Games 28-30

14-16

Three game set with the Dodgers
Game 1 --  James Russell - vs - Clayton Kershaw

I can't wait for Randy Wells and Andrew Cashner to be healthy and back in the starting line up so I don't have to see James Russell's name come up ever five games!

Four and two thirds innings, six hits, five runs (four earned) is not what I want to see from my teams starter. Granted it was a gem in comparison with some of the other guys starts over the last few weeks. 

The Cubs jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first but the Dodgers struck back with two in the second and three in the fifth. Andre Ethier extended his major league leading hit stick by collecting a infield single in the three run fifth.

Alfonso Soriano hit his league leading 11th home run in the seventh to score the Cubs final run.

Russell dropped to 1-4 on the season with a bloated 8.15 ERA. Clayton Kershaw improved to 3-3 with the win. Dodgers Closer Jonothan Broxton picked up his seventh win.

Game 2  Ryan Dempster - vs - Chad Billingsley

Happy Birthday to Demps. I think I speak for all Cubs fans when I say I really wanted to see him get a win on his birthday. But, keeping the team close and getting out of the first inning would also be acceptable as a present from him to the fans! Only one of those two things happened. Sadly both didn't.

Dempster, in contrast to last game, pitched seven innings of good baseball while only giving up one run. Unfortunately, the Cubs hitters decided to wait until the top of the ninth inning to wake up and score some runs.

When Dempster left the game after seven he still had a chance for the win as long as the team could score an eighth inning run or two. Well, if a win wasn't in the cards...at least it wasn't going to be a Lose.

New Cubs first baseman Carlos Pena finally connected on his first home run of the season for the team since signing in the off season from Tampa Bay. The seventh inning bomb into the right field bull pen would tie the game at one.  The bats would rally in the top of the ninth off (soon to be former?) closer Broxton and Blake Hawksworth.

Kerry Wood worked a scoreless 8th inning to improve to 1-1 while Carlos Marmol picked up save number 8 with a scoreless ninth. Dodgers outfielder Andre Either extended his hit streak to 29 games with a bloop single in the fourth inning.

Game 3  Carlos Zambrano - vs - Ted Lilly

THANK YOU BIG Z!! It's nice to see one pitcher return to form while others struggle to regain theirs.

Zambrano had another stellar performance on the way to a 4-1 record on the season. One run on five hits over eight innings in gonna lead to a win 9 times out of ten and this game was no different.

Solo home runs from Geovany Soto and Carlos Pena (his second in as many games) along with a three run blast from Marlon Byrd kept the Dodgers from getting close. Sean Marshall worked a scoreless ninth in a non-save situation to seal the win.

Andre Either was a scratch with a wrist injury so he will have to wait another game to attack Joe DiMaggio's 56 game hit streak (a mark DiMaggio reached in 1941).