Seven is a not-so-lucky number
When the Cubs are playing ugly, I have to think of something nice. Marrisa Miller in a Cubs jersey doesn’t get much better. In fact, every time I look into her eyes I lose my train of thought. Wait, what just happened? Where am I? Woah.
Oh, that’s right, there was a game yesterday afternoon and the Cubs didn’t win it despite scoring seven runs. Really Chicago? Seven runs and you still can’t sweep the series? Was it because you didn’t get a few more insurance runs? Or maybe it was the seven home runs you gave up for the second time this season … to the Reds.
But you’re going to have those kind of nights every once in a while over the course of a 162-game season. I mean, I’m not perfect every day of the week. Take this morning for instance. I woke up expecting to enjoy my bowl of Fruity Cheerios this morning, only to be disappointed by the sight of an empty gallon of milk in the fridge. Why? Because I was the one who finished the gallon last night and was too lazy to buy more. Frankly, I’d much rather give up seven home runs. Not having cereal in the morning sucks.
Anyway, Milwaukee picked up a game in the standings, but its still four games behind Chicago while St. Louis is four and a half games out of first place. So the Cubs still have some breathing room. And if they put this last hiccup behind them, which they should since the game is at Wrigley, Chicago will be in great shape going into the break.
As for the game itself, the offense scored four or more runs for the fifth straight game and is 3-2 in those games after Thursday afternoon. Mike Fontenot and Ryan Theriot drove in two RBI each while Derreck Lee (who is taller than Fontenot and Theriot combined) drove in the team’s other earned run.
All Star Kosuke Fukudome went 0-fer Thursday evening and has been terrible at the plate in July. The foreign import is hitting just .171 this month and his batting average has dropped ten points in the process. What’s a little disheartening is that this is part of a trend for Fukudome this season. Since he hit the ground running in April, Fukudome has been slowing down to a leisurly walk, hitting progressively worse over the last three months. After hitting .305 in April, he had a slight drop in May (.293) and then a bit steeper drop in June (.264).
Could this be an indication that the National League has finally figured out the Japanese phenom? Possibly. It could also mean the grind of the season is taking its toll on the outfielder. He’s appeared in 87 of the team’s 92 games and has started 82 of them. He may not be leading the league in the category but I could see how the pressure of playing in another country would take more of a toll on him than a veteran player. Fukudome is also used to playing a 140-game schedule, so if fatigue is indeed the problem, Lou Piniella may be resting him more often during the second half of the season.
Hopefully the All Star break will be refreshing for the Cubs rightfielder. The last thing Chicago needs is a player hitting progressively worse as a tight pennant race rolls on.
