Theriot Gets First Career Grand Slam To Lead Cubs

By: kevinhill

In the sixth inning of a game where the Cubs trailed 5-2 to the Marlins, Ryan Theriot came to bat with the bases loaded. As I was watching the game, I was hoping that Alfonso Soriano would hit the three run home run to tie it, knowing that Theriot was on deck. I’m a huge Theriot fan, and was confident he could get a hit, but didn’t think he’d drive in that many runs.

Seriously, Theriot hadn’t had a home run in over a year. Granted, this year he has been turning on the ball more often than in the past. I can’t remember a lot of balls he hit on the left side of second base last year, but I can remember specifically four this year, not counting yesterday. So when he got his chance, he certainly made the most of it. He hit a shot into the left field bleachers that put the Cubs ahead for good and saved Rich Harden from a loss in his less than stellar outing.

I am pretty sure he will be walking tall especially when he sees Ron Santo’s mini babe ruth, Mike Fontenot. His former team mate at LSU has been more known for his power than Theriot. The Riot will surely be giving Fontenot enough crap today to make him wish he was playing catcher instead of next to him on the infield.

For more on fellow Cub reaction to Theriot, check out the article on Cubs.com. Suffice it to say, they are preparing for the worst.

In general, it was good to fly the W flag again. For only the second time this week the Cubs came out victorious. They even dropped below .500 for the first time this year. I couldn’t even muster a post after the losses I was so disappointed, or at least that is my excuse looking in the rear view mirror.

Other than the emotional high that comes with a win like this, there are a couple other reasons to be excited. Aramis Ramirez was healthy enough for a pinch hitting appearance. Geovony Soto had two hits. Derrek Lee is back in the lineup and had two hits as well. If everyone can get healthy and hitting, this could turn into a nice win streak to start the month of May.