Don’t look now, but the Cubs’ starting pitching is beginning to look Braves-like.
Steve Trachsel shut down Colorado Wednesday in a 9-3 Cubs victory at Coors Field, giving Cubs starters a combined 1.63 earned-run average over their last eight games dating to Kerry Wood’s 20-strikeout one-hitter.
Is any National League team outside of Atlanta getting more out of its rotation these days?
“I’m not going near that,” Trachsel said. “St. Louis has got a couple of guys hurt. Houston has been doing really well.”
The Cubs rapped out a season-high 19 hits, including seven extra-base hits, to get out to a 3-0 record on their seven-game trip. It was the first Cubs victory at Coors since July 28, 1996. They were 0-6 in Denver last year.
Trachsel (4-1) retired the first 11 Rockies until Larry Walker reached on an infield single in the fourth. He wound up allowing two runs on five hits in eight innings. He has allowed three or fewer earned runs in each of his eight starts.
“I’ve always taken the approach that the day I pitch I’m the No. 1 guy,” Trachsel said. “On Thursday (Kevin) Tapani is the No. 1 guy.”
The Cubs had at least one hit apiece from everyone in the lineup, showing some rare balance throughout the order. Jose Hernandez homered and tripled and drove in two runs, Mickey Morandini added two doubles, Brant Brown and Scott Servais had three hits apiece and Henry Rodriguez and Sammy Sosa each added two RBIs.
Hernandez, subbing at short for the ailing Jeff Blauser, is hitting .321 since May 1, with three homers and seven RBIs.
“We got a lot out of the bottom part of the lineup tonight,” manager Jim Riggleman said. “We need to get that bottom part going.”
