Ramirez slam kicks off final stretch

By Steven Chaitman | Aug 29, 11:55 AM

What a fitting beginning to the Cubs' most difficult stretch of the season: September. Yes, I'm considering it an entire stretch, because from here until whatever happens in October, it doesn't get easier than one three-game series with the Reds. The set-up is climactic: the Cubs have played their best baseball (19-6 with three games in August remaining) going into September, with a tough schedule and a curse hanging over their heads. That's Cub baseball.

This month, the Cubs have shoved the Cardinals down to 10 games back, seen the Brewers still drag along at 6 games back, and reclaimed the best record in baseball. I suppose, however, that if you're the best team in the NL right now, you should have the best record in baseball, because your competition at this point is very, very bad. Even Scott Miller of Sportsline.com just wrote a very blunt article suggesting the Cubs should just be put in the World Series now. http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/story/10951107

Of course with the month of September left and a schedule that features the "best of the NL" which is a very relative term with over half their remaining games on the road, no true Cub fan is saying anything about anything being in a bag.

September features 12 games against the Brewers and the Cardinals alone. That's as many home games as the Cubs have left all season. Then there's two series against the Astros, who though 16 games back are remarkably one of the 8 teams in the National League over .500. The final week of the season? Since the schedule was released, the schedule analyst people have been eyeing that road trip of 4 at Shea against what will surely be a playoff-hungry Mets team in a close race and 3 at Miller Park (if the Brewers don't have the Wild Card locked up already).

But let's start with the Phillies. The Cubs won in what I felt would be their toughest matchup in the series. They managed to get another lefty they can't figure out in Cole Hamels off the mound and drilled the Phillies relievers. Even when Dempster is off, the Cubs take him out, shut the Phillies down with their bullpen and then find a way to take charge offensively. You have to love this team.

The Cubs should be able to take at least two more in a series, but any four-gamer against a team as solid as the Phillies is going to be tough to sweep, as much as the Cubs have built up yet another little streak. Rich Harden should continue being lights out and considering how he pitched against the Phillies in interleague play when he was with the A's, he should ward off former teammate Joe Blanton who has made some good starts of late. After that it gets hard to say. Ted Lilly's track record against the Phils isn't that good, which is no surprise as Ted usually gets pounded by longball teams. Then the Cubs see another lefty in the final game with Jamie Moyer taking the mound against a struggling Carlos Zambrano, which hurts to say but it's true. Mostly, I firmly believe if the Cubs' bullpen can stay as dominant as they've been in August, the Cubs will always have a shot.

Tagged: Cubs