Lou Piniella and his crew head into the final month of play with the best record in the National League, and a chance to win 100 games for the first time since the 1935 team went 100-54. That year, the Cubs lost to the Detroit Tigers in six games in the World Series.
To get to 100, they'll have to win on the road, which hasn't been a problem in the second half. Sixteen of the Cubs' final 25 regular season games will be played away from Wrigley Field, including a season-ending series at Miller Park from Sept. 26-28 against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Since the All-Star break, the Cubs are 14-5 in their road grays, and one of four teams in the NL above .500 away from home (34-31). The others are Philadelphia, Milwaukee and St. Louis.
"I wouldn't worry about it," Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee said of the overload of road trips. "We have to play the game somewhere. I don't think we're too worried about it."
The Cubs have only one series against a team under .500 -- Sept. 5-7 at Cincinnati. They have to face NL East-leading New York from Sept. 22-25 at Shea Stadium, and deal with the Brewers, who lead the Wild Card, for six games. It won't be an easy month.
"We've got a month left of important games, and I like where we're at as a team," closer Kerry Wood said. "I like where the bullpen's at, I like the way our starters are throwing the ball, I like the way we're scoring runs. We have to stay healthy this last month."
The road does feel like home in some ballparks because of transplanted Chicagoans or Cubs fans who made the trip and can chant, "Let's go Cubbies" without prompting.
The offense has been clicking. They have three players with at least 20 home runs and two more at 18. Five players have at least 60 RBIs. The lineup, top to bottom, has contributed. On Aug. 28 against the Phillies, for example, the Cubs trailed 4-1 in the eighth, pinch-hitter Mike Fontenot led off with a home run, and Aramis Ramirez followed with a grand slam. If Ramirez keeps that up, he'll be one of the leading MVP candidates.
"He's not going out there and hitting his home runs when we're up by five or six or down by five or six," Cubs pitcher Bob Howry said of Ramirez. "He's coming up in big situations. They're huge."
All the Cubs have come up big. They lead the Major Leagues in run differential, and -- perhaps the most improved stat from the last several years -- they're first in on-base percentage.
"Some days, we're going to put up 14 [runs], and some days we might only put up enough to win," Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster said, "but it seems like there's always that threat, there's always the fear that we can come back at any time."
The Cubs' rotation got a boost with the addition of Rich Harden, acquired July 8 from Oakland. The right-hander, though, is being given 10 days' rest between starts to freshen his arm. Carlos Zambrano also was given an extra day, as was Dempster.
Reed Johnson, added at the end of Spring Training, has been a contributor, as has Jim Edmonds, who knows a thing or two about postseason play. Plus, the addition of callups like hot-hitting Micah Hoffpauir will allow Piniella to give his position players a breather.
"We enjoy winning, we really do," Dempster said. "All the guys are having fun, and the easiest way to maintain it is you look at not just the core players, your superstar players on the team, but all the other guys that chip in on a regular basis and like to have fun, even when they're not playing. They're on the bench having a good time. Things are very relaxed, and we trust in our ability."
And it's not just the hitters who are enjoying the ride.
"We've got five guys in the starting rotation that every time they go out there give this team a chance to win," Dempster said. "That makes things a lot easier. We've got a lot of good pieces."
Piniella has avoided comparisons between the current Cubs bullpen and the "Nasty Boys" trio of Randy Myers, Rob Dibble and Norm Charlton he managed in 1990 in Cincinnati. He doesn't like to talk about the 2001 Seattle Mariners, who won 116 games. Asked if the 2008 Cubs are the best team he's ever managed, he calls them a "good team."
He's tried to keep Cubs fans, eager to end the 100-year drought since the last World Series, under control. There's still work to be done.
"Winning is what it's all about," Piniella said. "That's what you come to the ballpark for, that's what you go to Spring Training for. I don't get too excited one way or another. I try to stay pretty even-keel, because I know that last month of baseball is a grueling one and a tough one, and you have to be ready to play."
Chicago led Milwaukee by 1 1/2 games on Sept. 1, 2007, and won the National League Central last season with an 85-77 record. Can the Cubs repeat? They have not finished in first in consecutive seasons since 1906-08. That '08 season, by the way, is the last time they won a World Series.
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