Marshall Wild, Cubs Drop Opener

A day after Ted Lilly was forced from his start after five erratic innings, Lou Pinella looked to Sean Marshall to go out to the mound and try and go deep into the game. Not a chance. Marshall lasted all of 3 2/3 innings and surrendered 4 runs, but only one earned run.

Marshall was all over the place and was behind to almost every single hitter he faced on the afternoon. Despite his wildness though, Marshall's big blow was the three run home run he allowed to Hunter Pence. Pence would also add another home run in the sixth inning off of Michael Wuertz.

The offense also struggled today minus Jason Kendall and Alfonso Soriano who were given the day off. Kendall's day off was not uncommon, but the offense missed "El Uno" even though he had been struggling since his return. Wandy Rodriguez hand cuffed the Cubs for six innings, but we would like to think that it was more because he is left handed than that he had good stuff. I mean it was Wandy Rodriguez for goodness sake.

The Cubs managed seven hits, but Aramis Ramirez had three of them. Also, when the offense did get going it usually was with two outs and very little chance to have a big inning. Such as when the Cubs had runners on first and second with two outs in the 8th inning. Daryle Ward did single to score a run, but pinch hitter Cliff Floyd popped out to end the threat.

- The Cubs fell to 13-21 against lefties. This has been a common theme for quite awhile, not just under Lou Pinella, but they need to figure out a solution in a hurry.

- The Cubs finished August with a 12-16 record. They still find themselves with a 1.5 game lead, but the home stretch to a long year has finally begun with the team just out in front.

- Jaqcue Jones was 0-4 on Friday. I guess that's what we get for thinking he has turned his season around. Yes it was only one game, but still it was Wandy Rodriguez!

- Kerry Wood pitched very well again, going 2 strong innings. Wood has been a decent arm in the pen, so if he can transition to coming into a middle of an inning, Wood can be a great strength going into October.

Cubs Make Deal Before Playoff Roster Deadline

The Cubs added veteran right hander Steve Trachsel on Friday prior to the midnight deadline for the playoff rosters being set. Trachsel, who was aquired for reliever Rocky Cherry and third baseman Scott Moore, both at the Triple A level, will be returning to the Cubs with whom he spent 1993- 1999. The Cubs get Trachsel not only for what is left of his contract this year, but they would hold a $4.75 million club option for 2008.

The dealing of Moore is not a huge shock since Aramis Ramirez is locked up for a few more years plus the Cubs just spent their number one pick on a third baseman who theoretically could be ready in 5 years, so Moore looked to be stuck for awhile. Cherry on the other hand, had a few decent stints with the big club this year, but the Cubs must have felt their biggest question was the rotation's durability as they made their playoff run.

Cubs re-aquire trachsel [foxsports.com]

Cubs Win, Create Breathing Room

Ted Lilly was born to pitch on days like this. Lilly, a pitcher who gives up mostly fly balls, probably wet himself when he realized the win was going to be blowing in on Thursday. Then Rickie Weeks promptly drove one into the seats to start the game.

Lilly was not sharp, but once again was a model for what every starter should try to be on days when not sharp. Lilly faced eight hitters in the first , but was able to limit the damage to to runs. After the Cubs scored three in the second inning, Lilly again faltered when he gave up a sac fly to the man with the biggest head in baseball, Kevin Mench (seriously look at his gourd sometime). From their Lilly was decent, lasting five innings as he yielded only the three runs. However, he did walk four in addition to the five hits allowed.

The Cubs got on the board in the third when Ramirez singled and Craig Monroe doubled when Corey Hart should have actually been wearing his "Sunglasses at Night" cause he lost the ball in the lights. Mark DeRosa followed with a two RBI single and then scored later in the inning on a Jacque Jones single.

After the Mench sac fly the bullpen did a great job with Carlos Marmol and Bob Howry pitching three scoreless innings, which put Marmol in line for a win when the Cubs got something completely unexpected. A home run. Matt Murton, who had come in as part of a double switched hit a laser into the teeth of the wind in the 6th inning to give the cubs the lead, and then was followed by "El Uno's" solo shot to make it a two run game. Soriano looked pitiful in most of his at bats last night, and while we realize he had no rehab assignment to shake the dirt off of, it was nice to see him connect on one.

While the bullpen was good, Ryan Dempster went back to giving every Cubs fan a heart attack in the ninth. Dempster's line (1IP, 1H, 1ER, 2BB, 0K) doesn't due him justice. The inning actually went like this: double, a hit-by-pitch, sac bunt, ground-out, intentional walk, alk (run scores), chopper that mercifully ended the game. Now we realize Ryan has been perfect lately, but either blow the save or record it, quick making us sit through stuff like that.

- Jacque Jones RBI in the 3rd inning was his 21st of August. As much as we make fun, the Cubs would never be in this position without the way Jones has turned around his season.

- Chris Capuano got the loss for the Brewers in relief. It was his 12th consecutive loss this season, setting a Brewer record. This guy was an All Star last year, how did this happen?

- The Cubs and Brewers are done playing each other this year, and it is unlikely they will both make the playoffs. However, expect the Brew Crew to remember this series for next year. Rickie Weeks was hit 4 times in three games, while no one on the Cubs was hit in retaliation.

Minor Roster Moves...

