It Doesn’t Get Much Better Than This

Wins like the one today are few and far between.

Perhaps the greatest significance of today’s 12-1 victory for the Cubs isn’t the win itself, but rather how they won--with ease.

In a starting line-up that featured Daryle Ward, Mark DeRosa, and Koyie Hill in place of suspended Derek Lee, and resting Aramis Ramirez and Jason Kendall, it might be expected that the offense would struggle. But the group of replacements stepped up big, accounting for eight of the team’s twelve runs and combining for half the Cub’s hits. The biggest star of the trio was none other than (yup, you guessed it) Hill, who contributed 5 RBIs and saw his batting average raise to a hefty buck seventy-nine.

And it only got better. Carlos Zambrano, who has seen his run support vary in every start (4.78 going into today), it must have felt like his birthday. Big Z only had to pitch five innings (the minimum required for a win) before exiting with a 9-0 lead. This should leave him plenty fresh for his next start.

Zambrano’s early exit plus the Cubs big lead when he left equaled another benefit for the Cubs. Rookie Sean Gallagher pitched the final four innings, gaining experience, earning his first save, and giving the rest of the bullpen their first “off day” since the All-Star break.

Yes, it was a sweet day at Wrigley. Besides the white W flag waving above the Friendly Confines, the “replacements” stepped up, Zambrano got out early, and Gallagher finished on a day when the bullpen needed rest. There's only one thing left to make today better: a Brewers loss.