Dusty Says

A bunch of rookies playing. That’s how the Cubs looked like tonight, and they got the win. Don’t get me wrong, a bunch of rookies in a good way!

Matt Murton had a pair of infield singles, he stole a base and Ronny Cedeno added another two hits and SB as the Cubs edged the Dodgers 6-3, tonight. Henry Blanco hit a two out, two run single against Brad Penny in the sixth inning to put the score 5-3.

The team actually looked great tonight, and it was a satisfying win over the pesky Dodger team. Why do I say that? Because even if their lineup isn’t looking overpowering, threatening or at least decent, they do put on a good show for their fanatics (a couple of which were behind homeplate trying to distract Prior.); Mark, however, won the decision and put his record at 10-5.

Scott McClain hit a pinch-hit double, his career first, when he entered the game for Roberto Novoa… shiver.

Matt Murton (left) meets Jeromy Burnitz after scoring on Henry Blanco’s hit. (Jeff Roberson/AP)

The Cubs are not a bad team.

Sure, they have their share of flaws, mistakes, lack of fundamental skills and player bonds, but they are well capable to deliver good and blowout performances like today’s, a win against the Marlins; the star of this game was definitely Lee, who, when we started to worry about his recent lack of hits decided to land two homeruns. His BAVG is now one decimal shy of .350; he’s still the leader in that offensive statistic.

Carlos Zambrano (11-5) pitched a great game through eight innings. He won his fourth decision in a row and lowered his ERA on August to 0.69. He’s also 4-0 on the month, and will likely be named August POM.

This weeks statistics are located here.

Derrek Lee watches the first of his two homers on Sunday. (Nam Y. Huh/AP)

When did Mark Prior switched teams and joined the opposition? Even if the Atlanta Braves played a great game, our pitcher practically delivered them the win on their hands. Well, him and Rafael Furcal. The Cubs lost again today, and with that the series.

Prior had been sharp (though with not a lot of control: he walked four batters.) until the seventh inning, when with no outs and the game 1-0, Jeff Francoeur singled. Ryan Langerhans, then, bunted again but this time Mark grabbed the ball and tried to make a forceout at second; apparently, he chose himself to throw there. The throw landed on the shallow outfield allowing Francoeur to get to third. Both runners scored on a Furcal single.

Prior pitched 120+ pitches again, and he looked tired before the single that put the game out of reach at 3-1 (yes, out of reach. You know that we don’t score a lot.); he finished the day at 131 pitches, a little bit too high for a pitcher who’s been mostly dealing with high pitch counts during the last couple of games.

“It just kept flying,” Prior said. The throw to second unnecessarily cost the Cubs another game that was rather close; Jorge Sosa (9-2) pitched effective six innings.

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Mark Prior allowed three runs or less for the 18th time in 21 starts. (Jonathan Daniel/Getty)

The Cubs blew out an opponent. Wonder how many games passed before our last broad-margin win? Well, I shall inform you.

Thirty seven, since the Cubs won this one in Wrigley Field, 11 to 1.

Back to tonight’s game, JeroWilliams finally pitched a good game at Wrigley field and led the team to win 10-1 against the Atlanta Braves; the opposition fought and really tried to get back in the game but solid outings by the bullpen shut them in two innings of work.

JeroWilliams (4-6) allowed one run and three hits in 7 2/3 innings, his longest outing this season. The lone run against was a towering shot to the bleachers by Andruw Jones, his fortieth.

The Cubs looked good, and though they left many men on base, managed to score ten runs, four of those driven in by a Jeromy Beernitz grandslam, his first as a Cub. Michael Barrett also drove in multiple runs, two, with a bases loaded double in the ninth.

Atlanta Braves starter John Thomson (3-4) had his second bad start in a row and allowed five runs on seven hits. He walked three and struck out two.

And so the Cubs start winning again.

Also, I’d like to link to Lingering Bursitis, one of the most entertaining, well written Cubs weblogs — great work, guys. You obviously put on a lot of effort and enthusiasm into it.

Jeromy Beernitz is greeted at home after his eighth career grand slam. (Jeff Roberson/AP)

Groundball, grounded out to second, groundout.

Try doing that a fifteen times. Chances say that you’re gonna lose.

Well, that’s how many times Tim Hudson had groundouts to retire the Cubs; he pitched a complete game, his first in months, and led the red hot Braves team to win 4-2 against a flawed Cubs, Monday night.

Carlos Zambrano sans inning four was as good as always, striking out ten batters, walking none and throwing a normal 100+ pitches in eight innings. Kerry Wood, though, seemed lost against a very focused Chipper Jones (he’s actually the key to this Braves team — the spark of the lineup; he hit two homeruns and drove in all four runs of his team) and ended up taking the loss, in the ninth inning of tonight’s game.

Hudson pitched nine innings on seven hits, one hit batsman (a pretty wild one, to Matt Lawton on the leg) and five strikeouts. He walked just one batter. That one batter, Derrek Lee, hit his thirty seventh homerun of the season and tied Ernie Banks’ record mark in a season by a Cubs first baseman.

Carlos Zambrano didn’t allow a baserunner in any inning but the fourth. (Jeff Roberson/AP)

That’s how the Cubs’ combination of defense and offense was in this series. The Rockies won again today and took the series using their mastery of the longball at home.

Greg Maddux (10-10) allowed six runs and eight hits — including three homers — in six innings and failed to get his 316th win. He lost for the first time in six career decisions at Coors Field.

“They got me big time,” said Maddux, who had won his previous two starts. “You’ve got to keep the ball down here or you pay for it — and I did.”

Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez hit back-to-back homers in the ninth for Chicago. Neifi Perez and Jeromy Burnitz added two-run shots off Colorado closer Brian Fuentes.

“I thought Fuentes showed a lot of toughness to regroup and get Burnitz and (Todd) Walker,” Hurdle said.

Colorado took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on Todd Helton’s sacrifice fly, and Mohr extended the lead to 3-0 in the fourth with his 15th home run, on an 0-2 count. The homer followed Atkins’ leadoff single to center.

Perez and Burnitz homered and Nomar Garciaparra had an RBI double as the Cubs scored five times in the fifth against Colorado starter Jeff Francis.

Jerry Hairston doubled, and one pitch later Perez homered to left. Lee walked and scored on Garciaparra’s double to right and Burnitz hit a hanging curve on a 2-2 pitch over the scoreboard in right to put Chicago ahead 5-3.

Holliday and Atkins hit back-to-back homers in the Colorado fifth to take a 6-5. Holliday’s came after a two-out double by Helton.

“He left a changeup out over the plate,” Holliday said.

Added Atkins: “I was just trying to work counts and looking out over the plate. I stayed on a changeup and got good wood on it, and it went out.”

Garciaparra doubled with one-out in the seventh off Kim. Randy Williams replaced Kim, got Burnitz to ground out and fanned Corey Patterson.

Greg Maddux allowed six runs in six innings, striking out three. (David Zalubowski/AP)