Short Rest Works For Lilly

By Benjy Lipsman in News on Sep 20, 2007 1:12PM

The Cubs now have fewer than ten games remaining on their schedule, and after Wednesday night's 3-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds, they sit alone atop the NL Central — the Brewers lost to the Astros in extra innings.

Lou Piniella's short-rest experiment worked Wednesday night, as Ted Lilly looked sharp, pitching seven innings while allowing two runs and striking out eight. While he didn't earn the victory, he kept the Cubs close enough that they were able to pull it out in the eighth inning.

The night before, while also pitching on short rest, Carlos Zambrano gave yet another sub-par performance and earned the loss. Nice to see the huge new deal continuing to pay dividends already!

The Cubs entered their day off with an 80-73 record. The Brewers are a game back at 78-73, although the teams are tied up in the loss column. Can the Cubs finally pull away as baseball heads into its penultimate weekend, or could this race come down to the final day?

Photo by AP Photo/M. Spencer Green.