Jul 28 2008
cubs start out huge series on winning note
The Cubs just defeated the Milwaukee Brewers: 6-4. In a game where the entire Cubs’ managerial staff seemed to have a bad night, the Cubs managed to pull out a gritty win in by far their hugest series of the year. With a raucous crowd of 42,000 roaring on every pitch, it seemed as though the Cubs would be in for a long night; then they realized it was Miller Park and about a third of those fans were rooting for the Cubs…
Ok, joking aside, this was a huge win for the Cubs… Mostly because the Brewers are just behind the Cubs in the standings but it also sets the tone for this four game series. In a game where the Brewers had CC Sabathia pitching against Ted Lilly, realistically, this game seemed like a win for the Brewers. Taking into consideration that tomorrow’s matchup is Carlos Zambrano versus Ben Sheets, that game would most likely be a toss-up. And the final two matchups seem to favor the Cubs: Ryan Dempster (11-4) versus Manny Parra (9-3) on Wednesday and Rich Harden (5-2) versus Dave Bush (5-8) on Thursday. The fact that the Cubs were able to steal this first game makes the rest of the series a lot less worrisome. Obviously, the Cubs are not guaranteed to win any of these next three games, however, it takes a lot of pressure off of the team having won one game, extending their lead, and keeping focused.
The game was packed full of dramatic moments whether it was Derrek Lee’s miraculous non-Double-Play (thanks to Rickie Weeks) or the home runs that were hit by both sides to tie the game up at crucial moments. But none came close to the final moment of the game. Marmol’s second to last pitch would have ended the game as Gabe Kapler swung on it and it went into Geovany Soto’s glove, prompting the home plate umpire to call the game over. However, after an argument from Kapler, the umpires came together to make the correct call: the ball hit the dirt first and was not a foul-tip since it hit the dirt. The very next pitch from Marmol was hit high and deep to left field… Cubs nation took a collective deep breath as it almost seemed like one of those typical Cub moments where the game would be lost on something stupid like a missed foul-tip. Instead, Soriano leaped in the air (in typical Soriano fashion) and caught the ball on the warning track to end the game and send the Cubs fans at Miller Park into a frenzy.
What a start to a huge series. Go Cubs, keep the mojo going!
