Recapping the Cubs-Cardinals Series in “Triple Play”

The Chicago Cubs entered St. Louis on Friday with a 2 ½ game division lead over the Cardinals on Friday and left with a 3 1/2 game lead on Sunday. With just a 29-58 record, Busch Stadium has been a nightmare for the Northsiders over the last 10 years. Recently, they have been able to turn that nightmare into somewhat of a dream.

Last season they won 7 of 9 at the Arch and after this past weekend’s series they evened their season record to 3-3. Winning the series may turn out to be a pivotal point in the season as the Cubs retained their NL Central lead over the surging Cardinals, did it in the unfriendly confines of Busch Stadium and won a road series, and picked up some momentum on the day the Milwaukee Brewers pulled off a blockbuster deal for C.C. Sabathia. To recap the weekend’s action, here’s 3 things we learned in my first edition of Triple Play:

1. Carlos Zambrano is back.
Showing no signs of shoulder discomfort or soreness, Big Z blanked the Cards on 87 pitches over 6 innings, allowing just 4 hits. Zambrano’s dominance allowed the Cubs to win the game while scoring only 2 runs. His return should help restore stability to a pitching staff that fell three spots to 4th in the NL in ERA during his absence. The Cubs went 6-8 during that stretch. With Z back on top of the rotation Chicago gets a much-needed lift heading into the final week before the All-Star break.

2. The Cubs CAN get it done away from Wrigley.
Entering the weekend set the Cubs were 18-25 in away games. A stark contrast to their 33-10 home record. In taking 2 of 3 from the Redbirds on their home turf they proved that if they can win in one of the toughest venues in the majors on enemy territory, they can win at any ballpark they travel to. As the 2008 season has progressed it has seemed like all the little things the Cubs do at home, they don’t do on the road: Timely hitting, strong starting pitching, and the ability to bounce back from a loss. At Busch Stadium they were able to produce runs via long ball and small ball, while the starters yielded just 3 runs over the 3 games. They probably should have swept the series, but Kerry Wood blew a save in Saturday’s game and subsequently lost it. Sunday’s 7-1 victory showed they were not dwelling on what could have been the previous day. With the exception of Wood’s blown save, the relief pitching went 3 innings without allowing a run Sunday, and went 3 innings giving up just 1 run Friday.

3. The Cubs must find an answer to C.C. Sabathia.
The Brewers deal for Cleveland’s ace will bolster their rotation and gives them a deadly 1-2 punch with Ben Sheets. If Sheets, who has shown over the years he is more or less made of glass with his annual trips to the disabled list, can stay healthy then the Brew Crew will be on the heels of the Cubs into September. They may even have them looking up at them in the standings. Jim Hendry needs to make a move by the July 31st trade deadline for someone like A.J. Burnett, Rich Harden, or Erik Bedard. This may be tough, as the Cubs do not have the best bargaining chips. Rich Hill now has zero trade value as he struggles in the Arizona Rookie League at the age of 28. Hendry almost certainly will have to be willing to part with position players Ronny Cedeno, Felix Pie, or Micah Hoffpauir. He may also be able to package one or more of these players with a Sean Marshall, Sean Gallagher, or even Jeff Samardzija. Whatever the package is, one thing is clear: In the stretch run, a rotation of Sabathia, Sheets, Jeff Suppan, Manny Parra, and Carlos Villanueva is far more scary than Zambrano, Ryan Dempster, Ted Lilly, and a carousal of 4 and 5 starters.

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