After we beat ..:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />San Francisco on Saturday after blowing a seven-run lead, someone asked me if I think the Cubs are a "team of destiny."..:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

            My answer is no.

            It's not a team of destiny as much as it is just that we feel we've got the players who can get the job done. No one is playing above expectations; guys in the field are simply capable of what we've done in the first half of the season.

            As far as Saturday's game, this team never wavers. There's too much confidence in this clubhouse to doubt that we can come back and win at any time. Carlos Marmol blew a five-run lead against the Giants in the ninth, and that could demoralize a team. But he helped us win more than his share of games before that, so in the dugout we were like, "Let's pick up Carlos and get him off the hook this time." That's been going on all season, guys picking each other up. When our pitchers have had a bad day, our offense has been able to fill in, and when we're not hitting our pitchers have gotten the job done. It's been really nice that way.

            It's not "destiny" when you put in the work that we've put in, it's just a matter of having players who can get the job done.

            And though it's still too early to be saying this, this is a team—if it stays healthy and consistent—that could be in a position to do something special.

            Knowing we've been winning without our best player gives me a good feeling coming to the ballpark. I was driving to the field this morning and I saw Alfonso Soriano's billboard and I just thought about how good this team will be when he gets back, especially adding Rich Harden to our rotation. Jim Hendry (Ed. note: the Cubs' GM) has done an unbelievable job, reeling in Soriano, getting Ted Lilly, pulling off the Harden trade…last year he got Jason Kendall and called up Geovany Soto, there's a lot of moves he makes where he definitely takes into account not screwing with the chemistry in the clubhouse. We have a lot of guys who get along well, and he never brings in a guy who could make waves.

            The thing I don't like is having the best record in baseball but having only a five-game lead in the NL Central. Usually when you're playing as well as we have been, you have room to spare. But the best three records in the National League are in our division. I don't really follow the Brewers and Cards, but we all read the Sports section and you can't help but notice. Tony LaRussa should be commended for the job he's done. Who would have expected Rick Ankiel and Ryan Ludwick to have had the seasons they are having? Ankiel and Luwick have 20 homers and Kyle Lohse has 11 wins.

            Ankiel has been the best story in baseball so far. Here's a sure-to-be ace pitcher until he couldn't throw strikes, goes down to the minors and turns himself into an outfielder. Now he's a formidable guy at the plate who can beat you. You'd be hard-pressed to find five guys who have ever done that.

            The Cards know how to win, it's been embedded in them since spring training by LaRussa. They do the little things right and don't beat themselves when you go into St. Louis. And Pujols is simply the best hitter in the game. But they're winning because they've been able to get great performances out of guys no one expected it from.

            The Brewers are just a talented team, they had a skid early in the year but you knew it couldn't last, they're too good. I expect them to make a run at us in the second half, like they did last year, especially after adding C.C. Sabathia.

            Then again, we're a better team than we were last year.

Mark DeRosa is a second baseman/outfielder for the Chicago Cubs. His blog runs regularly at www.playerpress.com.