RealGM

Chicago Sun-Times wrote:Outfielder Jacque Jones, already the team's hottest hitter in recent weeks, delivered a second straight big offensive night from the No. 2 hole Friday to key back-to-back wins over the Colorado Rockies in the first two games of a four-game series at Coors Field.

''Jones is really taking to that No. 2 hole,'' manager Lou Piniella said after the Cubs beat the Rockies 6-2 behind strong pitching from Jason Marquis (9-7) and another big offensive night. ''He's swinging it. He's driving the ball.''

One night after going 4-for-5 with four RBI, Jones had a bunt single and an upper-deck home run in a three-hit effort Friday as the Cubs kept pace with National League Central-leading Milwaukee, which needed 11 innings to beat Houston and avoid being overtaken by the Cubs.

Jones has led the mile-high climb for the Cubs lineup since its ugly Houston series earlier in the week, racking up seven of the 28 Cubs hits the past two nights -- with slugging Matt Murton adding a three-hit game Friday, along with his third homer in four days, and Jason Kendall delivering his second straight three-hit game.

Jones' homer Friday was his first since June 1.

''Finally,'' he said.

Jones is so hot these days he even reached on a strikeout in the eighth inning, when the ball skipped to the backstop -- and then stole second.

Suddenly, he's hitting .444 in August, .349 since the All-Star break and looks like an important part of bridging the offensive gap created by the loss of leadoff hitter Alfonso Soriano to a quadriceps injury.

Not bad for a guy the Cubs tried to dump in trades in June after relegating him to fifth-outfielder status.

''I just know I can play,'' he said. ''I always have confidence in my ability no matter what. Sometimes it wavers a little bit. But I've been in the league eight years for a reason. It's not a fluke. It's not by accident. I can play.''

Since his average dipped to .227 the first week of July, Jones has not only played his way back into an every-day spot in the lineup but also made himself too valuable to trade. Since July 4, Jones is 33-for-94 (.351), raising his season average to .266.

GYBE wrote:When I/everyone was complaining about Jacque, he had a sub .300 OBP and a .650ish OPS. We had every right to deride him, he was playing like one of the worst everday players in the league.

Hey, he brought his OPS over .700. Good for him. Once Soriano comes back, I still don't want him playing.

LF Soriano
CF Pie
RF Murton

He's a decent 4th OF. Anyone playing as horribly as he was is bound for a hot streak, it's just the law of averages.

Rodanlee wrote:i can never see murton being a starting outfielder for a mlb team.... ever

GYBE wrote:First off, Jones' arm is a huge disadvantage. It may be techinically stronger, but it's a toss up on whether his throws go anywhere near their target.

Secondly, defense doesn't matter that much. Even the worst defenders in the majors cost their teams 8-10 runs a season, and Murton isn't that awful. Murton's offense is only going to improve with everyday AB's, the last season he played that often he was stellar. We know what Jacque gives, it's mediocrity. Murton has so much more upside.