What’s up, everyone? If you can’t tell, I have been pretty happy this last road trip. This actually might be one of the easier blogs I have written. Everything is easier when you are winning. We are back in Chicago and, man, do I love this city, especially when the weather is as nice as it is today.

Great job by the guys in Baltimore against a team that can hit. What I liked so much about this series is even in the games where we gave up the lead, the team kept pushing and coming back. That’s a great sign. It really shows how our guys aren’t going to give up or give in. There are so many games left to go, and it’s so important that we don’t give in at all. Even the game on Wednesday that we lost in extra innings, we came back and put up a good fight. I guess as a manager that’s all I can ask for.

When you win games, it seems like everyone has been playing great. At this point in the season, you can really throw the stats out the window and focus on winning games; that’s all that matters. Our focus is on winning the division. I don’t care if we don’t get to .500. If we win the division, I will be happy.

We have Kansas City coming into town starting today, and they are a pain in our butts. They always play us well and they can swing the bat, too. It has come to my attention that we play better baseball on the road and have a tendency to play better against teams over .50o. … I don’t have an answer to this, but I hope the trend stops right now. We have to have a good weekend here at home because we get Cleveland next week before the American League Champs come to town. So sit back, relax and strap it down (hahaha). Yes, I know all the things Hawk says, but this weekend we are right in the hunt and first place is up for the taking.  I hope to see The Cell packed and loud for this homestand.

See you all there!

— Ozzie