| « Cubs Shutout by White Sox, Lose 6-0 | Sox Bandwagon Hits Speed Bump in K.C. » |
Cubs Sun Jun 27 2010
Cubs Salvage Series Finale: Win 8-6
Like their first meeting, the Cubs had to win the final game to avoid the embarrassment of being swept. This weekend was no different. Down as early as the first inning, the Cubs diligently fought back. Tyler Colvin got things rolling with a three-run homer in the third inning. They wouldn't look back after taking the lead early in this one. They continued to tack on runs as the game rolled along.
Derrek Lee drove in a pair with a double in the fifth making it 5-2 Cubs; Geovany Soto would add to that with an RBI double in the sixth. Alfonso Soriano put the cap on things in the eighth with a solo home run. The runs were more than enough for Ryan Dempster who pitched seven innings. Giving up three runs and struck out eight and only walked one.
They entered the bottom of ninth with a more then comfortable 8-3 lead. Carlos Marmol was called upon to close it out after being off the last two days. It wasn't one of the better outings for Marmol. He walked three and allowed three runs and had the tying runs on base and the go-ahead run at the plate, but in typical Marmol fashion he got out of it the only way he knows to. He struck out Alex Rios to end it.
The Cubs victory this afternoon brought an end to the Sox 11-game winning streak. The Cubs are 1-1 since suspending Zambrano. The team doesn't credit the Zambrano meltdown as the reason for the turn around, but a closed-door player meeting that took place before this afternoon's game.
Whatever was said worked. There is no reason the Cubs can't rattle off a winning streak of their own. Anything is possible in baseball, the Sox proved that these past few weeks. If they are going to turn this around it begins with the Pirates tomorrow night. This is a team that has given the Cubs fits this season. The past few years they have man handled Pittsburgh and if they want to get back into this race they need to return to their old ways and start by beating up on the Bucs.
Randy Wells ( 3-6 ERA 5.21 ) will take on the Pirates Paul Maholm ( 4-6 ERA 4.24 ). Wells hasn't registered a victory since April. He will be looking to change that tomorrow night. Game time tomorrow is 7:05 p.m. CT and can be seen on Comcast and heard on WGN Radio 720 AM. Also before the game the Cubs Organization will be honoring Cubs legend Ron Santo. Santo debuted 50 years ago for the Cubs on June 26, 1960.
