Thank you Aaron Harang, again

Last night the Cubs bounced back from what I would call a demoralizing loss on Sunday night to the bastard Marlins with a 4-2 win over the familiar punching bag known as the Cincinnati Reds. Is it just me or have the Cubs owned the Reds recently? If I am not mistaken, this was four wins in a row against them, and two in a row against Aaron Harang. Harang actually did not pitch too poorly last night, the lone mistake he made was leaving a ball up in the zone against Mike Fontenot, who promptly launched it into the right-center bleachers, making the game 3-0 in the 2nd. That was really all the Cubs would need last night. Other than this, Harang was solid, he struck out 10 Cubs hitters: Alfonso Soriano twice (not surprising), Derrek Lee twice, and Koyie Hill THREE times (a few looking too). Some games, Hill looks like he has no intention of swinging the bat, like a pitcher, and just takes a ton of pitches to wear out the opposing pitcher, last night was one of those games. However, I am not really alarmed over the number of K's last night, Harang is among the league leaders in that category each year. Lee did come through with a clutch double in the 8th to score Fukudome, making the game 4-0, the Cubs could have done more that inning, but as usual they did not. Also, it was nice to see Fontenot step up and have a big game, he has really struggled lately, and I have been very critical of him on this site and others, last night's HR was BIG!

What can I say about Randy Wells? The guy is the man, seriously: 7.1IP, 6H, ER, 2BB, 5K. The only run he allowed came in the 8th, when he gave up a solo HR to Alex Gonzalez (not the former Cub). Seriously, I did not think Gonzo was capable of hitting one out, the pitch was a mistake, a little bit of a hanger. But that was the only blunder in an otherwise dominant performance, on National TV mind you. This game just did wonders for Wells' Rookie of the Year chances. ESPN was really kissing his ass after the game, noting that he has the most wins among MLB starters since June 21st, with 8. That is 8 straight wins for Wells, imagine what his record would be had he gotten any run support during his first couple of starts this season. With Colby Rasmus no longer an everyday player, Wells could run away with the ROY if he continues to pitch well. Wells improved his record to 8-4, 2.73 ERA. Basically Wells is pitching as well as Ryan Dempster did last year, while Dempster has struggled mightily this season. Hopefully Demp can revert to form (although I am highly skeptical) and give us a strong rotation down the stretch this season, making the Cubs a force to be reckoned with.

The bullpen last night was entertaining to say the least. Newly acquired, John Grabow, came in to finish the 8th and beaned the first batter he faced, Joey Votto, a lefty mind you. This was just a typical Cubs play, bringing in the lefty to face the other team's best hitter (also a lefty) and he plunks him on the first pitch. Then to top it off, he gets Brandon Phillips to ground into a double play to end the inning. Then in the 9th, Carlos Marmol made things really interesting: walking the lead-off hitter (as always), strikeout, single, flyout, RBI double, groundout. Marmol escaped allowing only one run and got his 4th save of the season. I guess this performance will quiet all of the Anti-Kevin Gregg people out there, for now. Marmol has been erratic all season and I really do not expect it to change. I can handle his ups and downs and most Cub fans should be able to as well, I mean two of our best closers ever were Mitch "Wild Thing" Williams and Rod Beck, both of whom always kept things interesting. It is the end result that matters and Marmol indeed got the save. Despite all of his wildness this season, there is no one else in our bullpen I would rather have out there with the game on the line than Marmol.

Additionally my friend Steve and I tried a new bar to watch the Cubs game, we chose Nick's Beer Garden in Wicker Park on Milwaukee Ave. Their special was $5 PBR can & "well" shot, we chose Vodka, and did multiple rounds. Not a bad deal at all, we were getting drunk quickly, and well vodka is not that bad, it was definitely better than the tequila I was about to try, before Steve stopped me. The rest of the patrons were as interesting as the game: the guy sitting next to us was in his mid-50's and a total bozo. He went through more than a whole bottle of Pinot Grigo by himself, what man drinks Pinot Grigio, at a bar? I could tell he was a complete ass due to the fact that he said he loves to "You-Tube Steve Goodman" and listen to songs about the pain and joy of being a Cubs fan. For those who do not know, Goodman is the writer of the song "Go-Cubs-Go", a song that I, and most of my friends detest. Also, this gentleman looked exactly like the Public Access Producer in Wayne's World and was wearing a Hawaiian shirt, generally a good sign that you are a weirdo. That guy probably went to McDonalds on his way home and cried over a double cheeseburger. Other than that guy, there were two women making out near the pool table for a solid hour or more. All the while the bartender had a sweet mix of Otis Redding and Sam Cooke going on her Ipod. Not my favorite place to watch a game, the place was not really designed to watch sports (they had the food network on when we came in), they only had two TVs, and no sound, but it was a good time nonetheless.

Up Next: Cubs vs Reds tonight at 6:10pm on CSN (Not WCIU, the Tribune gave me shotty information) and WGN Radio (my new way of taking in the games because my girlfriend doesn't have a TV). Tom Gorzelanny (3-1, 5.19 ERA) vs Johnny Cueto (8-8, 4.06 ERA). This is Gorzelanny's Cubs debut and I really do not know what to expect from the lefty tonight. He has not started in the majors since earlier in the season (April or May), was relegated to the bullpen, and has allegedly pitched well at Triple-A recently. Honestly, I do not expect much out him, I would take 5IP and 4ER, but who knows maybe he will go out there and throw a gem? Cueto is the Reds ace, escpecially since Edinson Volquez just got shut down for a year due to Tommy John Surgery. He was decent the last time we faced him and I am worried he is overdue for a strong start and the Cubs hitters have been a little weak the last two games. I guess we'll find out tonight, Go Cubs!