Chicago Cubs Baseball

Now that the weekend series with the Washington Nationals is over, Chicago Cubs baseball can resume major league play.

But, like everything else that seems to enter the Cubs’ world, there’s a mixture of good and bad news.  Giving the worse first, the Cubs meet the defending World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies,  a team as solid from top to bottom as there is in the National League.

On the bright side, in playing the Phillies in a three-game set, there’s no better yardstick for the Cubs to measure themselves than facing a championship ball club.  There’s no better time than the present to find out whether there’s stagger or swagger left in these Cubs steps with a bit more than two months of baseball left.

Especially after the quadfecta the Cubs pulled off against Washington.  What Chicago accomplished was the equivalent of a beer pong shot that lands on top of four cups simultaneously.

And it carried as much impact as a hole-in-one on a Putt-Putt course.

How hapless are the Nats?  Aramis Ramirez cracked his first home run since returning from two months on the disabled list with a dislocated shoulder, and one day after telling reporters not to expect any display of home run power in the coming months.

If that wasn’t enough even Alfonso Soriano managed to break out of a 0-for-eternity home run slump to hit a pair of home runs in the weekend series.  And that after he dislocated his pinky finger sliding into first base in Thursday’s game.

As nice as those wins were, the Cubs needed a reality check.  Unfortunately, those in Cubdom quickly found out that reality bites.

Just one game into their series with Philadelphia, the Cubs came back to earth.  The landing wasn’t for the meek of spirit or the weak of heart.

The Phillies disposed of Chicago, 10-1, and made the Cubs’ lone all-star representative, Ted Lilly, look like he was a mercy pick.  The only thing missing from the pounding was Lilly slamming his glove to the ground ala NLDS 2007.

Regardless of the outcome of the remaining two games, there’s little doubt the Cubs needed this series.  With seven home games coming up against Central Division rivals, Chicago’s mettle and its mental states required a measuring stick.

And if the Phillies happen to sweep the Cubs?  Well, there’s always hope.  That’s something every Chicago Cubs fan is used to.