Round 2: Big Z dominates

In the battle in Milwaukee, so far it's Cubs 2, Brewers 0.

Carlos Zambrano did indeed hold his emotions in check last night, save for the bat he broke in two after failing to get down a bunt; he did single in a run later though. Anyway, he was unhittable on the mound, throwing eight shutout innings as the Cubs increased their NL Central lead to three games.

Aramis Ramirez came out of his post-All-Star break funk too, with four hits, including three doubles.

Now it's up to Ryan Dempster tonight and Rich Harden tomorrow afternoon to complete the sweep. And don't think the Brewers aren't worried about just such a scenario. I'm sure they thought they'd be up 2-0 with CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets throwing the first two games. But the Cubs matched the pitch-for-pitch, actually going one better, setting it up for Dempster and Harden.

The trade deadline is tomorrow. Rumors have the Cubs possibly going after some relief pitching, but with the emergence of Jeff Samardzija and the eventual return of Kerry Wood from that nagging blister, they should be OK. There's also talk of going after the Mariners' Raul Ibanez, which would be a great pickup -- though it might mean the end of the Jim Edmonds-Reed Johnson platoon in center.

Anyway, onward and upward. The Cubs have won three in a row overall. Let's make it four, then five, and throw some distance between the Cubs and Brewers. And I guess the Cardinals too.

One other interesting note: Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is now reportedly the favorite to end up as the owner of the Cubs when all is said and done. His bid for the team and Wrigley Field? A cool $1.3 billion.

God, please let this happen.

Cuban photo courtesy David Yellen

Round 1: Cubs

In one of the best games of the season, the Cubs finally beat the Brewers in a see-saw affair Monday night 6-4. Derrek Lee had three RBI, including the game-winner in the ninth that broke a 4-4 tie.

It was nice to see the Cubs' bats come alive, especially against a guy like CC Sabathia of the Brewers; kudos to making him throw 124 pitches in seven innings. The bats started showing some life in Sunday's 9-6 win over the Marlins, so to see them carry those bats to a rocking Wrigley Field North is a good sign.

Note to Alfonso Soriano: Make sure the ball clears the wall before you start your home run trot. You could have been really embarrassed in the first inning if you hadn't gotten to second base for at least a double. Nice comeback, though, with a homer later in the game.

Round 2 is tonight with possibly the best pitching matchup of the season so far: Carlos Zambrano vs. Ben Sheets. Keep your emotions in check, Carlos, and you'll be just fine.

Oh, and the picture of Lou blowing his top was from Sunday's game when he and first-base coach Matt Sinatro both got tossed for arguing a close call at first. Lou said he got tossed just for asking first base umpire Rob Drake "Why are you so antagonistic?" My question is, why aren't umpires held accountable for their actions (other than the Milton Bradley case from late last season)?

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Piniella photo courtesy AP

Cubs vs. Brewers

Well, the Cubs survived the weekend invasion of the Fish, winning Sunday 9-6 to split the four-game series. Good thing -- the Milwaukee Brewers had actually moved into a tie for first with the Cubs on Saturday, but lost to the Astros on Sunday to give the Cubs a one-game lead in the NL Central.

Next up? A four-game series starting tonight in Milwaukee between the top two teams in the National League. CC Sabathia (how silly does he seem for dropping the periods?) faces Ted Lilly tonight in a battle of lefties. Tomorrow night's game features Carlos Zambrano against Ben Sheets. Now that should a game to watch.

The Cubs' offense seemed to be in a bit of a funk until yesterday, but Alfonso Soriano, Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez seem to be coming out of it at just the right time. And how about that catch Jim Edmonds made to the end the game yesterday, giving Jeff Samardzija his first major league save? Not to mention mighty-mite Mike Fontenot winning the game with a three-run double.

Speaking of Samardzija, what a debut for the Notre Dame guy who gave up a football career to play with the Cubs. And with Kerry Wood still fighting that blister, Samardzija has been nothing short of a Godsend.

So, it's on to Wrigley North. Miller Park in Milwaukee is going to be rocking for the next four nights. Man, I wish I was going to be there...

Big whoop

So the Brewers trade for C.C. Sabathia, who since he's gotten so big for his britches now wants to be known as CC, sans the periods.

Who cares? The Cubs one-upped the Brewers the next day, trading for A's pitcher Rich Harden, arguably the best pitcher in the American League at the time, even better than Sabathia.

What's nice is that Harden is under the Cubs control through the '09 season while Sabathia has said he's going to test the free-agent market after this season. I hope Brewers fans don't get too caught up in "CC mania." Ah, what the heck -- go ahead. It won't do any good anyway.

The Cubs got rid of a couple of turds in the process -- Matt Murton and Eric Patterson (Corey's brother). They also traded pitcher Sean Gallagher, the key to the trade for the A's. Can't blame them. I think Gallagher's going to be something special within a couple of years.

But if Harden leads the Cubs to the promised land, Gallagher will just be an afterthought when all is said and done. And the Brewers will be lamenting the guy that got away, promising young slugger Matt LaPorta.

Wouldn't want it any other way.

Harden photo courtesy Getty Images