Morning Box Score: Brewers Obliterate Cubs

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Aug 3, 2010 1:00PM

6, 8, 17, 6, 8, 18. No, that's not a LOST reference and no, those aren't Powerball numbers. Those are the run totals the Cubs have given up the last six games. That's 63 total runs in six freaking games. How many runs have the Cubs scored over that span? 17. They've been out-scored 63-17 over the last six games. So it probably comes as no surprise to hear that they've also lost the last six games, culminating in last night's 18-1 ... I don't know what because debacle is too kind of a word for what happened. Starter Randy Wells gave up seven runs - six earned - over four-plus innings of work. And then the bullpen got shelled as well, including Casey Coleman, just called up from the minors and part of history for being part of the first three-generation combo of pitchers (his father and grandfather both pitched in the majors before him). Congratulations, Casey, you get to be shelled by Milwaukee in mop-up duty. Good luck restoring that rookie confidence the rest of the season. As for the entire team, who knows how this game will be remembered. Maybe it will be remembered as the moment when they turned it around, when a team full of guys with more pride than they've played with pull it together, angry out of embarrassment, and play hard for their retiring manager, giving it one last go before the team is exploded in favor of a coming (and overdue) youth movement next year, starting a long winning streak and making an improbable run towards the wild card spot. Or, more likely, maybe this is simply the nadir in what turns out to be the worst Cubs season since 2006. We'll see tonight when the Cubs try to regroup (7:05 p.m., CSN).

The White Sox had the night off but get back into action with a day-night double-header in Detroit (12:05 p.m., WGN // 6:05 p.m., WCIU).