12 Runs, 3 Homers and 1 Broken Foot

Wednesday afternoon’s game against the Astros was one of the more satisfying in a long time for the Cubs.  That’s how it usually is when you get up 6-0 on a team in the first inning then go on to thump them 12-0, hitting three homers in the process, and basically looking like the best baseball squad to come along since Abner Doubleday or whoever the hell invented baseball, invented baseball.

The game was already pretty much over when Alfonso Soriano jacked a 3-run first inning tater off Mike Hampton, who I honestly thought had retired several years ago.  And at least one guy on the Cubs wishes the game had actually been called right then:  Reed Johnson.  Mr. Johnson would end up fouling a ball off his foot later in the contest, breaking it, and landing himself on the DL for probably the next month.

Johnson’s loss hurts the Cubs’ outfield depth and overall scrappiness, but it’s obviously not as bad as losing Aramis Ramirez.  And speaking of Rammy:  ever since declaring he wasn’t going to try to hit homers because he knew his stroke wasn’t there, he has been doing nothing but hitting homers.  He bounced one off Waveland in the second yesterday – another jack off poor old Mike Hampton – and now has 9 on the season.

The Cubs now find themselves 1/2 game behind the Cardinals in the Central, and 3 1/2 up on the Astros.  The Cards and Cubs should continue to pull away from the pack, making this a two-team race down the stretch.