On Fire At Home

Nine straight home wins? Not bad. Two more left against the Braves (who happen to be the worst road team in the Majors). After this series, things get interesting.
Our favorite baseball team heads on the road to Toronto for 3 and Tampa Bay for 3 before coming home to what I can only assume is the toughest ticket this entire season, a potential first place showdown with the Sox at Wrigley. After that, the Cubs get 3 more at home against Baltimore and finish up one long Interleague stretch by going to The Cell for another weekend series against the Sox. For those keeping track at home: that's 15 straight against the AL. Getting a crack at the Sox for six games and Tampa Bay for three should give fans an idea of just how great this Cubs team is going forward.
When the dust settles from the Interleague Series', the All Star Game will be just over one week away. It's an interesting way too put things in perspective. As for the All Star Game: I'm going to start watching closely who from the Cubs might be heading to Yankee Stadium this July.
In: Lee, Ramirez, Soriano, Fukudome, Wood, Zambrano
Let's be honest right now, Fukudome is a product of the voting system. He is not, nor do I think he will be an all star calibar OF by early July. Not to say he isn't solid. It's the Yao Ming effect, international votes get him.
On The Fence: Marmol, Dempster, Soto
Ryan is pitching out of his mind so far. His numbers are incredible considering what was expected by most: 7-2 with a 2.90 ERA? Nobody saw this coming. In fact, his ERA is good enough for top 10 in the NL. If he keeps this up? I think he's rewarded with a spot on the team. Marmol keeps dominating with 60 K's in only 40.1 innings. To say he's been lights out is fair, however, he's a reliever and not a closer which might hurt his chances come July. Now, as far as Soto, he's leading NL catchers in voting. At this point in time, he's probably the NL Rookie of the Year--he's also well on his way to a 30 HR, 100 RBI season. I think he's an All Star whether or not he gets the votes. His numbers are too good to ignore. Barring injury, he's at Yankee Stadium as the first rookie to start for the NL All Star Team in Major League history.