Win brings on sweet talk
Ward like 'kid in a candy store' as bench helps keep team in hot pursuit of Brewers
WASHINGTON -- They lost an All-Star opportunity, saw an outfielder aggravate an elbow injury, watched their third baseman and shortstop collide on an infield roller and put three guys in the lineup who hadn't started in almost two weeks.
And the Cubs won again.
And the Cubs won again.
Granted, they were playing the woeful Washington Nationals. But their 4-2 victory at RFK Stadium -- after coughing up a 2-0 lead, no less -- gave them 11 wins in 13 games and four straight series victories for the first time in two years.
(AP)
(AP)
Granted, they were playing the woeful Washington Nationals. But their 4-2 victory at RFK Stadium -- after coughing up a 2-0 lead, no less -- gave them 11 wins in 13 games and four straight series victories for the first time in two years.
Even the president seems to be taking notice. George W. Bush attended the game and watched the Nationals lose for the second time in his four games at RFK.
''I had dinner with him this winter,'' said Cubs manager Lou Piniella, who was a guest at the White House. ''That took precedence.''
That's the way everything's falling for the Cubs right now.
''I felt like a kid in a candy store,'' said first baseman Daryle Ward, who drove in two runs with a double and a sacrifice fly and added another hit in only his sixth start of the season. ''I was really excited to get a chance to play.''
All of baseball is starting to look like a candy store to the Cubs these days. With three games in Pittsburgh before the All-Star break, the Cubs have the best record in the majors (21-10) since opening June with two bizarre days of clubhouse fights and dirt-kicking ejections.
Things are going so well, moody ace Carlos Zambrano shrugged off his online voting loss to San Diego's Chris Young for the last All-Star spot and talked about enjoying the break at home in Venezuela and preparing for a playoff run.
Things are going so well that right fielder Cliff Floyd stayed in the game after aggravating the tendinitis in his throwing elbow when he crash-landed in the third diving for a double in the corner. He came out in the sixth and is to be used only as a pinch hitter over the weekend but said he's confident the break will get him to full strength.
Things are going so well for the Cubs that Jacque Jones started for the first time in two weeks and doubled in his first two at-bats.
They're going so well that when shortstop Cesar Izturis -- starting for the first time since June 25 -- collided with cleanup hitter Aramis Ramirez as they went after a slow grounder, Ramirez got up slowly but was fine. No damage to the troublesome knee that put him on the disabled list last month.
''That scared the heck out of me,'' Piniella said.
Imagine how the Milwaukee Brewers feel. With the National League Central leaders losing their last three games in Pittsburgh, the Cubs have moved to 4˝ games back -- the closest they've been since April.
''The standings take care of themselves when you play good, consistent baseball,'' Piniella said. ''I know if we win series, good things are going to happen.''
Starting pitcher Sean Marshall rebounded from his worst outing of an otherwise promising first half but got hit just enough in the sixth to blow a 2-0 lead and exit two outs short of the seventh.
But four relievers from a restocked bullpen combined to shut down the Nationals on two hits to close it out. Will Ohman got an inning-ending double play in the sixth to start the bullpen roll, and Bob Howry pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to earn his fourth save since closer Ryan Dempster went on the DL two weeks ago.
''I can take some positives out of this,'' Marshall said. ''The biggest thing: The Cubs won.''