No letting up for Cubs
June might be too early for the first-place Cubs to watch the scoreboard but not the clubhouse television.
A few hours before they swept the White Sox with a 7-1 victory Sunday, the National League Central leaders went about their normal pregame routines while the interleague contest between the second-place Cardinals and Boston played out on the big screen.
The game drew only passing attention from Cubs players until St. Louis pinch hitter Adam Kennedy, down to his final strike in the top of the ninth, laced a double off the center-field wall against Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon to tie the game at 3-3.
Kennedy's dramatic hit brought a momentary halt to the card game being played by Geovany Soto and Henry Blanco, it made Michael Wuertz shake his head in amazement, and it made Ted Lilly do a 180 to investigate what had so captured his teammates' attention.
"Look, you have to be somewhat impressed with the fact that they've hung in there quite well," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said of surprising St. Louis a short while later.
Though the Red Sox eventually defeated the Cardinals 5-3 in 13 innings, the fact that St. Louis nearly swept the defending World Series champions at Fenway Park provided a stark reminder as to why the Cubs can't be satisfied after sweeping the White Sox, particularly with only a 4-game lead on June 24.
"This team isn't getting too high," first baseman Derrek Lee said after the sweep. "We understand there's a long way to go. We saw Milwaukee jump out to a great start last year, but we were able to come back and catch them. We have to keep grinding it out. There's still three months to go in the season."
Included in those three months are 12 more games against the Cardinals, whose record of 44-33 is better than division leaders Philadelphia (42-35) and Arizona (39-37).
St. Louis has thrived without injured starting pitchers Chris Carpenter and Mark Mulder, thanks to the unexpected success of Kyle Lohse (9-2, 3.63 ERA), Todd Wellemeyer (7-2, 3.67), Braden Looper (8-5, 4.10) and Joel Pineiro (2-3, 3.86).
The success of this year's patchworked rotation only adds to the reputations of St. Louis manager Tony La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan as career revivers.
"Those guys let you battle through some tough times," said Jason Marquis, who pitched for La Russa and Duncan for three seasons. "They see the big picture, not the little picture of one, two or three starts. They see what a guy can do over the course of a season and they see what kind of stuff he has. They've done a good job over there."
"They're very consistent and they're good at what they do," said Jim Edmonds, who played for La Russa for eight seasons. "Consistency is the key. It's the same every day: push, push, push. Then, during the game if they score some runs early, they say, 'We've still got a lot of innings to play. Don't get complacent.'
"A big part of (La Russa's) day is baseball, and he just hammers it home every day. It kind of gets into your system."
The Cardinals have stayed on the Cubs' tail despite stints on the disabled list for slugger Albert Pujols, closer Jason Isringhausen and starting pitcher Adam Wainwright.
However, the Cardinals are getting healthier. Isringhausen was activated June 14, Pujols is expected back from a calf strain Thursday, and Mulder is expected to make his first start since 2006 this weekend at Kansas City.
A 4-game lead won't feel like much of a cushion in September, when the Cubs play 16 of their last 25 games on the road, including the final seven at New York (4) and Milwaukee (3). Despite a 32-8 record at Wrigley Field, the Cubs sport an unimpressive 16-20 mark away from home.
"We've struggled a little bit on the road so far this season, but maybe by then we'll be playing a little bit better baseball on the road," veteran pitcher Jon Lieber said. "You just have to kind of look at it that way."