Frustrated. Let down. Demoralized. All are words describing the fans in Wisconsin following Thursday’s loss. As if it wasn’t already enough that they have to endure the Brett Favre saga, right when things were looking up for their baseball franchise, the Chicago Cubs came into town and tossed the Brewers around like a rag doll. Milwaukee entered the 4 game series with high hopes, trailing Chicago by just 1 game. But before they knew it, the Cubs were breaking out the broomsticks. Triple Play looks at 3 keys to the 4 game sweep that put the Brew Crew 5 games back in the Central:

1. 4 of a Kind Beats 2 Aces

Chicago Cubs combined starters’ earned run average: 1.61
Milwaukee Brewers combined starters’ earned run average: 7.56; a simply astounding disparity that proved to be the biggest difference-maker in the series. The Cubs absolutely made a mockery of the Brewers starting pitching, starting with their 2 aces, C.C. Sabathia, and Ben Sheets. Sabathia, who was previously unhittable (4-0, 1.36 ERA in 4 NL starts), served up 4 runs (3 earned) on 9 hits in 6 2/3 innings, while also allowing a home run to Alfonso Soriano. Sabathia actually had the best game of any Brewers starter, but the mere fact the Cubs were able to bang out 9 hits and score 3, and bring him back down to earth, was a feat in itself. With Sheets, they had a field day. The starter for the National League in the All-Star Game allowed 5 runs on 11 hits in just 5 1/3 innings. What’s even more encouraging was seeing the Cubs offense hit Sheets’ best stuff. He wasn’t really making any major mistakes on the mound, the Cubs were just able to hit everything, and hit smart, taking many pitches to the opposite field. If Sabathia and Sheets are the 1-2 punch that’s supposed to carry the Brewers through October then the Cubs have a counterpunch of their own with this kind of offense. In fact, they also have a left hook, an uppercut, jab, and straight right in Ted Lilly, Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster, and Rich Harden. The foursome virtually silenced Milwaukee’s bats, giving up only 4 runs and striking out 31! Ted Lilly looked like the Ted Lilly of 2007, and Zambrano once again showed no signs of shoulder illness. Dempster gave onlookers another reason to consider him a legitimate Cy Young candidate, and Rich Harden finally got a win, baffling hitters with his changeup. Milwaukee’s frustration came to a boiling point Thursday in the 9th inning when Prince Fielder popped out, broke his bat after slamming it to the ground, then began barking at home plate umpire Doug Eddings about a previous strike call. Fielder was immediately ejected and continued arguing and protesting before finally leaving the game.

2. Stealing Victories

Throughout the series the Cubs were off and running, stealing 7 total bases. The aggressiveness on the base paths put more runners in scoring position, giving the team more high percentage scoring opportunities. This helped contribute to Chicago outscoring Milwaukee 31-11 over the 4 games. The stolen bases also helped in a way that won’t show up on the stat sheet. When a team steals so many bases it distracts the pitcher and causes him to lose focus. This leads to more errant pitches and gives the hitter an advantage. At the same time, the mere threat of running at any moment pulls the pitchers’ interests in a different direction. The result is more pickoff attempts, less concentration on the hitter, and another advantage for the offense. The Cubs had that advantage.

3. Picking Each Other Up

For 4 straight games the offense jelled. Alfonso Soriano did everything expected out of a leadoff hitter, and then some. This was part of a bigger occurrence the Cubs haven’t seen on the road all season. Teammates were picking up each other’s slack. In game 1, Aramis Ramirez was hitless in 4 at-bats, and Ryan Theriot was 1-5. While these two were off, Soriano went 2-4 with a home run and a walk. Derrek Lee recorded 3 hits, with a double and 3 RBIs. In game 2, Lee went 1-5. Picking him up was Ramirez (4-5, 2B, RBI), Ryan Theriot (2-5, SB), and Kosuke Fukudome (2-5, 2B, 2 RBI). Game 3 saw Lee and Ramirez go a combined 0-9. But Soriano reached base 5 times, Theriot 5 times with 3 RBIs, and Reed Johnson 3 times with an RBI. Game 4 it was Theriot and Lee a combined 0-10, but Fukudome driving in 2, and Jim Edmonds hitting a grand slam and finishing with 5 RBIs. These are the things that led to a sweep and show signs of promise for future road games.

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