Cubs Fall Below .500 Again in 7-3 Loss to Dodgers

Once again, the Chicago Cubs fell below .500. They lost a game 7-3 and, as a result, lost the series to the Los Angeles Dodgers. In the process, pitcher Carlos Zambrano had his 10-game winning streak snapped. The Dodgers hit him early-five runs in the first inning. The Cubs can't seem to get above the break-even point and stay there.

Carrie Muskat has posted an article at the MLB.com website titled "Big Z tagged early as 10-game win streak ends."

Going into the game, Zambrano had an ERA of 2.08 to go with his 10-0 record. Of course, he did have some "no-decisions," so it is a tad misleading.

The Cubs played a little sloppy. They haven't been sharp all year and part of that may be attributed to the cold weather at Wrigley Field. Also, as Muskat reports, Darwin Barney had an error and Aramis Ramirez got thrown out overrunning second base.

Barney made mention of the fact and it was visible to fans that Zambrano said something to him after he made the error. Apparently "Big Z" told him to "keep his head up." While supposedly "supportive," that is one of the things I find annoying about Carlos Zambrano; he always seems to be concerned about the mistakes of others-he always has to call attention to them. Yet, he gave up five runs in the first inning. I guarantee no other players were commenting on that, good or bad.

The Cubs' record went to 10-11 while the Dodgers went a game up on .500 to 12-11. Should the Cubs win their next game against the Colorado Rockies tomorrow night, they will continue their MLB record of ongoing "even records," numbering from (currently) 1-10-such as 1-1, 2-2, 3-3...

Hiroki Kuroda (3-2, 3.21 ERA) got the win for the Dodgers while Zambrano's record dipped to 2-1 for the year and his ERA jumped all the way to 5.26 from 2.08.

The next series with the Rockies is going to be a big one. Colorado is 14-7 and remains one of the hottest teams in the league. I felt the Cubs were lucky to get a game from them when they were in Colorado.

Chicago is a hot sports town right now, what with the Cubs, White Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks all in action. The Blackhawks and Bulls are in the playoffs.

It is a Chicago sports fan's dream.

References:

MLB.com Website, Carrie Muskat, "Big Z tagged early as 10-game win streak ends"

MLB.com Website, "Standings"