Cubs break out
The next three weeks should show if the Cubs have enough offense to win the National League Central.
Will the Cubs continue to scratch out a run here and a run there as they have been doing of late, or will there be more days like Monday, when they put the hurt on the St. Louis Cardinals to the tune of 17 hits in a 12-3 rout at Wrigley Field?
"You can't make a big deal out of this game because it's just one game, but hopefully we keep doing it," said third baseman Aramis Ramirez, who helped lead the way with 2 home runs and 2 doubles. "We can do it. We have the talent in here and the guys capable of doing what we did today."
The Cubs regained a share of the Central lead as the visiting Milwaukee Brewers lost 9-0 to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
No bats are more important to the Cubs' playoff chances than those of Ramirez and first baseman Derrek Lee, who had 3 hits himself, including a double and home run.
It was Lee's leadoff homer in the fourth that ignited a 5-run inning to snap a 1-1 tie.
"We swung the bats really well today and hopefully that jump-starts us and we can continue to put a few runs on the board," Lee said. "Our bats have been a little quiet the last few days so hopefully this gives us a little confidence."
Starting pitcher Ted Lilly probably didn't need 12 runs the way he was throwing Monday. Lilly worked 7 innings and allowed only 3 runs on 5 hits while striking out seven to win his 15th game of the season.
And if that wasn't enough, he also delivered an RBI double in a 5-run fourth inning that had manager Lou Piniella wondering where that kind of offensive production has been lately.
After Lee started the inning with a home run, Ramirez homered one out later. Then came a single by Mark DeRosa and consecutive doubles by Jacque Jones, Jason Kendall and Lilly to knock out Cardinals starter Joel Pineiro (4-3).
"Where's that 5-run inning been?" joked Piniella. "That was a thing of beauty. We hit the ball for power, we hit the ball in the gaps, we hit the ball with men in scoring position. That's really what we need.
"It's been a while since we put together a really good inning like that."
Now the Cubs are off to Houston for three games, then on to St. Louis for four with the Cardinals, who now have lost four straight to drop 3 games behind the Cubs.
Piniella views this as a week that could go a long way in determining what's going to happen in the division when the dust settles.
"A game like this today? Yeah, it can really get you going," Piniella said. "Let's hope it does. It was another strong game from Lilly, but today our hitters stepped it up and it was good to see.
"This whole week is going to tell a lot what happens in this division, it really is. I know these guys want it, I can tell you that. Let's hope we're up to the challenge."
Cubs 12, Cardinals 3
At the plate: Aramis Ramirez and Derrek Lee were quite the 1-2 punch for the Cubs. Ramirez had 2 home runs and 2 doubles while Lee went 3-for-5 with a homer to raise his average to .410 in September. It was the 25th time Lee and Ramirez homered in the same game as Cubs. Ron Santo and Billy Williams did it a team-record 64 times.
On the mound: Ted Lilly won his 15th game with 7 sharp innings that included no walks and 7 strikeouts. The 15 wins tied a career high and made him 9-3 at Wrigley Field. Bob Howry worked a perfect eighth inning.
-- Tim Sassone