CubsChic

Last night’s win over the Astros was a result of great pitching, hitting and defense. Not only did Lilly and the bullpen hold the hottest hitter in baseball, Lance Berkman, hitless, but they struck him out three times. (His average fell from .399 to .389.)

Soto, not to be denied a home run by umps who can’t see a yellow line, hustled the bases and made it home standing anyway for his first in-the-park home run since little league. I think he’s finally caught his breath. With the exception of Ramirez and Soriano, you gotta love this team hustle.

Last, but not least, was the great defense. Edmonds showed off his Gold Glove with a great catch in center that saved a run. That silly hill and flag pole just made it all the more impressive. Lee also made a great catch of a line drive that sent him staggering.

Just as Lou was talking about getting reliever Fox into more games, he comes down with ulnar neuritis and is placed on the 15-day DL. The Cubs called up Ascanio from Triple-A Iowa, where he was 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA and nine saves. He throws strikes (23 strike outs over 21 2/3 innings) and batters were hitting only .179 against him. Sounds like a great addition to the pen.