Luckily for the Cubs, baseball games are played on the field and not on paper. Looking at the matchup, very few would have given the Cubs (39-58) a chance against CY Young Award winner Roy Halladay and the Philadelphia Phillies (59-36). The Cubs put the poor series they played against the Marlins behind them and took the opener with the Phillies 6-1.
The Cubs got off to a fast start Monday evening at Wrigley. Aramis Ramirez gave the Cubs the lead on a solo homer in the first. The Cubs scored two more in the third which proved to be enough to get the victory.
Carlos Pena was the offensive star for the Cubs. Pena had three hits including his 20th homerun of the season. The Cubs two through five hitters in the lineup combined to go 8-15.
Rodrigo Lopez pitched well again Monday evening. Lopez went six and two-thirds and allowed just one run on five hits. The veteran right-hander improved to 2-2 on the season.
Roy Halladay didn’t have his best stuff in the series opener. Halladay left the game after the fourth inning after feeling ill because of the heat and humidity. The Phillies righty fell to 11-4 on the season.
Things won’t get easier for the Cubs in game two of the series Tuesday when they face Cliff Lee.