Game 22

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• Thursday April 24^th – Coors Field

• Rockies 4 – Cubs 2

• Record (15-7) – 1^st place in the NL Central

• Record with A. Soriano on the 15-day DL (7-2)

The skinny: Losses are always tougher to swallow when they come late in the game. However, the tough loss this afternoon makes yesterday’s extra innings win that more important.

As Aaron Cook handcuffed the Cubs for most of the afternoon (8 IP, 2-R, 4-H, 3-BB and 5-K), I kept thinking the Cubs would get the best of the Rockies’ weak bullpen in the end.

Unfortunately, the Rocks caught a major break when Ryan Theriot lined into an inning ending double play with the bases loaded in the eighth.

Had Theriot’s hit made it past Todd Helton’s glove at first, the Cubs may have overcome its inability to turn its own double play in the bottom half of the inning, which allowed the Rocks to score the go ahead runs.

The silver lining for Chicago was the pitching effort of right-hander Jason Marquis (7 IP, 2-R, 8-H, 2-BB and 4-K) and Felix Pie’s 2-for-3, 1 RBI day at the plate.

W: Cook (3-1) – S: Fuentes (1)

L: Hart (2-1)

Notes: How about Scotty Pods! Last night Podsednik enters the game as a pinch hitter in the ninth and delivers a two out single against closer Kerry Wood. One batter later, Pods scores the tying run by running from first to home on a ball hit in the right-centerfield gap.

Today, Podsednik, 32, leads off the game with a single to left, steals second, and then scores on Helton’s singe to right. It’s very reminiscent of Pods’ 2005 season with the World Champion White Soxs.

Plus, the Rockies’ black sleeveless jerseys has Pods looking like he never left the south side.

• Lou rested Carlos Marmol on the bench this afternoon after the dominate set-up man pitched in two of the last three games.

• It’s my belief that the best managers are the ones who excel at managing both a team’s many different personalities and its bullpen. Lou is one of those guys.

• Piniella needs someone besides veteran Jon Lieber to help near the end of the ball games. To this point Kevin hart has pitched well but, today was already his eighth appearance this season, but only his 16^th overall in the majors.

• Somebody wake up Bob Howry (0-1, 6.00 ERA with 17 hits vs. 12 innings pitched)

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