Inconsistent Cubs blast Angels with 18-hit effort
A 12-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday was all well and good for the Cubs.
But manager Lou Piniella was looking for some things his team could build on after enduring so many false starts this season.
He said he saw a few of them as the Cubs tied a season high with 18 hits and Carlos Zambrano worked 7 strong innings to help the Cubs salvage one game in this three-game interleague series at Wrigley Field.
"The key was scoring runs and taking leads in the game and then adding on to it," said Piniella, whose team improved to 31-38 after a disappointing 4-5 homestand. "But I saw a lot of good things out there today. First of all, Carlos. This was his best game since we put him back in the rotation.
"And (Ryan) Theriot, this is what we've been waiting to see for a while. He drove the ball hard to left field. He had good, solid bats. Derrek Lee had a real good game offensively."
Piniella talked last week of building on "solid rock" after the Cubs took two of three from the Athletics. That looked like just another rockslide for the Cubs, who lost the first two games against the Angels.
The Cubs are talking bravely in the clubhouse, but they've seen this before.
"I wish it happens every day," said center fielder Marlon Byrd, who had 2 doubles and 2 runs out of the leadoff spot. "I said yesterday, you throw that one (a 12-0 loss) out and start all over, come out today and try to get some runs. We put it all together today. That's the type of game we want to play."
The Cubs enjoyed their first double-digit scoring game since they beat the Reds 14-7 on May 7. This one was over fast, with the Cubs scoring twice in the first, twice in the second and four times in the third to chase lefty Joe Saunders.
Lee had a sacrifice fly in the second inning and a 2-run double in the third on the way to a 4-RBI game. Theriot scored runs in the second and third on his way to a 3-for-4 game, which included an RBI double.
Zambrano (3-5) did the rest, giving up 8 hits and the 1 Angels run while contributing 2 singles and an RBI.
"I tell you what, he had better velocity," Piniella said. "He had good movement. He used his breaking ball a lot more than he had in his last three games."
It was Zambrano's fourth start since he returned to the rotation June 4 after his bullpen exile.
"I felt good today," he said. "My sinker was good today. I threw a lot of sinkers. ... When I have my good sinker, I know it's tough to hit that pitch."
Like everybody else on the Cubs, Zambrano said the Cubs need to start doing what they did Sunday consistently. Until then, they insist they've not given up the fight, uphill as it might seem.
"We're very optimistic," Byrd said. "There's no give-up on this team. We've shown that. We could have rolled over today and come out (and gone through) the motions. We came out and played baseball the way it's supposed to be played."
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