The Cubs have sent Clay Rapada to the Tigers to complete the Craig Monroe trade from earlier this month. Monroe was initially traded for a player to be named after the season had ended, but the Tigers claimed Rapada off waivers, so the Cubs traded him to Detroit to settle the deal.

Also, the Cubs sent outfielder Buck Coats to the Reds for a player to be named later. Coats was designated for assignment earlier in the month in order to make room for Monroe on the 40 man roster.

Minor moves..... [cubs.com]

TV: WGN TV- 7:05PM

RADIO: WGN 720

Theodore Lilly (13-7; 3.85 ERA) vs. Manny Parra (0-1; 3.09 ERA)

It looks like Ned Yost is playing the finale while using a little gamesmanship. Thursday is Yovani Gallardo's normal turn in the rotation, but Yost is supposedly going with Parra in the finale. Parra is left handed and the Cubs are a woeful 12-20 against southpaws this year. Hopefully they can reverse this trend. The wind looks to be blowing in again like Wednesday.

Wednesday's Recap (Quickly)

So the Cubs and Brewers tangled again Wednesday night and Ben Sheets was sensational in his return from the DL> Carlos Zambrano also had things working well, until a Ryan Theriot error that seemed to send Big Z a bit off center.

The Brewers would score four times in the seventh following the error, but the real story was Ben Sheets. Sheets picthed six strong innings, and also was bailed out by the Cubs inability to capitalize when they had the chance. The Cubs loaded the bases in the third, but were only able to score once on a Ramirez sac fly.

The only good news was that the Cards lost to the Astros and so the Cubs still hold a 1.5 game lead on Milwaukee and a two game lead on the Cards.

Where to Find the Cubs Tonight........

TV: Comcast SportsNet - 7:05PM

RADIO: WGN 720

Carlos Zambrano (14-10; 3.95 ERA) vs.
Ben Sheets (10-4; 3.39 ERA)

Sheets comes off the DL to make this start against the Cubs, and Zambrano looks to rebound with a win. The Cubs can move Milwaukee even further down the standing with another win.

Tuesday's Scoreboard.....

With the Cubs playing the Brewers this week, the only other team of note in the Central was the Cards game in Houston. Braden Looper pitched lights out and Chris Duncan hit a first inning three run home run and that was all they needed.

Granted they tacked on four more to win 7-0, but anytime you can get to Woddy "Milf Hunter" Williams early it's a good thing for your team. The Cardinals continue their series in Houston tonight, so it is imperative the Cubs win again.

Also, anyone who seriously thought the Reds should be included as "in the race," should have their head examined. Granted they started Tuesday 6.5 games out, but got swept by the Pirates in a double header. Any hope was lost.

Love That Milwaukee Bullpen!

For 6 innings, the clutch Jeff Suppan of the 2006 playoffs shut down the Cubs. Then the bullpen took over. Suppan, who is winless in his last 12 starts, is going to have to start pitching the distance if he ever wants another win this season.

After plunking Cliff Floyd in the 7th, the Brewers brought in Scott Linebrink. Linebrink, who was given away by a contending team for a reason, showed why he was given away by a contending team for a reason. Linebrink gave up a 2 run double to Jacque Jones and then failed to field his position and gave up an infield single to Ryan Theriot to give away the lead. Derrek Lee hit a RBI single for good measure to give the Cubs a 2 run lead, which they would never relinquish. For 6 innings, the Cubs looked clueless. Then, as if they finally realized the importance of every single remaining game, the Cubs turned it on.

Rich Hill has been plagued by the worst run support in all of baseball this season. Tonight, however, he was his own worst enemy. Failure to field his position cost the Cubs a run, hitting a batter with 2 strikes and 2 outs helped lead to another score, and his inability to get a bunt down with nobody out and two on helped kill an inning.

Hill would make up for it though on the mound and at the plate. Besides his 3 glaring miscues, Hill pitched 7 solid innings, striking out 9. Hill also got the Cubs going offensively, hitting a 2 out single to score Jason Kendall in the 5th. Hill was able to strike out Rickie Weeks, Corey Hart, Ryan Braun, Kevin Mench, and Bill Hall 2 times each. This was a good start for Hill and the rest of the Cubs pitching staff, as they will be playing 24 games in the next 23 days. The bullpen could definitely use as many long outings by the starting staff as possible. Cubs win, 5-3.

- Bob Uecker sang the 7th inning stretch and was booed mercilessly from start to finish. Then when he was finished, the crowd sang it over again, this time singing "Root, root root for the Cubbies," a part Uecker omitted during his rendition.

- Jacque continues to make it harder for us to hate him, going 2 for 4 with 2 RBI. At this point, we no longer hate him as a baseball player. His non-stop grinning is wearing thin on us though.

- Alfonso Soriano went 0 for 4 in his return. Soriano jumped on the first pitch when he could and hopefully it'll only take a few more at-bats to get real comfortable hitting again.

- Bob Howry and Ryan Dempster pitched uneventful relief appearances (the best kind), throwing 2 innings and striking out 4 collectively.

- Cubs send Carlos Zambrano to the mound tomorrow night. Zambrano despartely needs to get back into the groove he was in around June & July.

- The wind was howling out tonight, a rarity all summer. The total number of homers in the game? 0.

Piggy Sent Back To Iowa; Hill Back In Iowa

Carmen Pignatiello has been sent to Iowa to make room for Alfonso Soriano on the roster. Pignatiello could be coming right back, with the Sept. 1st roster expansion coming this Saturday.

