The Cardinals got caught by surprise in Wrigley as the Cubs rolled over them for the sweep. Sunday night, the game looked to go either way until the 8th inning when Michael Barrett cranked a grand slam out of the park, his second homer of the season. Rookie, Sean Marshall pitched a decent game in his debut, going 5 innings and 4 earned runs. The Cubs were finally able to get to starter Sidney Ponson (making his debut as a Cardinal)in the middle innings. It was a good sign to see Jacque Jones get his first hit of the year, snapping an 0-for-12 start. It was his 3-run dinger which put Chicago on top before St. Louis regained the lead in the 7th. Todd Walker even collected 3 hits which surprised me.
It's a confidence builder for the Cubs to climb to 4-1 in the first week. Right now critics don't think this team can manage without Wood and Prior. They think it's only a matter of time before diaster unfoils. This is just a forgone conclusion based on personal opinion. Chicago has already shown that they can provide efficient run production. If Lee and Ramirez get hot, no pitcher in the National League will want to face them. When this happens, they'll probably get walked often and the rest of the lineup will be expected to drive home the runs.
The home stand will resume Tuesday as the Reds come to town for a 3 game series. Ken Griffey Jr. will be looking to pass Mickey Mantle on the all-time homerun list. Depending on the game conditions and how well pitching holds up it could be a high scoring affair. Glendon Rusch (0-1) gets the start in Game 1 vs. Bronson Arroyo (1-0). They'll be okay if Rusch can keep Dunn, Griffey, and Kearns in check. Keep the streak alive Cubbies!
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