Final Record: 75-87 (End of Season)
Games Behind First: 16 GB (Eliminated from Playoff Contention)
After a disappointing homestand to end the year, the Cubs went right back to their winning ways on the road. The season ended on a big positive as these two series again showed how the Cubs learned to win with pitching. Carlos Zambrano started on Monday night in San Diego to kick off the road trip. Matching up against Tim Stauffer, both threw zeros until Stauffer allowed an RBI single to Blake DeWitt for the only run of the game. Zambrano went seven giving way to Sean Marshall who struck out two with no baserunners in his inning, leaving it up to Carlos Marmol. Despite a walk and hit allowed, Marmol also struck out two to help him escape with save #35 on the season. With the loss the Padres moved out of the wild card lead, giving it up to Atlanta. The Cubs wouldn't make it any easier on them. Mat Latos and Ryan Dempster blanked their respective opponents through four until Kosuke Fukudome doubled home a run and Starlin Castro reached base on an infield single driving in a run. Dempster would give those runs right back to Nick Hundley who hit a two-run homer. Latos would give up a two-run homer himself the very next half inning to Alfonso Soriano to give the Cubs the lead once again. In the 8th Soriano homered again, a multi-homer game for his last homers of the 2010. Marmol, with a nice three run lead, got his 36th save. The Padres salvaged one game the next night to stay two games back in the NL West race, but it appeared to be very slim playoff chances for them at the time. The Cubs were blanked by Chris Young and others, Young making his first start since early in the season. The Padres got three off Randy Wells who finished the season 8-14. Tom Gorzelanny blanked the Pads through six in his last start so did Jon Garland in his. The game amazingly remained scoreless until the 9th when rookie Brad Snyder hit an opposite field single to take the lead, 1-0, off All-Star closer Heath Bell. Bell got the loss and Marmol got the save, again. The Padres managed only three singles in the entire game. First baseman Adrian Gonzalez said postgame about the offense, "Man, it just hasn't been very good," understanding that he himself being a key part of the offense has not done enough as the Padres neared elimination.
The Houston Astros have been eliminated from playoff contention for quite a while, so there was no risk of being eliminated in this series. Casey Coleman got the start in the opener and helped himself with an RBI double, although the Cubs wouldn't even need that run. Welington Castillo's RBI double in the 2nd inning (everybody watch how well this kid swings the bat here) was the only run that mattered. Marmol, again, got the save. Marmol recorded his 38th and last save on this night, having saved all of the Cubs four wins on the trip so far. The Cubs lit up J.A. Happ so they wouldn't need Marmol, after Marlon Byrd knocked in three and Aramis Ramirez topped it all off with a grand slam making it 8-0. Zambrano finished his season with eight straight wins to go 11-6. He was flawless until the seventh, when the Astros got three for their only runs. The Cubs finished their season with a 4-0 shutout loss as Nelson Figueroa gave the Astros a great outing hoping to get a job next year. Ryan Dempster got a tough luck loss allowing all four runs, most notably a Carlos Lee blast into the Crawford boxes in left. Sam Fuld struck out looking to end the 2010 Cubs season on a fastball from Brandon Lyon, pretty pathetic if you ask me. A good ending overall for both of these clubs, they finished just a game apart in the standings. With that, the 2010 Major League Baseball season for the Cubs and Astros came to a close.
The Cubs season is now over with 75 wins, which is much more than it looked like they would have for most of the year. Yet another solid road trip for these Cubbies. I'm proud of how the team has played the last month and a half, but there is still a ton of work to do before we have a winner. For complete season ending coverage on the Cubs, log on to see the final 2010 In Review post, a jumbo post that will come out after the end of the World Series. For now here on the Cubs Insider blog, however, it's the postseason! Come on back for playoff coverage all October.
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