It’s always worth a celebration when the Cubs beat the evil Cardinals, especially following the disappointment of six consecutive losses in California.  There was no sign of a leisure suit at Wrigley Field this afternoon.  I’ve been pretty hard on the Cubs the past couple of posts (Old Sport Shorts: #98 and #101) and especially on the rookie, Ian Happ. Happ did get a hit today in the 3-2 Cubs victory.  I’m Happ-y for him!

Dexter Fowler was presented with his World Series ring in a ceremony prior to the game, and then proceeded to hit a home run in his first at bat against John Lackey.  It was only one of two hits off Lackey.  The Cardinals scored again in the second for a 2-0 lead, but it turned out to be their final run of the afternoon.  Lackey pitched well, but Strop got the win after Rizzo scored in the bottom of the 8th on Heyward’s sacrifice.  Wade Davis shut down the Cardinals in the 9th for the save. The Mighty Schwarber still continues to struggle (see post #64)

The bleeding has finally stopped, and hopefully the Cubs can continue their momentum.  They need to sweep this series to solidify their wavering dominance over their rival and claim the top spot in the division.  The leading Brewers match up against the Dodgers this weekend, so a couple more Cubs wins could seal the deal.

The White Sox just fell behind the Tigers in the first inning of their series opener.  I’m still hoping for a rematch of the 1906 World Series.  Ty Cobb and the Tigers were on the short end of the back-to-back Cub Championships of 1907 and 1908.  It was a long time ago, I know, but after last year’s Cubs World Series victory, anything is possible!

Cubs win….Cubs win….Fly the W