Ted Lilly went seven strong innings for his 13th win of the season, and Chicago hitters pounded out 17 hits -- including three by Kosuke Fukudome, as the Cubs beat the Pirates 12-3. The Cubs now enjoy a five-game lead over idle Milwaukee, with 31 left to play.
Apparently, those extra sessions with hitting coach Gerald Perry have had some success. It's been all of five at-bats since his day off -- a lovely euphemism for removed from the lineup, if there ever was one -- and we're already seeing a return to April/May Kosuke. Yes, the hips are still flying open on inside pitches. And yes, he's still working out some of those bad habits that Lou mentioned earlier this week; proof for certain being the two-hop groundout to second in the third inning. But he's driving the ball, shooting line drives again, and backing off of some of those crummier sliders that he'd been fouling off before altogether. Fukudome went 3-4 last night -- and a sac fly -- with four RBI. Here's to hoping that he can continue to make those adjustments.
That said, there was no star last night; it was about as strong a team offensive effort as you'll see. Even Ted Lilly joined in, who sustained a five-run fifth inning with an RBI-single to center. Initially, I thought it was Pirates starter Jeff Karstens, yanked after a four-run third inning in favor of Jason Davis. An Aramis Ramirez three-run homer was the catalyst, making the game 5-0, and pretty much ending it right there. I'm looking to see Jeff shutdown sometime soon, because he didn't look well at all. Not only was he having no success in finding the release point on his breaking pitch, but seemed to use some extra torque to try and get some extra juice on the fastball. Not a good sign. Davis had even less success though, giving up another five runs to the Cubs, but in two innings of work.
The Pirates made it a bit closer with a two-run homer by Adam LaRoche in the 6th. Ted Lilly, got a bit hittable late, and the Pirates took advantage. Fortunately, with the bottom of the Pirates lineup due in the 7th, he was able to come back out, and go another quiet inning before giving way to a tolerable performance by Bob Howry, and a inning of work by Kerry Wood.
It was a good win, and a great way to start the road trip. Someone reminded me last night that after some very poor play on the road, the Cubs are now one game over .500 for the season, one of only five teams to be so. Interestingly three of the five are from the NL Central; Cubs, Brewers, and of course the Cardinals.
Oh, and congratulations to the Iowa Cubs, winners of the PCL American North division. The ballclub will to have to figure out how much they'll let the playoffs impact roster expansion, but seeing success across the organization like this is very encouraging. It says that you're doing things right, and that your success is likely to be sustainable. That's real good news for fans of an organization that made its way through the wilderness of baseball for way too long.