Considering how poorly Matt Murton & Felix Pie have done hitting-wise lately, I'm surprised they weren't sent down. But, again, with the Sept. 1st roster expansion coming up this weekend, they would be coming right back anyways. So the Cubs basically saved Murton and Pie from having to drive back to Iowa.

Also, Koyie Hill cleared waivers and the Cubs sent him to Iowa. Kind of surprising, considering Hill is a good defensive catcher and could be a serviceable backup on any of the contending staffs. The other 29 teams must have seen him hit. Enjoy Iowa, Koyie.

Cubs To Go With 11 Pitchers [Hardball]

Wrigley Will Be Rocking Tonight

TV: Comcast SportsNet - 7:05PM

RADIO: WGN 720

Rich Hill (7-7; 3.67 ERA) vs.

Jeff Suppan (8-11; 4.85 ERA)

The FIRST PLACE Chicago Cubs will begin a 3 game set with second place Milwaukee tonight. Alfonso Soriano will be returing to the lineup tonight. Prince Fielder will be returning from suspension. Wrigley Field will be out of control, no doubt.

Harry Caray Rolling Over in His Grave

We may have mentioned before how ridiculous this idea was, but the Cubs finally named 10 finalists for the "Ultimate 7th Inning Stretch Competition" so we'll say it again. Enough already! I mean seriously, it was a nice tribute to Harry when he passed away right before the season almost 10 years ago, but enough is enough.

I understand giving the fans an opportunity to lead Wrigley Field is a remarkable honor, but after that the tradition needs to stop. The celebrities are either people who shouldn't be near a baseball field (Jeff Gordon and his "Wrigley Stadium") or there are people who have done it numerous times. So I say let the fans have their moment in the sun, and then do what should have been done after Harry passed, you end the fake enthusiasm.

You end the celebrities, the politicians, the people who happen to have an event in town that week, and you give it to the person who deserves to lead Cubs Nation every night. You give the microphone to a man who lives and dies with the Cubs. If he doesn't want it, then you end it all together, but my guess is he wouldn't pass up the chance to celebrate or share the pain of being a Cubs fan. We've all heard him scream with joy, disappointment, and pound his desk, and all real Cubs fans know Ron Santo is the only one qualified to lead Cubs fans everywhere.

Soriano Returning Tuesday

Cubs Left fielder Alfonso Soriano will be activated from the disabled list and will be in the starting lineup on Tuesday vs. the second place Brewers.

The Cubs went 8-11 with Soriano on the disabled list, but the Cubs gained 2.5 games in the standings on the free falling Brewers. Soriano will jump right back into the leadoff spot in the lineup, replacing Ryan Theriot. Theriot has been hitting well in the leadoff spot, but Theriot has been hitting well all season, regardless of the spot in the order.

As we said before, as long as the Cubs can keep afloat with Soriano out, we like the Cubs chances. Although they’ve let St. Louis right back in the race, the Cubs still lead the NL Central. Adding Soriano right now will be a huge boost for this Cubs offense.

So who does Soriano replace? It doesn’t really matter because it won’t be long until he returns with Sept 1st roster expansion coming up. I’m expecting the Cubs to be missing Matt Murton for a few days, and then seeing him return on Saturday.

El Uno Is Back [Chicago Sun Times]

Scoreboard Watching

The San Francisco Giants recover from an early 4-1 deficit and come back to beat the Brewers 5-4. The Brewers will have Monday off, then start a big series at Wrigley on Tuesday.

Brewers Lose, Again [Yahoo Sports]

Prior Wants To Start in '08

Do you hear that overwhelmingly deafening noise? That's millions of Cubs fans laughing at Mark Prior.

Mark Prior visited with the real Cubs players, players who actually .. you know... play, and had some interesting things to say with reporters. Apparently, now get this, Prior wants to and is playing on finding a way into the Cubs 2008 Starting Rotation.

Who knew Mark Prior was such a comedian!

To make a starting rotation, Mark, you're going to have to actually throw a ball. Mark hasn't done that yet since his surgery on his torn labrum in April. And the Cubs will have to re-sign you, as your contract is up.

Will the Cubs want Mark Prior back? Maybe, perhaps just for the jokes.

Starting rotation? You slay me, Mark Prior [Chicago Sun Times]

Where to Find the Cubs Today.....

TV: Comcast SportsNet - 3:40PM

RADIO: WGN 720

Jason Marquis (10-7; 4.12 ERA) vs. Yusmeiro Petit (2-4; 5.14 ERA)

Jason Marquis pitched two complete-game shutouts in the Little League Baseball World Series for the U.S. East team in 1991, including a no-hitter against Canada in which he struck out 10. If he can pitch that well today the Cubs can nail down a winning trip and head home and wait of the Brewers.

(Photo courtesy of www.littleleague.org)

Saturday's Scoreboard Watching..

The Brewers dropped their third straight game on their current road trip 6-2 in San Francisco Saturday night. Prince Fielder served the second game of his suspension, recently trimmed to two games, but the Brewers were unable to compensate for the missing slugger. Yovani Gallardo lasted only three innings and surrendered 5 runs, making two straight starts that the Brewers had to go to the bullpen early.

