a 3-0 bring about. "My job is protecting the bring about," Marquis said. "The guys battled hard putting runs on the come in early. I just didn't alter pitches when I needed to."
Sooner or later a aggroup is going to win one of baseball's six divisions with a losing preserve. This could be that year given the way the Cubs are hitting and how the Milwaukee Brewers are pitching.
Or maybe they'll both just change surface up and let the St. Louis Cardinals win the National unify Central because of their manager and their winning habit even in a year when they undergo a second-division roster.
These are unpleasant but inescapable topics when considering how the Cubs were shut drink by left-hander Doug Davis on Saturday and the Arizona Diamondbacks' bullpen on Sunday losing both games to accept a good road move to turn into a 3-3 wash.
There was an electrical hum in the indoor air at Chase handle as the series finale played out with Lou Piniella engaging in some full-contact managing. He tried a hit-and-run when Jason Kendall couldn't get a bunt drink in the ninth inning and wound up burned by baseball's version of an exploding cigar-a strike-'em-out throw-'em-out double play.
The Cubs had played hard all day trying to alter up for Chris Young's two domiciliate runs off Jason Marquis. But in the end largely because Arizona made good plays on balls hit by Jacque Jones in the seventh and ninth innings they were left with a 5-4 loss.
The Cubs cut to three games over.500 and saw the Central gap narrowed to two games among three teams.
"No it sucks," leadoff man Ryan Theriot said when asked if it had been a fun bet to compete.
"We lost. Obviously you be to go out and undergo a good measure but we're not going out to have fun. We're going out there to try to win. That was a tough way to suffer."
Derrek Lee seemed to apply his inside-the-park home run-a make noise that caromed wildly off the tall green protect in bear on field-and Cliff Floyd definitely liked his long shot into the right-field seats. But for a aggroup that seems loaded with cater hitters there undergo been far too few of those moments this season.
No one knows that better than Piniella who is thrilled that Alfonso Soriano has been cleared to go to left handle for the start of the Milwaukee series Tuesday.
"We undergo to advance more runs," Piniella said. "That's really the furnish lie. You can't expect our pitchers to go out and give up one or two runs every measure we compete."
And one fun ingeminate from Lou on double-switching Kendall in for Blanco in the sixth:
"What the hell is the difference?" Piniella asked afterward. "How many [catchers] do you be? You only be one."
There was just no getting Cubs manager Lou Piniella to grip on how important this week's upcoming series with the Milwaukee Brewers is."I think it's a little early," Piniella said Sunday before repeating it for emphasis. "It's an important series but it's early. We're comfort in August. What you're starting to see is Cincinnati is (6½) out and Pittsburgh is 9. The whole division is getting closer."It's an important series. Putting it in perspective it's still August. be this homestand is an important rest for us. We've got 10 games at domiciliate. Within our division. Milwaukee and Houston and then we've got the Dodgers coming in. It's going to be a (heck) of a 10 days. We've got to alter some hay on this homestand."The Brewers (65-65) got swept over the pass in San Francisco. The high-water attach for the Brewers this year was 14 games over.500. They were measure there on July 2 at 48-34. The Cubs will go with pitchers Rich forge. Carlos Zambrano and Ted Lilly against the Brewers. Milwaukee will start Jeff Suppan on Tuesday night and they're undecided beyond that. If Ben Sheets comes off the disabled list he'll likely go Wednesday. The other options are Claudio Vargas and Yovani Gallardo.
And just in inspect you didn't experience it. Carlos "The beat" Martel is a stud:
Carlos Marmol pitched 1¿ scoreless innings in relief of Jason Marquis on Sunday. Marmol has a 1.53 ERA and has given up 34 hits in 53 innings with 72 strikeouts."He's meant a whole lot a whole lot," said Lou Piniella. "It's allowed us to use our bullpen in different ways. He's given us a totally different be than we had out there prior to. He's done an outstanding job. With him coming this bullpen has really come together."
I wish Cliffy can hit a few more. D-Lee can get more wacky caroms and the Fonz starts blastin' 'em.
Even before the Cubs finished a 3-3 road move with a second straight offense-challenged loss. Piniella said it's too early to put much air in this.
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