8-run inning sparks comeback, Cubs take series

Traveling to Florida the Cubs had a few concerns: being blown away by a tropical storm, avoiding any player getting beaned in the head, and losing the series to the Marlins. Fortunately, none of those things transpired as the Cubs sprung back after dropping the second game 2-1 and brought out the lumber in the finale for a 9-2 win. Knowing that Ryan Dempster pitched a heck of a game the Cubs lineup came around finally by the 7th inning, cranking 3 doubles into the outfield gap with the bases loaded. Kosuke Fukudome hit a sac fly for good measure in an 8-run inning. Another tremendous game was credited to Reed Johnson, who went 4-for-5 with 3 RBIs.

With an anticipated delay for rain Sunday this didn't shake Ryan Dempster out of his game. In fact, the extra 20-something minutes or so probably gave him extra strength and time to prepare. There is no doubt the veteran right-hander has been the Cubs' best pitcher since the All-Star break commanding a 4-1 record with a 1.86 ERA. Plus he hasn't allowed a homerun in over 38 straight innings! Yesterday he was in full control pitching 6 innings and giving up 2 earned runs on 5 hits and 2 walks while fanning 10 batters. He bumps up his record to 14-5 overall. Coming out of the pen Neal Cotts and Jeff Samardzija looked sharp. Combined they pitched 2 innings and allowed no runs on a hit.

The offense was spread around throughout the lineup with Aramis Ramirez drilling a 2-run double down the third base line, finishing the game with 2 hits. Alfonso Soriano also delivered late with 2 RBIs while Mike Fontenot went 2-for-3 with a run scored. I guess opposing teams will learn the hard way: if they walk Lee they're going to pay. The guys are hitting behind him and soon teams will have to pitch to the slugger. All the Cubs need now is for Lee and Fukudome to heat up and start driving in more runs. When that happens few teams will be able to compete with the Cubs. Luckily the guys in blue get a day off Monday and will return home to kick off series with the Reds then the Nationals. Wrigley Field has been very kind this year to the Cubs and I expect their success there to continue.