Finally a Cub who can bunt
Ryan Theriot might be in a slump, but when he was asked to execute a suicide squeeze he laid down a perfect bunt and got the job done. It helped that Angel Pagan took off from third base at exactly the right time and has enough speed that he didn’t even have to slide into home plate. It was a huge run on a day when the pitchers were stingey with them.
Howry pitched a flawless 9th, which is good since he’ll be closing while Dempster rests a sore oblique muscle. The Cubs bullpen gave up no hits in over 3 innings, which is something I could get used to. We can’t expect our starters to go 8-9 innings every day. Hill did a fine job starting, going 5+ innings, and it’s too bad he couldn’t get the win.
Soriano hit another home run to lead off the game. That’s two in a row. What are the odds he’s plunked by Contreras when Soriano leads off tomorrow? That would certainly empty the benches!
Here’s hoping the Cubs get the sweep tomorrow. It would be a nice birthday present for my friend Patti, who will be at the game rooting on the Cubs!