Cubs 38-39, 7.5/6
Rockies 38-40, 6.5/6.5
POTG: 3B Mark DeRosa (2 H, HR, 2B, 3 RBI)
Runner Up: 2B Mike Fontenot (3 H, 2 R, RBI), Z! (6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 8 K, W [9/73])
It may be tempting fate to bring this statistic out, since things divebombed last time, but I’ll risk it.
after 77 games
2007: 38-39
2006: 29-48
Whatever this team has been thru, it’s a 9 game improvement. I know the expectations were high, and probably deservingly so, but if this team ends up 18-20 wins better, I think it’s some measure of success even without the playoffs. Or, it’s some sign about how bad the 2006 team was flawed, I’m not totally sure.
This was the least Z start of the run, but it was plenty enough for this day. Just a week ago, Rockies were getting some hype about maybe finally making it thru the desert and coming out a playoff caliber team the other side. They looked quite like the same old Rockies thru this series.
It’s impossible for Fontenot to keep this up, but it’s sure the right move putting him out there until he can’t. They’ve just got to be prepared to move on when it’s time.
It would seem like future ex-Cub Jacque Jones has played in his last home game at Wrigley, but the constant theme to trade talk about him this year is things are always taking much longer than anyone figures. My original thought was “the longer they wait, the less they’ll have to eat of Jacque’s salary”, but with Jacque glued to the bench, they’re just eating it in a less straightforward way each and every day. The only thing they can keep holding out for is more the other teams offering to take more money, but I can’t imagine that number increasing while Jacque’s playing time disappears. So we may be stuck here a while.
No Dempster till after the All Star break, and you get the impression Lou may just go by committee, though never actually saying that word. Hopefully it won’t be too interesting.