Cubs Alone in 1st

By Mike Maguire | Sep 14, 9:04 AM

As of September 14^th, 2007, the Chicago Cubs are all alone in first place in the NL Central.  There is a chilly bite in the Chicago morning air and the Cubs are in first place, and that is a statement that can’t be made every day.  As the Cubs head for St. Louis for the critical four game weekend set, they find themselves in the driver’s seat in the NL Central; for the Chicago Cubs and their nation of fans, life has certainly been a lot worse.

The Cubs vaulted a half game in front of the idle Brewers on the strength of their win on Thursday night in Houston, a game where the Cubs flexed some much needed muscle.  The Cubs scored 4 times before recording an out, thanks to a lead-off homer from Alfonso Soriano and a 3-run bomb from the Ram.  Both Daryle Ward and Cliff Floyd added homers as the game unfolded and the Cubs enjoyed a relatively easy victory over Woody Williams and the last place Astros.

Slowly but surely, the Cubs have seemingly rediscovered their power over the last couple of weeks.  The Cubs hit just 19 homers during the entire month of August but have already hit 20 during September.  Considering the fact that the Cubs were able to stay even down the stretch during a power outage, smart money says that if this power surge continues, it should be enough to put the Cubs over the top.

The look on Jacque Jones’ face after he robbed Luke Scott’s home run last night said it all.  This September, the Chicago Cubs have a reason to smile, and that is a refreshing change of pace.  The trick now is figuring out how to keep those smiles going into October.

The biggest series of the Cubs season starts tonight @ 7:10 in St. Louis.  If you are licking your chops over the Cards 7-game losing streak, don't kid yourself... it is never easy for the Cubs in St. Louis.  Thanks to the crafty deck-shuffling skills of Uncle Lou, the Cubs will get the party started with Carlos Zambrano (15-12, 4.26) facing the Cards most consistent starter, Adam Wainwright (13-10, 3.75). 

Ben Sheets is starting for the Brewers against the Reds tonight, so if Big Z likes the view from the top… he’s going to have to do something about it to stay there.