So close and yet so far

What a game for Zambrano. 4 RBI - including one of the most impressive home runs you'll ever see a pitcher hit, I think - and a no-hitter into the eighth (only to have it broken up by a guy who once struck out 187 times in a season and who had struck out earlier in the game). And then after giving up the hit and suddenly having two men on and just one out, he strikes out the next two guys.

Also good games: well, everyone. Womack was the only starter who didn't get a hit. Jones continued his torrid pace, going 2-for-4 with his 11th home run and 2 RBI. Cedeno was 2-for-4 and scored twice; ditto for Walker. Ramirez had a run-scoring double. Pierre got on base three times out of five and stole two bases, though he didn't cross the plate. Ohman pitched a perfect ninth. And would you believe that this Cubs lineup suddenly has four everyday players hitting over .300? Walker .312, Jones .310, Cedeno .307, Barrett .301. If you include Womack (though considering his limited sample size, you really can't), it's five.

The downside, if there has to be one: even though Len and Bob talked all night about how economical Zambrano was being with his pitches, he still ended up throwing 126 in 8 innings. Then again, it's hard to be a strikeout pitcher and not throw fairly high pitch counts, and you can't really complain after a game like that - but it's hard to watch Zambrano and not feel like if he could just find another level of control he would be unstoppable. Not that he hasn't pitched great over the last month or so, but I'm talking transcedentally good. Best-Cubs-pitcher-since-Three-Finger-Brown good. Because you see some of his stuff and it is just nasty, and you know no one can hope to hit it. And then he has a little breakdown and starts throwing balls like crazy. Pitchers with tempers have succeeded, but he could stand a more even keel. And I know he probably won't ever have that and I should stop thinking about it... but damn, he could be amazing if he could just settle down a bit.

Wood and Marshall the next two games. It may be overconfident to say it, but the way these two teams are playing right now, there's very little excuse for the Cubs not to get their first sweep since games 3, 4, and 5 of the season, over the Cardinals at Wrigley. These games are, it should not even need to be said, the most important of all - games against division rivals, and ones currently ahead of you at that. The Cubs aren't going to leapfrog three to four teams without beating them head-to-head, and with Houston down as they've been and still pre-Clemens, the Cubs must, must, must take advantage.