The Cubs took care of business. Now comes the hard part.

The Cubs went 7-2 against Cincinnati, Washington and the Pirates over their last nine games, capped by a three-game sweep at Pittsburgh this week.

"All these teams that you play, every team you play at the end of the year, present a challenge," manager Lou Piniella said. "We played 7-2 ball. We'll take that every time."

Beginning Thursday night, the schedule gets much tougher. The Cubs open with four against NL East contender Philadelphia before welcoming Houston to Wrigley Field.

Of the Cubs' remaining 29 games, 26 are against teams that begin play Thursday above .500.

"Look, I said there's a challenge out there," Piniella said.

Two bunts, one double and nine well-pitched innings. The Chicago Cubs proved on a Wrigley Field-like day they can win when their bats aren't booming, and their by-the-textbook victory came before they begin what may be their toughest stretch all season. Jason Marquis shut down Pittsburgh's batters on a cool, windy day that must have made the Cubs feel at home, and Chicago turned two well-placed...

Alfonso Soriano dropped a routine fly ball in Pittsburgh for the second time in four months, giving the Chicago Cubs flashbacks. The team with the majors' best record need not have worried. Geovany Soto still had another at-bat to go. Soto drove in seven runs and his second three-run double of the game keyed a seven-run eighth inning, helping the Cubs rally for a 14-9 victory over the Pirates on...

A day after cautioning his team that this is no time to sit around, Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella got plenty of production up and down his lineup. What he liked most was that much of it came from his new prize pupil, Kosuke Fukudome. Aramis Ramirez homered and drove in three runs and the Cubs improved baseball's best record by again beating the team they torment the most, defeating the...

Ryan Dempster has a shot at 20 wins. He's much more focused on the Chicago Cubs' 100-year championship drought. Dempster matched a career high with his 15th victory and Aramis Ramirez hit a pair of three-run homers, leading Chicago over the Washington Nationals 9-2 on Saturday. Mark DeRosa homered in his third straight game and Alfonso Soriano added an RBI double for the Cubs, who improved to 48-19...

Willie Harris and the Washington Nationals pulled into town in the early morning hours Friday. Weary, maybe. But ready to play the Chicago Cubs. On a humid afternoon at Wrigley Field, Harris hit his first career grand slam and added a two-run homer as the Nationals rallied from a four-run deficit to rout the Cubs 13-5.

Carlos Zambrano delivered a heated first-inning lecture to someone he knew would listen -- himself. Upset after giving up a four-pitch walk to leadoff batter Chris Dickerson, Zambrano calmed down, regrouped and got out of the inning. The Cubs' ace also overcame a sore tooth, and homered on Thursday to finally get his 13th victory as Chicago beat the Cincinnati Reds 3-2.

Bronson Arroyo and two Cincinnati relievers made it a rare night at Wrigley Field. Not only did the Reds beat the Chicago Cubs in their home park, a difficult enough task, they limited the NL Central leaders to just three hits and a run. "In this ball park you rarely see 2-1," Reds manager Dusty Baker said Wednesday night, after his team got a victory by that very score.

Rich Harden's been as good -- maybe even better -- than the Chicago Cubs expected when they acquired him in a trade from Oakland six weeks ago. Harden allowed two hits in seven innings Tuesday night, striking out 10 and bunting in the go-ahead run for his first major league RBI as the surging Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds 5-0.

The Chicago Cubs put together a big seventh inning to make Ryan Dempster a winner and secure a 5-1 road trip. Two-run doubles by Alfonso Soriano and Aramis Ramirez and a three-run double by Reed Johnson sparked an eight-run seventh and the Cubs rallied past the Florida Marlins, 9-2 on Sunday. Dempster (14-5) struck out 10 batters in six innings to win for the fourth time in six starts.

Florida Marlins closer Kevin Gregg got a quick shot at redemption. One night after surrendering a game-winning home run, Gregg pitched a scoreless ninth to help the Florida Marlins snap the Chicago Cubs' nine-game road winning streak with a 2-1 victory on Saturday night. Hanley Ramirez homered and Cody Ross singled in the go-ahead run in the fifth inning.

MIAMI (AP)-- Daryle Ward probably wasn't the most likely guy to pick up a bat as a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning with Chicago trailing by two runs. Even more unlikely was breaking out of his 0-for-13 slump with a game-winning homer. Ward connected on an 0-1 pitch off Marlins closer Kevin Gregg, driving it over the right-field wall for a three-run shot and helping the Cubs rally to beat the...

The Chicago Cubs are proving they are more than just Wrigley Field winners. The Cubs, who are tied for the most home wins in the majors, stretched their lead in the NL Central with their eighth straight road victory. Aramis Ramirez and Alfonso Soriano hit home runs and the Cubs beat Atlanta 11-7 on Thursday night, giving Chicago a sweep of the season series for the first time since the rivalry...