The Cardinals took advantage of the Cubs and Brewers losses to gain ground on both of them, with a 5-4 win over the Braves and Tim Hudson. Hudson gave up five runs in the fifth inning and that was all the Cards needed to secure the win. Joel Pineiro only gave up three runs, but lasted only four innings, as once again the Cards rotation forced Tony LaRussa into his bullpen early. If things continue like this for the Cards, they may very well go to a no man rotation and just have all 12 guys pitch everyday.

Offense Comes Up Short, Cubs Fall

Without question Ted Lilly has been the Cubs number two starter all year long, and last night again showed why the Cubs signed him this off season. Lilly surrendered only two runs on four hits, while striking out eight in six quality innings. The two runs came on a home run in the fourth off the bat of Connor Jackson, a fastball that Lilly left out over the plate. "I think I was a little too concerned with the runner on first base and ended up leaving it out over the plate," Lilly said of his 2-2 fastball to Jackson. "You can only get away with those so many times."

The Cubs' offense was once again terrible against left hander Doug Davis, who won for the sixth time in seven starts. Craig Monroe, who was brought in to help hit against lefties, was 0-4 on the evening, but he wasn't the only one who struggled. The Cubs only managed seven hits all night, six against Davis, with matt Murton collecting three of those.

The Cubs did have a few chances, but they mainly came with two outs. The lone run was scored on a two out bloop single by Aramis Ramirez in the sixth after a Theriot single and Lee walk. The Cubs again got runners on first and second in the eight with two out, but Monroe flied to end the inning.

- Connor Jackson's home run was the 23rd Lilly surrendered in 27 starts.

- The Cubs have limited their opponents to 10 or fewer hits in 9 straight games, their longest streak of the season.

- It looks more and more like Alfonso Soriano will return this week against the Brewers instead of Labor Day. The Cubs have not announced anything officially, but they have been impressed with what he has been able to do without any pain in rehab.

Where to Find the Cubs Tonight...

TV: WGN - 8:40PM

RADIO: WGN 720

Theodore Lilly (13-6; 3.88 ERA) vs. Doug Davis (10-11; 4.22 ERA)

The Cubs have clinched a .500 trip with two remaining in the desert. The former Brewer Doug Davis should look familiar to most of the Cubs, so let's just hope they can capitalize on that.

Scoreboard Watching for Friday

The Brewers jumped out to a nice three run lead to start their series in San Francisco, too bad Claudio Vargas forgot it was his turn in the rotation. Vargas promptly went out and gave all three runs back in the bottom half, and let the Giants take a 6-3 lead after the first. Vargas lasted all of 2/3 of an inning in a game that the Brewers really should have won.

The Giants countered with Noah Lowry, who isn't bad, it's just that he is lefthanded and the Brewers kill lefties. That was evident by the fact that the Brewers offense was able to come back and tie the score in the third. Chris Capuano, who had just been sent to the bullpen this week, gave up four runs in relief, but was able to pitch 5 innings and preserve the Brewer bullpen. The loss for Capuano though, marked his 11 consecutive loss, tying former Cub Glendon Rusch and two others.

The Cardinals also lost Friday as they played host to the Atlanta Braves. Kip Wells was roughed up as he gave up 7 runs - 5 earned - in four innings. Seriously, the Cubs and Brewers have let the Cards back into a race even though their rotation includes KIP WELLS. The Cards did commit four errors, with David Eckstein's in the fourth proving to be a killer. The error by the Cardinal shortstop opened the flood gates as the Braves scored five runs in the inning.

Marshall, Bullpen Reign in a Win

Ever since Sean Marshall's first start in San Diego this year on May 23rd the Cubs had found a steady five man rotation. However, the way Marshall had been pitching of late, 1-2 8.50 ERA in four starts, there were questions about whether he could be the option down the stretch. Questions answered, at least for now.

Marshall cruised through six innings while allowing only one run, two, and he walked two. The one run came on a first pitch fastball that Micah Owings, the D-Backs starter, hammered deep to left for a home run. While that makes two straight starts that the opposing pitcher has homered, at least this time the Cubs were able to pull out a win.

The offense got Marshall some runs right out of the gate, scoring two runs in the top of the first on RBI singles by D. Lee and Mark DeRosa. The Cubs also added one in the sixth when Jacque Jones doubled to lead off the inning. He moved to third and then scored the eventual game winning run on consecutive sacrifice flies by Lee and Aramis Ramirez. The Cubs then tacked on a few insurance runs in the ninth to put the game just about out of reach.

After Carlos Marmol and Bob Howry pitched scoreless innings in relief, Michael Wuertz came into the game with a five run lead and proceeded to give Cubs nation a heart attack. He surrendered a hit and two walks before being lifted for Ryan Dempster. Dempster, who's demotion from the closer role has suddenly made him lights out came in and nailed down the save when he got Justin Upton to fly out to end the game.

- The closer by committee roles were officially scrapped recently and Dempster was reinstated as the closer. Once again Lou Pinella is the master of head games, as Dempster nailed his fourth straight since that "announcement" and looked comfortable the whole time.

- Micah Owings hit his third home run in two starts, and has seven extra base hits to go along with his .283 average. If he was on a team with less talent, they'd probably find an everyday position for him.

- Craig Monroe pinch hit in the 9th for his first action with the Cubs and as able to reach on an infield single. Pinella said he expects to start Monroe Saturday against lefty Doug Davis.

