Cubs 41-24
Braves 32-33
POTG: C Soto (HR, 2H, 2R, 3 RBI)
Runner Up: LF Soriano (2H, SB, CS, IBB, 2R, 2BB), 1B D Lee (HR, 2 RBI), 3B A Ram (3 R, H, RBI, 3 BB), RF Fukudome (2 H, SB, R, RBI), 2B DeRosa (2 H, RBI), CF Johnson (H, 2 RBI, SF)
Good old destruction. The thing about Lilly’s starts during this stretch is you’re almost always going to have a chance at a comeback, because he’s going to give up a multi-run home run to start the game, and then hold the line there.
The Cubs got plenty of offense from a lot of the lineup. It helped a lot that Tom Glavine’s got very little left and probably shouldn’t have stuck around for this season. It got a little intresting when Howry got poked around enough to give up two rounds and make it a game, but the Braves bullpen is not a strength and Soto was able to bust the game wide open.
Eyre’s one out appearance to stop the Braves produced this fanastic set of quotes:
“I didn’t even know who I faced,” Eyre said. “By the time I got to the mound, Geo was talking to [ Aramis Ramirez] when I go, ‘Hey, who are we facing here?’ He goes, ‘[Ruben] Gotay.’ But it wasn’t Gotay. He came up the next inning. I don’t know who I faced. I wasn’t paying attention. I was trying to make sure I got an out.”
Good thing we’re all professionals here. Eyre’s “scoreless inning streak” is such a joke, it’s been nice that it’s been barely mentioned. Eyre’s been good this season, but he’s also been in for less than an inning most of the time – tough to give up runs when you’re not facing more than one batter. If anything, it’s a testament to not giving up base runners – only five so far this season.