Three Soriano homers lead Cubs' rout of Reds

Hey they won!
And the bullpen only gave up 8 runs in the final two innings... that's a start.
Remember - these are the Reds... but a win is a win.
Onward.

Come on now where are all the haters at?? The cubs won, and hit 5 homers... told you the best lineup 1-8.... the bullpen was a little shaky, but Marquis did great....

Bullpen was more than "a little bit shaky." But a win is a win and it's going to come down to how we play the Brewers in the 6 games. That's really all that matters. Loved seeing Hoff in there! Go Cubs!

Wurst squirts...but a win is a win. Only 3.5 in front of the Brewsters...we gotta play them SIX times...we need to "W" out and have a fine cushion for the final three games.

PS: SorryAno is STILL a Lazy Bum! But them sure were some nice dingers!~

Hey Tribune, the final score was 14-9..
Good I can start breathing again
Go Cubs Go!

There are no haters here. Only loyal Cub fans who will take a win any day over a loss. But I am still very dismayed at the inconsistent performance. Players were teeing up only after they got a big lead. The jury is still out on how some of these players will respond in tight situations, where I fear the most. There are far too many inconsistent players with lapses in concentration and performance. Ramirez was prime example tonight, swinging at pitches 2 feet out of the strike zone and in the dirt, in non-stressed situations. I still question what these guys think sometimes (pitches they take vs. pitches they swing at).
And the bullpen tonight? Pure evidence that this team really needs to put the screws on certain things, fix it up, and stop playing games. There are people on this team that just do not belong (Blanco, Howry, Wuertz, etc.), and players that are far too unpredictable (Soriano, Ramirez, Lee, Fukudome, etc.).
Until I see a continuous, reliable strength in character, pitch selection (plate discipline), fielding, base-running, execution and relief pitching, I will always doubt.
After all, I have 40 years of dreadful experience in which I have seen the Cubs unbelievably snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Over and over and over again. And I am running out of years to keep saying "wait 'til next year"!!
I will only believe when I see. Cuz that's all what the Cubs have really left their fans with. Just do it baby!

Well, again: the Cubs just need to play 0.500 ball to win the division and the best record in the NL. I just cannot see Milwaukee going 14-6 in their last 20 games!

Of course, playing to face Manny in the first round might not be a treat: he can carry a team for 3 days!

Joey M wrote:

But I am still very dismayed at the inconsistent performance. Players were teeing up only after they got a big lead.

This is logically contradictory! If they were not "teeing up" until after they got the big lead, then how did they get the big lead?

Besides, it is tougher to hit once you relax than it is when you are tense. If this were not the case, then players would not take amphetimines (which make you even more high strung and antsy than coffee) to improve their hitting: they would take valium instead!

So, what really was good about tonight's game was the opposite: even after they Cubs grabbed a lead, they stayed intense and kept piling on the runs. Sure, the pitchers probably got a little sloppy because of it (pitching is very different from hitting!), but even so, no lead is safe in a bandbox like Cinci's!
The really differences between tonight's game and the last few games were something else, namely:
1) getting guys into scoring position with no outs;
2) getting a lot of extra base hits.
In prior games, the Cubs were not getting enough doubles and HR, and by the time they hit two singles to get a guy into scoring position, there already were two down.

Joey M wrote:

Until I see a continuous, reliable strength in character, pitch selection (plate discipline), fielding, base-running, execution and relief pitching, I will always doubt.

Um, the Cubs have been by far the MOST consistent team in baseball this year for all of these criteria. A team does not seal a winning record by late August or outscore the opposition by 170+ runs by playing inconsistently. I'm not sure to what hypothetical team you are comparing them (the 1998 Yanks, maybe?) but it is no team in the NL! MAYBE the BoSox are like this when they are healthy, but their health is pretty inconsistent!

14 runs on 18 hits is a great way to hit out of a team batting slump. Giving up 7 runs on 6 hits in the last 2 innings is not exactly the way the bullpen should have responded. Sorry, we still have problems. Milwaukee only won by a run. The other team got zero.

Yah, you should wait until the game is over to report the score.

Anyone else think this new web site is poor substitute for chicagosports.com ? It wasn't broke, so why did they try to fix it?

Lumping "better-to-Wuertz" with the rest of bullpen isn't exactly fair. We all know the guy stinks, which is precisely why he was sent down to AAA. Wuertz was put in as filler plain and simple, and his outing should not reflect on the quality of the rest of the bullpen. It's not as if we'd ever see him in the playoffs anyway (thank god!).

Samardzija on the other hand stunk it up all right, but DLee's error didn't help and perhaps would have averted the additional runs from ever scoring.

The important takeaway from tonight's game was Marquis. He'll be a much needed insurance policy come playoff time, especially given the current state of Big Z and Harden.

!!!!!!!!!!YAY!!!!!!!!!! Cubs WON!!!!!!!!!! Who do we get rid of today??? There must be very unhappy Cub fans somewhere!

After 142 games the Cubs are ahead of Milwaukee by 4 games and ahead of Philadelphia by 7.5 games for a potential Wild Card spot. Last year after 142 games the Cubs trailed the Brewers by 1 game and were 5 games out of a Wild card spot. Lou didn't panic last year and won't this year.

Note to Tribune: a baseball game does not end after the 8th inning.

Is anyone who posts here a former pitcher. How is it that one comes in with a 9 run lead and can not throw
a strike. It just boggles my mind. Note to Jeff S and M. Wuertz..the goal is to let them hit the ball to your defense.

This cub team is back on track. What an offensive showing!! Bad relief, but better is coming in days ahead. This is, by far, the best cub team ever, there will be no September Swoon. The GOAT is gone!!!
What could possibly go wrong?

Why does the set-up guy Marmol, who already has a jaw-dropping 77 innings pitched, need to be used with a 9-RUN LEAD IN THE NINTH? Dumb. Wuertz isn't the greatest, but he's not going to give up 9 runs in the 9th. Loo, the so-called steady hand, pushed the panic button. The old fool's lost and needs a map of his bullpen.

Cubs win! That's all that matters. However, I will not take my goat from his perch on the cabinet above my toilet (where he's been since last year's debacle in AZ) until they win the first round of playoffs. Then he goes on top of the TV where he belongs.

Cubsteve wrote:

<quoted text>
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WHAT AN IDOIT! Soriano, Ramirez, Lee, Fukudome, far too unpredictable??? Duh Dummmy...ever read the back pf a base ball card? you know this guys stas ..production of the last 4 years? This YEAR?...Go away foolish little boy uninformed and uneducated Loud mouth

Tnank you for your "baseball" perspective. In fact, baseball cards show AVERAGE statistics accumulated over time. They don't show streakiness, or unpredictabiity. You really shouldn't accuse others of being "little boys" while you display the emotional maturity of a 6-year old yourself. Being disrespectful and calling people names because you disagree with their opinions does not reflect well on your character or your baseball knowledge. And, bye the way, the Cubs are a good team, but they do have some issues that could come back to bite them in the playoffs.