- Jacque Jones was 4-5, 1 RBI, 1 run scored. We realize his average has climbed to .274, but there is just something inside of us that makes us cringe when we watch him play. We will most likely never be your supporters because we don't jump on bandwagons, but we'd love to see you leave this off-season (via trade) with a ring. We do have a deal for you though. You keep it up and we'll pretend you are Jerome Walton for the rest of the year.

Where To Find The CUBS Tonight...

TV: Comcast SportsNet - 8:40PM
RADIO: WGN 720

Sean Marshall (6-6; 4.21 ERA) vs.
Micah Owings (6-6; 4.70 ERA)

Possible preview of the NLDS or NLCS. Micah Owings hit 2 homers in his last game. Owings is the pitcher. Sean Marshall better be careful tonight, 1-9 in the order.

Zambrano, Cubs drop Series Finale

OK, so where the hell is Carlos Zambrano? Yes his name was on the line-up card Thursday, but the dominant pitcher we saw all of June and July has now dropped to 0-3 in his last three starts as he laid an egg in San Francisco. Zambrano walked five and gave up a two run home run to Matt Cain, the Giants' starter.

The offense was again stagnant as the Cubs managed only one run, and while Cain is much better than his record, they should have been able to take advantage of a vunerable Giants team that while ranking 5th in ERA is still in dead last out West.

Mark DeRosa, the Cubs version of Brandon Inge and Ryan Freel, started in left field, marking his sixth position played this year in his first year in Chicago. The versatility has helped the Cubs, but it is also funny to see him at so many different positions and his bat seemingly thriving the entire time.

While the offense was a disappointment, Zambrano's ineffectiveness is a bit troubling since his settled contract situation was supposed to calm him down and keep him pitching well. He will however get a chance quickly as the rotation will be reshuffled with the off day Monday. Sean Marshall will be skipped around so that Lily, Hill and Zambrano will start against the Brewers Tuesday - Thursday.

- Soriano keeps telling the trainers he is ok and may very well return during the homestand against the Brewers.

- Buck Coats was designated for assignment after the game to make room Craig Monroe on the 40 man roster. Jake Fox was then sent to Triple A Iowa to make room for Monroe on the actual squad.

- Cubs lost a half game to the idle Brewers and remained three up on the Cards who were beaten by the Marlins Thursday night. Brewers swap cities with the Cubs and play the Giants while the Cubs are in Arizona to face the D-Backs. The Cards host the Braves.

Cubs Save Lives

Historically, the Cubs have caused some serious heartache. On August 22nd, the Cubs gave a little back, albeit unintentionally, and saved the life of Ben Von Bruenchenhein.

Because the Cubs were in San Francisco, Ben was up watching the game in his living room at 10:15PM. Ben, who is normally in bed at this time (dork), stayed up to watch the Cubs game instead.

Meanwhile, neighbor Larz Nordstrom (in his 80s) was apparently playing with his gun. Larz "accidently" pulled the trigger and the bullet went through the wall. The bullet went through Ben's bedroom wall, right above his pillow. Had Ben been sleeping, he may have been shot in the head. However, with the Cubs on the west coast, Ben was too busy watching the game to sleep.

The Cubs save lives. Plain & simple.

Larz Nordstrom was interviewed, in his underwear, and had this to say:

"I just forgot the damn thing was loaded."

Cubs Save Lives [Chicago Sun Times]

Sox Fans Continue To Amaze Me

Paul Ladewski worked up quite a gem in today's Daily Southtown about the Chicago Cubs today. For those who don't know, the Daily Southtown is the redheaded step child of newspapers in the city of Chicago. It's sole purpose is for people on the southside of Chicago, with the Sports section normally dedicated to White Sox baseball during the summer.

The problem for the Southtown this summer? The Sox blow and the Cubs are in a chase for the NL Central Division title.

Paul Ladewski is unable to cope with this fact & it showed in his column today. The White Sox are in last place, tied with the Kansas City Royals. So like every jealous Sox fan, Ladewski writes about how terrible the Cubs division is and how it "must be nice to look at the schedule in spring training and see "Astros" and "Reds" and "Pirates" appear 48 times." Hey, no argument from us. The NL Central Division is weak. But since when did the Cubs get to choose which division their in? Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the Cardinals win the World Series last year? Did they not beat a team from the AL Central?

But let's forget about that argument and break down Ladewski's article.

Let's be honest. As the team with the most resources in the largest market, the Cubs should dominate the NL Central Division in much the same way the Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets and New York Yankees do their divisions almost every year.

Thats funny. The Cubs have the most resources in the largest market. Apparently the White Sox are not from Chicago too. Yes, the Cubs have a large payroll this season. The Cubs 2007 payroll is almost 100 million dollars. This puts them at 8th highest in MLB. Which team is 5th, with a payroll of almost 109 million dollars? Oh yeah, the White Sox. The White Sox 109 million dollar payroll is currently in last place of the AL Central. The White Sox spent more money than any team in the AL Central. So according to Paul, they should be leading their division. Instead, they are last.

What happens if the nearly $380 million the Cubs shelled out for talent in the last year turns out to be so much fool's gold?

I didn't realize that salaries for the next 7 or 8 years count in this season's payroll. And I didn't realize if the Cubs don't win it this year, it won't happen in the next 7 or 8 years either because all of that money was declared a waste by Ladewski. The 2007 White Sox payroll is higher than the Cubs by the way.

