Game 40

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• Wednesday May 14^th – Wrigley Field

• Cubs 8 – Padres 5

• Record (24-16) – 1^st place in the NL Central

• Season-high 10-game homestand – (5-1)

The skinny: If you’re still undecided about Alfonso Soriano leading off for the Cubs, you haven’t been paying attention the last two games.

Soriano’s leadoff blast against Shawn Estes yesterday reminded us he’s most comfortable hitting in the leadoff spot.

Tonight Alfonso drove the point home with another leadoff job, this time smoking Jake Peavy to left centerfield.

In his following at bat Soriano plates two more runs with a single to left field.

Score: Alfonso 3 – San Diego 0.

Some of us prefer Coke over Pepsi, Budweiser over Miller or deep dish over thin crust.

Soriano likes to leadoff, so leave the guy in the one hole where he wants to be, and especially while he’s 11-for-23 with 8 RBIs in his last five games. Money.

Behind Soriano the Cubs did an excellent job of working Peavy (4 IP, 4-R, 7-H, 2-BB and 8 K), the defending Cy Young Award winner.

Through the first two innings the right-hander had thrown more than 50 pitches and allowed three runs, a far cry from his 2.47 ERA entering tonight’s contest.

Plus, he was yanked after four innings pitched: his shortest outing of the season (87 pitches).

On the flip side, Ted Lilly was wonderful striking out 11 Padres on his way to evening his season record at (4-4): he’s (3-0) during the month of May.

Lilly retired six of the first 10 batters he faced via strikeout, walked one and left after six innings. You can’t ask for a better outing against one of the game’s best pitchers (Peavy).

Speaking of which, the ol’ master himself, Greg Maddox goes tomorrow for San Diego. It’s possible this could be Greg’s final hurrah in Wrigley Field. Now I have a reason to purchase a ticket and go to the game!

W: Lilly (4-4)

L: Peavy (4-3)

• Notes: Alfonso Soriano’s leadoff home run is the 46^th of his career, good enough for third all-time in the category.

• Rickey Henderson has the most career leadoff blasts (81), followed by Craig Biggio (53).

• Kosuke Fukudome had previously faced Peavy during the World Baseball Classic.

• Tonight’s 11 strikeout performance marks the first time in Lilly’s career he’s thrown consecutive double-digit strikeout games, he fanned 10 batter against Arizona in his last outing.

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