The Chicago Cubs, winners of 11 of 14 games since the All-Star break, have gotten back into the NL Central Race. They play very well at home, witness winning 3 out of 4 versus the Astros. The Cubs have swung the bats well and even look like a major league team out there. When guys like Fukodome and Theriot are contributing, that is a good sign.
Soriano has come around, and even Milton Bradley has added a couple of home runs. Now, if Bradley can find his hitting touch, that would be an added bonus. In the Cubs first game vs. the Astros, Soriano hit a walkoff grand slam to break a 1-1 tie. That was an exciting moment and showed why the Cubs have been patient with him. He can do some great things, in a tough moment. There are not too many players who can do what he does. Since moving him down to the 6th spot in the lineup, he has gotten hot and helped the team.
A while back I wrote that the Cubs were done for this year. That is before they started hitting. The starting pitching has been solid, even with the injury to Ted Lilly. The Cubs have found someone to step in and pitch 6 innings. Wells, the rookie pitcher has been solid. He has made the rotation stronger. Sean Marshall has had good outings. Dempster is out for a while, but if the team continues to hit well, that will be an asset.
The Cubs have had a terrible first half offensively. Now, they seem to have found their strike in Wrigley, the "friendly Confines." Let's see what happens when they got out on the road. If they can play .500 ball on the road, and play well at home, this will be an interesting stretch. Give 'em credit they are back in the race. How long? No one really knows the answer to that.
