Though, to be completely honest, this was a sloppily played game on both sides and the Cubs made heavy weather of finally defeating a vastly inferior team for the first time all year. The runs Lilly gave up early were all tainted by some awful defensive play by Ramirez and Soriano. With Soriano in the lineup, there is often an almost equal trade-off, the runs he produces are frequently offset by the runs he allows.
The Cubs came through when it counted, though, to be honest, their runs were similarly tainted by poor defensive play from the Pirates. Soriano's early double was a long misplayed fly ball. And you've got to wonder why they weren't running wild on Paulino all weekend. I mean, this guy can't catch anything. However, I don't intend to be mean-spirited. For a change, the Cubs took advantage of mistakes. Good teams do it all the time.
As an aside, the real turning-point of the game was the defense that Fukudome played in the late innings, especially the catch he made in the 7th inning. For some reason, lots of fans and lots of sports-show guys don't like him, but when he is on his game, he is a pleasure to watch both at the plate and in the field. His head is always in the game even when he is over-matched, and he is, in my opinion, the best defensive RF in the NL.
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