Tired of being nice guys, the Cubs reached deep down and found some long-lost anger on Monday in a 12-3 win over St. Louis at Wrigley Field.
They came into their one-game homestand having lost five of seven games, including two of three to a Pittsburgh team that was going nowhere fast.
According to Ted Lilly, who equaled his career high with his 15th win, the plane ride back to Chicago on Sunday night for the makeup game against the Cardinals was not a pleasant experience.
“After losing the game in Pittsburgh, a lot of guys were upset about it, and it kind of rolled over into today’s game, and they definitely took it out on the pitching today,” Lilly said.
Lilly pitched seven strong innings Monday to improve to 15-7. He is now 9-1 with a 3.79 earned-run average in 16 starts following a Cubs loss.
The Cubs moved back into a first-place tie with Milwaukee, 9-0 losers in Pittsburgh, as they headed to Houston to continue their interrupted road trip.
Third-place St. Louis, which has lost four in a row and six straight road games, is four games back as it heads to Cincinnati for a three-game series.
“This week here in Houston and St. Louis is going to tell a lot in this division,” manager Lou Piniella said. “I know these guys want it. I can tell you that. Let’s hope we’re up to the challenge.”
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CUBS HITS
Carlos Zambrano revealed Monday at Wrigley Field that he has changed his pregame approach in order to keep his focus on the field. “I’ve been listening to Latin soft music, more relaxing music,” he said.
– Mark DeRosa was hit on the left elbow by a Brian Falkenborg pitch in the fifth inning, and the swelling might keep him out of Tuesday’s game at Houston.
– The Cubs went over the 3 million mark in attendance Monday for the fourth straight season, and they did it in only 75 home games. It’s the fastest they’ve reached that plateau after going over 3 million on the 77th home dates in 2004 and ’06.
