As the Cubs headed for the West Coast at the beginning of last week, I was relieved that they were able to win the last three games over the Rockies at home and get back to .500. I was honestly just hoping for a winning seven-game trip to Los Angeles and San Diego but they exceeded my expectations by going 6-1! They finished it off behind a great outing by Carlos Zambrano on Sunday and a 4-0 win over the Padres. They are currently alone atop the Wild Card standings (.5 game over Atlanta, 1 game over New York, Philadelphia, and Arizona, and 1.5 games over Los Angeles and Florida) and have the third-best record in the National League! Again, amazing considering where they were two weeks ago. Now they come home for another long homestand against Toronto, Boston, and Florida. Carlos Zambrano was quoted as saying that he doesn't want the Wild Card, but rather the division. As a fan, I feel the same way. Critics of the Wild Card claim it takes away the thrill of division races, but I don't think so, particularly if one team doesn't run away with it. The Cubs are currently 5.5 games behind the Cardinals for the lead. The Cardinals are a good team but certainly vulnerable, and this year most of the games between the two teams are in the second half.
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