Except for the sudden unreliability of the guy who's supposed to be the Cubs' ace, the Cubs' pitching rotation entering the playoffs looks a lot more imposing than a year ago and offers a lot of arguments for arranging the four-man crew in almost any order. Which raises the question: Which order is best?
Starting with the premise that Ryan Dempster should start at home because he's 14-3 at Wrigley Field this year and continuing with the fact that Rich Harden looks healthy and has the best stuff on the staff, that's probably your best Game 1-2 combo, probably in that order.
With Zambrano's Sh-- at Shea Wednesday night, it's tempting to push him back as far as possible, especially if the Cubs wind up playing their first-round road games back in New York.
But there's also something to be said for having the lone lefty in the rotation pitch the second day of a back-to-back set to make the most of the different look he'll provide.
So here you go, Lou: Dempster, Harden, Zambrano, Lilly.
Now we don't have to wait until Saturday to decide the rotation order.
Harden, Dempster, Lilly, Zambrano.