Final Record: 46-59
Games Behind First: 13 GB
This season probably marks the end of the playoff hopes for the Cubs. With 57 games remaining and 13 games behind first, there is virtually no chance the Cubs can reach St. Louis and Cincinnati. This series saw the Cubs do a whole bunch of things wrong and it was quite ugly.
On Monday the Cubs continued on their semi-roll with a 5-2 win improving to 7-4 after the break. Carlos Silva, who had been just 1-4 in his last five decisions, got a win and Carlos Marmol closed it out after doubles by Geovany Soto, Marlon Byrd, and Alfonso Soriano collectively drove in four runs. The most notable scoring on the night, however, was when in the 6th Ryan Theriot, wearing his socks high for a change of pace, homered to left center. The homer was his first in 2010 and first since June 2009. The next night Ted Lilly made his last start as a Cub and sadly it was a loss even though he got a no-decision. Getting the worst run support in the major leagues, Lilly got none on this night while he was in and had to hang around for 5.2 innings before the Astros started scoring. The Astros got two in the seventh before Lance Berkman hit a grand slam to open it wide open. Being a face of the franchise for many years, that would be Berkman's last homer as an Astro before he was traded to the Yankees on Saturday. A Tyler Colvin homer was the only damage the Cubs could muster against Brett Myers who threw a complete game. Myers has been terrific for Houston, going at least six innings in every start this season. Surprisingly, he was not traded but rather will become the ace of the staff after Roy Oswalt's Thursday trade to the Phillies for J.A. Happ and other prospects. In the finale Randy Wells gave up three of the eight runs the Astros would score in the final three innings. Carlos Lee hit two homers, including one off the foul pole that sent the fans home with chicken due to a local promotion. The Astros took two of three.
Friday night in Colorado was all about making history. That meaning the Rockies scoring 12 in one inning. After an Ian Stewart homer that cleaned the bases obviously, the Rockies put up five more. 12 in total. 12! Rockies win 17-2. Carlos Gonzalez will remember the game Saturday night for his entire life, hitting a walk-off homer that completed the cycle. Impressively, the Cubs rallied to tie it at five from a huge Derrek Lee homer. However, the second Rockies cycle in as many years against the Cubs (Troy Tulowitzki did it last year) powered the Rockies to another win. Carlos Silva was removed in the first inning with an irregular heartbeat and that accurately describes the state of the Cubs right now. The Rockies got two in that inning before Blake DeWitt, the newest Cub, stepped in in the top of the 2nd. He hit an RBI double off the wall in right field, putting the Cubs on the board in his first Cubs at-bat. It was a blowout at 8-1 by the fifth in the Rockies' favor, but the Cubs put together a mad rally. Alfonso Soriano's solo homer in the 8th put the Cubs within four at 8-4 and the Cubs might have tied it in the 9th if not for Dexter Fowler, who stole Soriano from extra bases. Byrd scored on the sac fly anyway, but Soriano probably would have made third with the carom of the ball back the center field. Soriano would have been the tying run. The Cubs couldn't finish the rally, and were swept.
The only thing I was impressed with on this trip was their ability to rally showed in the last two games in Colorado. I am a big fan of that because it makes the other team uncomfortable. You don't want the other team to be able to sit back and relax and not worry if they make stupid mistakes. Also, this is a huge team confidence and morale builder even if the game is not won. Everything else about this trip was terrible. The playoff hopes, slim at the start of the trip, and now gone. I will make a post soon about the horrible trade that sent Ted Lilly and Ryan Theriot to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Blake DeWitt and two minor leaguers. I was quite sad at the deal and I was very surprised that Theriot was traded. To find out why, read the upcoming post which should be posted in anytime from tomorrow to a couple of days from now.
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