Coming off a one hitter to the Dodgers, Carlos Zambrano pitched a 3 hit shut out while adding 7 strikeouts against the Padres to close out the series Sunday afternoon. The Cubs take the series 2-3 ending their west coast road trip. What would the Cubbies do without Carlos Zambrano? This guy is of the best young pitchers in baseball. Despite the 4-3 record, he has a 2.93 ERA and is one of the main reasons why the Cubs lead the National league in strikeouts. His presence and amazing efforts are keeping the team alive. The 4-0 win in San Diego should give the Cubs more momentum heading home to face the Blue Jays. The schedule is going to tough for the month of June as the Cubs will face the Red Sox, *(first time in regular season) Yankees, and WhiteSox. This is not a favorable interleague schedule for the Cubs. It will serve as a test to see how well they compete with the top teams in baseball.
It's still early in the season, but the wild card is wide open for several teams in the National League. The Cards continue to out perform most of their opponents. They remain atop the central division, five and a half games ahead of the pack. If the Cubs can get back a healthy Kerry Wood I think they can cut down on the lead even more or climb in front for the # 1 spot. This all depends on how effective Wood will be when he returns. With continued timely hitting and smart decisions on the base paths, the Cubs can stay within range until late August or early September. That is looking ahead too far probably. So much expectation was put on them to achieve new loftier goals from the beginning of the season. Right now they're playing like a top competitor. Whatever you guys have been doing in your routines and pre-game rituals keep it up, it's working. The series at Wrigley Field against Boston is going to be a memorable, exciting event. I wouldn't miss it for the world!
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