Cubs manager Jim Lefebvre suddenly is looking at a lineup with five .300 hitters.
Well, sort of.
The Cubs have five starters who are hitting better than .300 in the seven games since the All-Star break. That may not seem like much, but Lefebvre will gladly take it, considering his team has been last or close to last in hitting in the National League all season.
Ryne Sandberg is leading the way with a .370 average (10 for 27) since the All-Star break. The other postbreak .300 hitters are: Joe Girardi (6 for 17, .353), Doug Dascenzo (7 for 21, .333), Mark Grace (9 for 28, .321) and Steve Buechele (8 for 26, .308).
At the other end of the spectrum, though, is Andre Dawson. He is 1 for 25. His only hit was a home run.
Astro-nomical sale: The sale of the Houston Astros is expected to be announced some time before Friday night`s Cubs-Astros game. Current owner John McMullen told a Houston television station that he has worked out the final details of the sale with Drayton McLane Jr., a Temple, Texas, millionaire who is a major shareholder in Wal-Mart. McMullen has been trying to sell the team for more than a year, which is why the Astros are loaded with young, relatively low-paid players. McMullen says he bought the team for fun. And he`s selling it because he isn`t having fun anymore.
Pay scales: Maybe there`s something to be said for McMullen`s financial strategy. The Astros have a team payroll this year of $13.3 million, less than half the Cubs` payroll of $29.4 million. But both teams are in fifth place in their respective divisions and their records are almost identical. Houston is 43-52. The Cubs are 44-50.
Three-peat: All things considered, the Cubs have a better-than-average shot at getting their third consecutive shutout Friday night. The Astros are the third-worst hitting team in the National League, just ahead of the Cubs and Dodgers, and they are scheduled to face a pitcher who has handled them fairly well this season. Mike Morgan, the scheduled starter, is 1-0 with a 1.69 earned-run average against Houston this season. Morgan (7-4) was on the losing end of a shutout in his last start against Pittsburgh last week. He worked five innings, gave up five hits and three earned runs in a 4-0 loss to the Pirates. The Cubs have been shut out 13 times this season and have thrown five shutouts against the opposition.