Game 19

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• Monday April 21^st – Wrigley Field

• Cubs 7 – Mets 1

• Record (13-6) – 1^st place in the NL Central

• Record with A. Soriano on the 15-day DL (5-1)

The skinny: The best part from tonight’s Cubs win was watching Felix Pie pump his right fist after hitting his first home run of the season, a three-run shot against Jorge Sosa in the eighth inning. You could tell those fist pumps were pure relief, like the kind you have after making that final car payment.

Nothing has been easy at the plate this year for Pie. And, the fact that he’s revamping his swing in-season says a lot about how much he’s struggling hitting the baseball.

Oddly enough, most of Pie’s side work with Piniella has focused on hitting the ball the other way. Fittingly, tonight’s home run was yanked into the right-field bleachers!

Still, Pie needed something good to happen at the plate. So, let’s see if the blast provides some confidence in his next couple of at bats.

Whereas Pie’s home run was the most fun tonight, Ronny Cedeno’s bases loaded single in the eighth was the most important at-bat of the game.

First, Cedeno worked the count and didn’t over swing like the previous two batters (DeRosa and Soto). His focus paided off with a hit right back up the middle, opening a 2-1 lead to a three run lead while also setting up Pie’s big at bat.

Secondly, Cedeno played well filling in for Ryan Theriot, who was a late scratch after experiencing tightness in his lower back.

Also, this might be the year Cedeno develops into an everyday player. It’s the 25-year-old’s fourth full season in the majors, he’s already solid defensively and, he’s also on pace to play in nearly 100 games.

The key is how well Cedeno swings the lumber. Thus far, Ronny’s a career .250 batter with little to no power. However, with enough playing time this season, Cedeno just might surprise us with his potential to become the starting shortstop.

Also, it would be shamefull not to note Carlos Zambrano’s performance this evening. The right-hander’s best pitch tonight was his sinker that fell of the table like a rock.

Basically, the Mets were helpless against the pitch outside a single run that came in the sixth, and that even came at the expense of a double play.

Big Z is exactly what the Cubs need right now from the staff ace. He’s the losing-streak stopper and the winning-streak catalyst.

Speaking of winning streaks, the Cubs make it four wins in-a-row tonight, and thanks in large part to, well, wait a second, what’s that I’m always talking about?

Right, DEFENSE matters! The Cubs turned four double plays this evening. That’s huge considering it was just a one-run Cubs’ lead heading into the eighth inning.

Finally, I said yesterday, I’d be thrilled if the Cubs could split this series against New York. Thankfully, the Cubs got the one win out of the way early, and they’ll look for a short sweep tomorrow afternoon.

W: Zambrano (3-1)

L: Maine (1-2)

• Notes: Kosuke Fukudome is leading the National League in pitches per at bat (4.58)

• Mark DeRosa singled tonight to extend his hitting streak to eight games.

• In just three games Aramis Ramirez raised his batting average from .234 to .282. During the three games Ramirez has gone 6-9 with two home runs and 6 RBIs.

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Tags: Chicago Cubs, Cubbies, Jason Marquis, Kerry Wood, Alfonso Soriano, Lou Piniella, Kosuke Fukudome, Wrigley Field, MLB, Cubs, Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Theriot, Aramis Ramirez, Derek Lee, Geovany Soto, Ryan Dempster, Rich Hill, Mark DeRosa, Kevin Hart, Reed Johnson, Baseball, Ted Lilly, Bob Howry, Carlos Marmol, Sean Marshall, New York Mets, Mets, Mike Fontenot, Wrigley, Ronny Cedeno, Sam Fuld, Ron Santo, Pedro, Pedro Martinez, Willie Randolph, John Maine