So here are the options: If the Cubs advance to the playoffs and beyond, they'll be known as The Team That Got a Free Pass. Otherwise, they're The Worst Team Money Can Buy.

According to Paul, if the Cubs make the playoffs, they "bought" it. If they don't, then they are the "worst team ever money could buy." The 2007 White Sox have the 5th highest payroll. The 2007 White Sox currently have the 5th worst record in MLB. No Paul, that's the worst team money can buy.

And if the Cubs make the playoffs, how is it cheapened by the fact that they signed several free agents this winter? The Yankees haven't earned any World Series championships then? The Red Sox didn't earn theirs in '04? The '05 White Sox, who had the 12th highest payroll out of 30 teams, didn't earn it then? The '06 Cardinals didn't earn it then? The only explanation for your comment is that you're jealous. It has to be jealousy because it's the shallowest argument possible. You're going to discredit the Cubs because they spent money? Don't forget, they spent less than the 2007 White Sox. They are in last place, in case you forgot.

Must be nice to look at the schedule in spring training and see "Astros" and "Reds" and "Pirates" appear 48 times.

Cubs don't choose their schedule, the league does. The NL Central has represented the NL in the last 3 World Series. It's cyclical, Paul. Some divisions are good one year, and bad the next. Remember the AL Central in 2002? 2003? 2004? You must have memory loss, Paul.

The NL Central is so limp from top to bottom that, if the Cubs ever did shock the baseball world this fall, one has to wonder if it would be worth a celebration here.

Wow. Not worth the celebration? How does a team, which doesn't even have the biggest 2007 Payroll in it's own city, get discredited already for something that hasn't happened?

What Cubs fans have to ask themselves is, if they've waited 99 years to win the Big One, then why not a little longer and do it the Sox way? Two years ago, the Hosers were taken to the wire in a competitive division. They went 11-1 in the postseason. It took 88 years for the Sox to pull it off and it may take another 88 years to do it again, but did they get it right or what?

The Sox way? The Sox win one world series in the last 90 years, and they suddenly have a "way?" Signing Free agents is "buying" a playoff spot, right? Before the 2005 season, the White Sox signed Jermaine Dye, AJ Pierzynski, Orlando Hernandez, Tadihito Iguchi, Bobby Jenks, Dustin Hermanson, Pablo Ozuna, and Chris Widger? That's 1/3 of their team that they "bought." But I guess that's different because it's "your Sox."

At least Sox fans have DVDs to make the pain go away. If you're a poor Cubs fan, though, you're darned if you do and darned if you don't.

Coincidence that this article comes out the day the Sox fall to last place, and the Cubs take sole possession of first? Stay jealous, Paul. Stay jealous. The Sox are in last place.

Jealous Sox Fan Drunk With Jealousy [Daily Southtown]
Want to Email Paul? We insist.

Cubs Aquire Yet Another Outfielder

Ok, now this is getting out of hand. The Cubs aquired Craig Monroe and cash on Thursday from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for a player to be named later. While Monroe had been squeezed out in Detroit he looks to be thrown right into the mix here in Chicago.

Monroe is expected to join the Cubs in Arizona, so a roster spot to get him on the major league team won't be made until then. Our guess is Jake Fox seeing as how Ronny Cedeno is already gone. Monroe looks to be a better option down the stretch then Matt Murton once Alfonso Soriano returns because of his experience last year and Murton's inability to hit lately. Either way, Jim Hendry seems to be going for quantity as opposed to quality out there, in my opinion.

Outfield mess gets even more crowded. [cubs.com]

Where To Find The CUBS Today...

TV: WGN - 2:35PM

RADIO: WGN 720

Carlos Zambrano (14-9; 3.86 ERA) vs.

Matt Cain (5-13; 3.78 ERA)

Cubs go for the sweep against a good young pitcher in Matt Cain. Cain has been the victim of poor run support like Rich Hill, receiving an average of 3.66 runs per game. The Brewers don't play, so this is a great opportunity to extend the lead.

Ire Has Been Better Since the All-Star Break

Scott Eyre is getting back to the reliever who threw well last season. Since the All-Star break, Eyre has a 1.74 ERA in 12 games. He’s not all the way back, with Manager Lou Piniella still throwing Marmol in the 8th inning last night, against 3 straight lefties, something Eyre would have been called upon to do last season. Although to Marmol’s credit, no matter how well Eyre throws doesn’t matter. Marmol is a much better pitcher than Eyre and belongs in that situation no matter what. But it would be nice to have a shutdown situational lefty pitcher in the pen to have anyways. Eyre is getting closer to returning to that form.

Erye also is getting used to be called “Stevie Ire,” a name Lou Piniella sometimes calls him when addressing the media. Maybe Piniella has been doing this on purpose, or maybe it’s because Lou is just an old man. Eyre said about Piniella calling him Stevie Ire:

I hope he keeps calling me that because Scott Eyre didn’t pitch so good the first half. Stevie’s pitching good.

Scott, I don’t care if Lou calls you “Dickhead,” please pitch well. The Cubs need it.

