The Cubs have tied up the series and taken a two-game lead over the Padres in the wild card race. We figured the first game was up for grabs, with Mark Prior and Adam Eaton going. Sterling Hitchcock vs Carlos Zambrano looked like a mismatch in the Cubs’ favor, and it was. This afternoon it’s Jake Peavy against former Padre Matt Clement, which appears to lean more toward the San Diego side. A win in the finale would be real nice.

Didn’t catch any of last night’s action, so you won’t read any analysis of the game here. Instead I’m going to clarify a little and expand on what I said yesterday about Phil Nevin.

In case you missed it, I talked a little about Nevin’s latest outburst directed at Petco Park. Unfortunately I forgot to provide much, if any, context regarding the incident. Basically, he and Kevin Towers got into after Sunday’s game against the Pirates, during which Nevin swore and glared at Towers’ suite after just missing a home run.

This isn’t to dwell on a point, it’s to rectify an omission in yesterday’s post. It’s also a springboard to a form of resolution that has since occurred. Here is the progression of events, as documented by the U-T:

• GM Towers, Nevin exchange heated words about Petco Park after another dog day. This is the incident that first got our attention.
• A burning will to win gets Nevin all fired up. This is a fascinating attempt to invoke the "intensity card" as a defense for Nevin’s behavior. Brilliant stuff from the man himself:
  

  …But the fire is burning inside me. Sometimes, fire can get out of control. I’m trying to control how that fire is used. I know one thing that people can’t say about me. No one can say I don’t play hard.

  At the end of his tired and overextended metaphor, Nevin does make a valid point. Nobody can say he doesn’t play hard. This has been true since the day he put on a Padre uniform. It’s part of what makes him so valuable to this ballclub. But I have to believe he could be even more valuable if he removed a little of the non-baseball drama. Which brings us to the latest chapter in our saga.

• Nevin realizes he overreacted. Promising. It’s not recognition and avoidance, but contrition is at least a step in the right direction. Nevin is old enough and has been around long enough to know better than to go where he’s gone, and it’d be nice to see him take the next step and improve this aspect of his game, but he’s saying the right things.

I don’t know that there’s a point to all this. But it sounds like Nevin and Towers have patched things up and returned their attention to the task at hand. A good start. Now it’s time to get some more wins.

Oh, and if you’re trying to figure out the significance of "cowbell" in today’s title, stop. There is none.