It would be nice to see the Cubs put together a streak. At least there will be something to watch. The Cubs pounded Jamie Moyer and a succession of Phillies' relievers on Thursday night and put together a solid tight win on Friday. It should be noted though that Ramirez is really carrying this team. The Cubs used a typical formula for victory today, getting a good start from Lilly and being able to use Marshall and Marmol to sew up the victory. Ramirez was involved in all the runs, scoring on Lilly's bases loaded walk, scoring on Byrd's two-run HR, and finally hitting the game winner in the 8th. It does rather prove a point I have made in the past, namely that Ramirez is the heart of this team and if he doesn't hit or gets hurt, this team does not win.
I am somewhat torn in my enthusiasm for the Cubs' newly found spark and my desire to see the last of their dullard manager. Just a note. Is it possible to play more than one left-handed hitter against right-handed pitchers? I would think so. Now that Ramirez is on a tear, it was interesting to note that the top three in the order ahead of Ramirez went 0 for 12 and that the Cubs' slugger and only consistent RBI threat never came up with a man on base. Fukudome should platoon with Soriano and Fontenot should platoon with Theriot. Theriot should never bat higher than 8th in the order. I'm also beginning to notice some bad habits from Colvin in that he seems to be trying to hit for power every time he bats. This is one of the problems with having a manager who is a lazy thinker like Lou. Piniella notices home runs and guys get to play when they hit homers. It's one of the real problems with this team. Even when they are hitting well, they are swinging for the fences with men on base, so that in the end they look good on paper, but do not produce.
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