Padres 6, Cubs 4

We reached our goal for this series and then some. Meanwhile, the Rockies got swept by the Guardians at home. Do you wanna bet they will be more than ready when we come to town? But that's the NL West for you these days. For at least one day, we'll celebrate being in first place. I still want to win two out of three in Denver, because standards, you see.

In Chicago, Musgrove got nicked up early for a couple of runs, then settled down beautifully. Seven innings, two runs, nine K's. He is 8-0 with a 1.59 ERA and a surefire All-Star if I've ever seen one. There is no doubt he is our ace now, and a homeboy to boot! This elevates the playing level of everybody in the rotation. With five days rest, he can go seven innings. In the end, what would you prefer, a pitcher going five every five, or a pitcher going seven every six? I prefer the pitcher to be well rested and sharp. Look at Musgrove's numbers: not only do they speak, but they scream for themselves.

The Cubs have this kid, Chris Morel, who can really rake. Think the Cubs miss Kris Bryant? I doubt it, and this kid just hit some pretty good pitchers. 

Meanwhile, Mazara is hitting .350 and really has a neat swing, es evidenced by his homer, his first as a Padre, in the second inning. Outside low pitch, reached for it, and gonzo. Hoz got two hits and two runs, Manny got three hits, plus more Gold Glove play at third. Manny is just an incredible player, at the risk of repeating myself. I can picture the Padres without Tatis, but not without Manny. Knowing Manny is over there on third every day is comforting. I would love to see the Padres win a World Series with him.

Cron is at .246, but now a spark plug instead of merely a power absorber. One hit, two walks. We really need Cron to be Cron. Remember that he was actually just an afterthought in the Tommy Pham trade? Lest you noticed, Compadres, Pham is no longer here, and I don't miss him one bit. Guy went from St. Louis to Tampa Bay to San Diego to Cincinnati, and I have a feeling there will be more teams to come. For all of his talent, he seems to have an aggressive stance to him that people find repulsive. Slap a guy over fantasy football? Okay, then. This has assault charges written all over it.

Meanwhile, the Braves have won 14 straight, the Yankees might be the best team in baseball, and the Angels still can't win, even with Trout and Ohtani in the lineup back-to-back.