It was a weekend of surprising sweeps.  The White Sox were swept in Detroit – that’s the bad news.  The Brewers swept the Dodgers, to assure their division lead – more bad news.  The best news was was the Cubs sweep over the Cardinals, always worth writing about.  The rest of the day’s round-ball news was not good with both Indiana and Oregon eliminated from the college ranks.  Oregon State added anther bit of good news to the day with a victory over Yale and a big step towards a College World Series appearance.

I started writing this early, hoping not to jinx the team by jumping the gun.  Quite frankly I was satisfied with two wins – three was probably too much to ask.  The Cubbies caused immediate concern, as Kyle Hendricks continued to struggle early in game 3.  He had to hold on to eventually get the lead in the 5th.  Hector Rondon “replaced” him in the 6th and proceeded to allow the two lead runners to reach, followed by a wild pitch and a couple of solid hits.  The Cardinals tied it up.  It was indeed time for him to go, with a runner still in scoring position! Pedro Strop got the call, and cleaned things up for Rondon, before cruising through the 7th to eventually claim the win.

It was Ian Happ who made it all “Happ”- en.  I was not particularly kind to the rookie following back-to-back sweeps on the road (See #116: Ooooo), and began to make fun of his last name. I wrote my next post in an effort to say something positive about Happ (See: #116 Cubs Win). Regardless of the outcome of today’s game, I was determined to recognize Happ’s two home run, five RBI day.  His  timely homers countered Piscotty’s big blast that get things rolling for the Cardinal’s in the fourth inning.  I could really make fun of his name.

I enjoyed listening to David Ross, back in Wrigley following his “Dancing With The Stars.” fame.  He provided some great insight into the team, and was even able to get an interview with Jon Lester.   He than sang “Take Me Out to The Ballgame.”  The guy can sing and dance! Plus, the broadcast team was not confined to the lofty booth, but rather did their commentary  from the bleachers, where they seemed to more on the same level as the fans.

Anthony Rizzo made a base running error and was gunned down by Dexter Fowler, showing another way to haunt the Cubs.  Rizz then singled up the middle and Jason Heyward and Jon Jay did a little haunting of their own, reminding  Cardinals fans that they are now Cubs.  Heyward also made a sliding catch in the first that could have gone for extra bases.  Jay’s single scored Rizzo, with Heyward playing decoy, and the Cubs took a one-run lead, 7-6.  It was all they would need.

Two innings to go and the heart of the Cardinal order due to hit.  Carl Edwards Jr. took the mound in the 8th and immediately got the always dangerous Yadi Molina to ground out, makes a great grab of of Pham hot liner. and strikes out DeJong. Kogi Uehara gets the nod for the save, but has to get by Dexter Fowler after two quick outs.   Fowler strikes out and the Cubs win to claim the first sweep of the Cardinals since September 2010.

Go.  Cubs.  Go.  Fly the “W”