Stevie Ire Happy He’s No Longer On Mop-up Duty [The Daily Herald

Cubs Win Late, 4-2

I’m starting to think Cliff Floyd should only bat for the Cubs in the 9th or later. For the second straight day, Cliff Floyd had 3 bad at-bats during innings 1-8. And for the second straight day, Floyd had a big hit for the Cubs in late inning rally. Last night, Cliff led off the top of the 10th with a rope into right field and pushed his rickety old legs to the limit and made it to second safely. Felix Pie came in as a pinch runner for the Fragile Floyd and took 3rd on a passed ball. Mike Fontenot walked, bringing up Jason Kendall, who was goatee-less yet again. Felix Pie scored on Jason Kendall’s screamer off of second baseman Rich Aurilia, which he booted into the outfield. Aurilia’s error, which could have easily been a double play (with the Cubs still scoring the go ahead run), but it allowed the Cubs to bring up a hitter with Mike Fontenot on third. The hitter?

None other than the Mullet himself, Henry Blanco.

Would Blanco surprise everyone and go yard? With the count 1 and 1, Bruce Bochy called for a pitch out, thinking maybe the crafty Lou Piniella would call for a squeeze. The squeeze was not on. The pitch out was one pitch too early, as Piniella called for the squeeze on the very next pitch, with Blanco putting the ball in play and Fontenot scoring easily. One at-bat and the Mullet is already contributing.

Rich Hill pitched well and once again didn’t get the run support. Hill, who has the lowest run support of any starting pitcher in MLB, threw 7 strong innings and struck out 10. Carlos Marmol pitched 2 exciting innings, getting himself into trouble & then getting himself right out of that mess with that nasty slider he has. Marmol struck out 4 in 2 innings. Dempster came in after the Cubs scored 2 in the top of the 10th, throwing 9 pitches to 3 batters and picking up his 20th save of the season.

- Jake Fox went 0 for 3 last night and looked helpless against Barry Zito.

- The Cubs won their first extra inning game since May 6th.

- Barry Bonds hit his 600th career double, leaving him 3 shy of tying Cal Ripken Jr. for 13th all-time.

- Cubs go for the sweep today, and a chance to move further ahead of Milwaukee because the Brewers do not play today.

Scoreboard Watching

Milwaukee was able to end Brandon Webb's ridiculous scoreless innings streak, but they still lost to the Diamondbacks, 3-2. This now puts the Cubs in FIRST PLACE by themselves. The Cubs Magic number to win the NL Central is 36. With Webb facing the Brewers wednesday night, the Cubs will avoid facing him this weekend. The Cubs will also miss 13 game winner/lefty Noah Lowry on the Giants, who will face the Brewers on Friday. You take the breaks where you can get them.

Cubs Now Alone In First [MilwaukeeBrewers.com]

Scoreboard Watching

Albert Pujols has homered in 5 straight games, with the Cardinals winning 3 of those games. Cardinals beat the Marlins, 6-4. Thanks Florida.

Cards Win, Again. [Yahoo Sports]

Where To Find The CUBS Tonight...

TV: WGN - 9:15PM
RADIO: WGN 720

Rich Hill (7-7; 3.73 ERA) vs.
Barry Zito (9-11; 4.88 ERA)

Lefties with similar big breaking curveballs go head-to-head tonight in San Fran. Hopefully the momentum of last night's escape can carry the Cubs into another win tonight against Zito.

Rangers 30, Orioles 3

For the first time since 1897, a MLB team scored 30 runs in a game. The Texas Rangers put up 30 on the Orioles today. The worst part about this for the Orioles?

It was game 1 of a doubleheader.

Jason Saltalamacchia & Ramon Vazquez had 7 RBI.... each. The Orioles actually were winning this game 3-0, so the Rangers scored 30 unanswered runs. I'm at a loss for words.

The interesting thing to look out for in game 2 is to see if there will be any fights. The Rangers scored 16 runs in the 8th & 9th innings. The Orioles have to feel completely embarrassed and to make matters worse, they have to play another game tonight. I won't be shocked to see later that there were batters hit with pitches and benches cleared. But please, nobody go Jose Offerman on anybody.

30 [Foxsports.com]

Soriano: I Could Play This Weekend

Alfonso Soriano believes that he could play this weekend for the Cubs. The rest of the Cubs organization still say that Labor Day should be when El Uno returns to the lineup.

Soriano also said that he would be willing to drop down in the order, with the thinking that his speed wouldn't be nearly as important as when he's batting leadoff. Manager Lou Piniella says, however, that Soriano will be batting leadoff when he comes back. Piniella feels that this is where Soriano is most comfortable and Lou wants to be able to take advantage of Soriano's speed. The Cubs leadoff hitter now, Ryan Theriot, will drop down a spot in the order.

Soriano Wants to Play [Chicago Sun Times]

Scoreboard Watching

The Brewers beat Arizona again, 7-4. Gabe Gross hit a grandslam for the Brewers. Brewers remain percentage points behind the Cubs for first place.[MilwaukeeBrewers.com]

Hanley Ramirez's 20th error of the season helped St. Louis score 4 in the 8th to come from behind and beat the Marlins. You suck Hanley. Cards remain 3 games behind the Cubs for first place. [StLouisCardinals.com]

Comeback Cubs Win 5-1

For 8 innings, the Cubs offense looked dead. The Cubs were getting weak swings up & down the order and Tim Lincecum was well on his way to his first career complete game shut out. Unfortunately for Lincecum, the game doesn’t end after 8 innings. In the 9th, the Cubs scored 5 runs, with the game winning RBI coming from Cliff Floyd. Floyd was playing in his first game back since his dad passed away and it was fairly obvious that he was rusty. Floyd had 3 terrible at-bats until the 9th inning, but was able to come up with the clutch hit when the Cubs needed it.

