At long last, the Cubs tuned up the Milwaukees, winning the finalé of their three-game series Wednesday afternoon, 9-3. The top three men in the Chicago order--Ryan Theriot, Cliff Floyd, and Derek Lee--went a combined 10-for-15 with 5 runs scored and 6 RBI. On the mound, Ted Lilly gave up one earned run and no walks in seven innings. His ERA is now a sterling 2.18.

Speaking of ERA's...

Brewers reliever Elmer Dessens pitched through the decisive inning, the 5-run Cubs' fourth, which featured a walk, a strikeout, an error, a single, a two-run single, another strikeout, and a two-run double. But Dessens' ERA was better after his one-inning outing than when he entered the game. That's because shortstop J.J. Hardy's error on a ground ball hit by Jacque Jones caused all of the runs to be unearned.

There might not be such a thing as the perfect baseball statistic, but Wednesday's events sure made the friendly, ol' Earned Run Average look pretty dopey.