I mean, after all, the Cubs put the finishing touches on a four-game sweep, now sit at four games over .500, and are still painfully close to the Central lead in the loss column.
But it was the Nationals. And in addition to dreadful home red jerseys, Washington actually has an outside shot at finishing up as the worst team of all time. These guys have won 26 games! Holy cow! How is no one talking about this?
Still, the Cubs played with a poise and confidence – or at least feigned interest – that we haven’t really seen in quite some time. Alfonso Soriano began smacking pitches the opposite way, and actually had a good series. Derrek Lee and Ryan Theriot continued to be consistent. Aramis Ramirez looked better. Koyie Hill gunned down runners left and right. Adam Dunn didn’t hit 10 homers against us.
Carlos Marmol lived on the edge, but survived. Kevin Gregg looked sharp. Aaron Heilman pitched efficiently.
But, again, it was the Nationals. The Cubs now head to Philly, to face the class of the NL. If they return home with a 5-2 road trip, I’ll be happy. And as tired refrains reminded us, the 2003 division champs were 43-43 at the break, and the 2007 champs were 44-43 at the break. The difference, however, appears in the on-field product. This weekend was the first time we detected more than a flickering pulse.
Maybe this .500 team just wants to keep us interested and fail cruelly. But guess what? I don’t care. Let them. As you looked across the field at the Nationals’ dugout, the alternative could be much, much worse.
Go Cubs – rise to the challenge in Philly tomorrow. And we’ll see.
(Since you didn’t ask, the blog isn’t broken. I just was being funny. My current project is a short story for a national contest, so posts during the remainder of July may be sparse. If I don’t win, I’ll publish the story here.)
