Cubs squeeze past Pirates, win 8-of-10 at home

The homestand should've lasted longer. The Cubs finish off the last series taking 2-of-3 from the Pirates. Saturday they were dealt a 1-run loss as Zambrano didn't have his best stuff, only lasting 4 innings. Game 1 they inked a 7-4 victory in which Alfonso Soriano blasted 2 homeruns and gave Sean Gallagher his first win. The next day he followed up with a 5-hit performance including 2 more homers. Sunday it was all about the pitching. Jason Marquis got the job done, going 6 innings wielding 4 hits and 2 earned runs. He kept the Cubs in the game, pushing his record to 2-3. Cedeno and Fukudome aided the offense driving in runs with RBI singles.

How about Soriano of late? He's got red hot in a hurry. I knew it was only a matter of time before he had a big turnaround. 7 homeruns in 10 games is a surefire way to break out of a slump and make an impact. The Cubs needed run production from someone as Lee and Ramirez have hit for power off and on. When one star player isn't hitting another one fills the void. The Cubs have a head of steam coming into the Astros series to kick off a short 6-game road trip. With both teams on a roll it will be a tight series. Also, the Cubs will have to be careful with Lance Berkman and hope he cools off a bit. I look for Chicago to win at least 4 games on the road trip. While Soriano keeps swinging a hot bat trying to extend his 7-game hitting streak, the rest of the lineup can follow suit and get to cracking at the plate.