Quade's faith in Cubs' 'kids' pays off
It's hard to call what the Cubs have had so far this season as “success.”
With a 9-5 victory Wednesday night over the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park, they improved their record to an even 6-6.
That screams mediocrity, which is exactly what the Cubs have achieved.
Looking for anything to build on, manager Mike Quade didn't mess with his own version of success.
That meant something a little bit different and something the same with the lineup in the series finale.
With the Astros throwing left-hander Wandy Rodriguez, Quade went with an all right-handed lineup except for Tyler Colvin in right field.
Quade kept his two “kids,” shortstop Starlin Castro and second baseman Darwin Barney, at the top of the lineup. Usually against lefties, Quade bats second baseman Jeff Baker first.
Baker was in the lineup, but he was batting fifth and playing first base in place of the slumping Carlos Pena.
“I like the two kids at the top,” Quade told reporters. “They're having fun there, they're playing well.”
Pena came into the game 1-for-11 against left-handed pitchers. He also has been nursing a sore left thumb, an injury suffered on the first homestand of the season.
“They put on a solid guard on his thumb,” Quade said. “It might be strange dealing with, but he wants to play. He makes no excuses, and I love that, too.”
The “two kids” continued to impress, helping to save the Cubs from themselves late in the game after starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano let the Astros back in it.
The Cubs got a 2-run double from Baker and a 3-run homer from Alfonso Soriano in a 5-run first inning. Zambrano hit the 22nd homer of his career, a towering blast to left-center, in the sixth to make it 6-0.
Quick as you can say “laugher,” Zambrano was out of the game in the bottom of the inning, giving up 5 quick runs.
The Cubs got their insurance largely because of Castro (3-for-5) and Barney (2-for-4) in the ninth. Castro singled and stole a base. The Cubs have 2 stolen bases this year, and Castro has them both.
Barney followed with a hit to left-center. Not only did Barney drive in Castro, but he used of his good field awareness to scamper into second with a double. An error and a hit put things away.
Zambrano, despite the shaky finish, improved to 2-0 (with a 6.11) ERA with his 10th overall win dating to last season.
For their parts in preserving the win, Zambrano might want to thank those “two kids.”