Matt

Murton

Some reward for hitting .339 in 56 at-bats. He’ll be back in September, though. Jerry Hairston Jr. will take all of Murton’s playing time.

Murton is 18-for-53 with eight walks since being called up. Manager Dusty Baker will likely keep working him in against lefties.

Murton’s two-run double in the first inning was a routine fly that right fielder Carlos Quentin lost in the sun. Still, it was a nice game for the 24-year-old. Murton is hitting .406 with 16 RBI in 59 at-bats since the beginning of July. His playing time should continue to increase this month as the Cubs try to figure out whether they need to upgrade in left field this winter.

Murton is likely to lose a lot of playing time against right-handers until he resumes hitting. It looks like Freddie Bynum will pick up most of the starts in his place, though John Mabry would likely be a better choice.

Some opportunity that was. Ronny Cedeno has returned to the second spot today. He’s hit .268/.288/.380 in 71 at-bats as a No. 2 hitter, but he is a better bunter than Murton.

Murton looked to be the hero, tying the game at 1-1 with his jack to right in the eighth, but the Cubs lost it in the ninth. Murton, now batting .295, is getting a bit of a penchant for hitting big home runs.

His homer off Houston closer Brad Lidge in the ninth forced the game into extra innings and then, nine innings later, it was only fitting that he ended what he started. Murton is now batting .296 and has driven in 44 runs.

Juan Pierre has a 502 OPS against lefties. Jacque Jones is at 631. Still, it’s Murton, who is at 916 in 68 at-bats, getting sent to the bench to make room for Nevin. Dusty Baker has done a lot more harm than good all season long.

The Cubs already seem to have soured on Phil Nevin as an outfielder, which is great news for Murton owners. The club isn’t getting back into the race, so there’s no reason not to play Murton regularly the rest of the year. Expect steady improvement in the second half.

Murton led off the bottom of the 11th with a walk, and his run came around to end the game, though he was gone for a pinch-runner by that time. Murton finished 3-for-4 with two walks. He’s batting .336 with seven homers since the break.