Jason Marquis was solid most of the night, giving up only 3 hits & 1 run over 7 innings. Marquis walked 5, but he was able to minimize any damage from the walks because he was facing a very weak hitting Giants team. As long as you can get Bonds out or put him on first, the rest of this team is garbage. It’s a shame that Jason Marquis didn’t get the win because he deserved it by only giving up 1 run.

- Scott Eyre pitched a scoreless 8th to pick up his first win of the season. Eyre was able to retire the side on 5 pitches. It would be a perfect time to Scott Eyre to break out of his tough season funk right now. The Cubs could certainly use a lights out lefty reliever down the stretch.

- The game only took 2 hours and 20 minutes to play, as both pitching staffs breezed through the first 8 innings.

- Jason Kendall picked up 2 more RBI for the Cubs with a two-out hit in the 9th inning. Kendall is batting .302 for the Cubs, with 15 RBI in 27 games. Kendall’s On Base Percentage as a Cub is .412

- Jacque Jones should have received an error for his misplaying of a routine flyball in center. Not sure what he lost it in this time around. He's a nightmare in the outfield, period. We shouldn't have to hold our breath on every single flyball hit his way.

- And it’s worth bringing up once again: Barry Bonds has a giant head. It’s stupid how big his head is.

Where To Find The CUBS Tonight...

TV: Comcast Sports Network - 9:15PM
RADIO: WGN 720

Jason Marquis (10-7; 4.25 ERA) vs.
Tim Lincecum (7-3; 3.95 ERA)

39 games left. No joke, every game is crucial now. The Giants have won 5 in a row, but that needs to end tonight against fireballer Tim Lincecum.

Scoreboard Watching

The Brewers jumped out to their usual big lead, but this time they decided not to blow it. The Brewers beat up the Arizona Diamondbacks (NL leader in wins) 9-0 on Monday. The Brewers win and the Cubs loss puts the NL Central at a virtual deadlock. The Cubs are still one game better in the loss column.

Brewers Win [MilwaukeeBrewers.com]

More Roster Movements

The Koyie Hill Era is officially over. The catcher, known for his hitting according to Koyie Hill, couldn't hit and now he'll go not hit somewhere else. Hill hasn't played much since the arrival of Jason Kendall and was designiated for assignment. Hill will most likely be picked up by a contender and then find a way to burn the Cubs somewhere down the road.

Henry Blanco will be activated in Hill's roster spot. The catcher with the sweetest mullet around and his fragile neck will be in San Francisco tonight. The Cubs go from a backup catcher who thinks he can hit to a catcher who knows he can't hit.

Cliff Floyd will be taken off the Bereavement List and will be available for Tuesday's game in San Fran. Little used Ronny Cedeno will go back to Iowa. Hopefully for good.

The Mullet Is Back [ChicagoSports.com]

Where to Find the Cubs Today.........

TV: Comcast SportsNet 1:20pm

RADIO: WGN 720

Starters: Ted Lilly (13-5, 3.81 ERA) vs. Joel Piniero (3-2, 4.45 ERA)

Hopefully Lilly can show some fight like when he fought his manager in Toronto. I have a feeling he is going to need it to make it three for three from St. Louis this weekend.

Mother F**king Nature

Yeah I said it. Who else should we blame? The umpires who waited until it had stopped raining for almost an entire half hour, and then called the game? Well, because Mother Nature likes to play havoc, the game was inevitably delayed and then postponed.

The Cubs refuse to play a double header Monday since they have to fly to San Fransisco, so they will have to announce a make up date later. The two teams share off days on August 24th and September 10th, but they could also wait to see if the game is even needed and play it at the end of the year. We will update when they do.

Also, the killer was Zambrano looked locked in last night. He had three 1-2-3 innings, but not only that. He looked like he was out to prove he was indeed the NL Cy Young's leading contender.

Scoreboard Watching

Milwaukee's slide continues as they lose Sunday's game and the weekend series to the Cincinnati Reds. Milwaukee had an early lead, however they couldn't hold on and lost to the Reds, 7-6. If the Cubs can beat St. Louis tonight, they will stretch their division lead to 1 1/2 games.

Brewers Lose, Again [Yahoo Sports]

Where to Find the Cubs Today.......

TV: ESPN Game of the Week, 7pm

RADIO: WGN 720

Carlos Zambrano (14-9; 3.86ERA) vs. Kip Wells (6-13; 5.24 ERA)

Cubs try to clinch a series win and put even more distance between themselves and the Cards. Also, a win guarantees at least another day alone in first place.

Wet, Soggy, and Another Win

Mother Nature played a huge role in Saturday's NL Central race, as the Cubs and Cards sat through two rain delay's totaling 126 minutes. Yet when all was said and done, the Cubs still sat atop the flag pole.

Sean Marshall showed no ill effects of having to wait during the first delay which pushed the start time back 61 minutes. Marshall didn't go extremely deep, but was able to last 5 innings and pick up the win. He scattered five hits, including solo shots by Juan Encarnacion and Brendan Ryan, in his tour of duty and kept the Cubs out in front.

The offense stuggled somewhat against Anthony Reyes, but they were able to strike for just enough, all with two outs in the third inning. The key play in the third was a sharp ground ball up the middle off the bat of Jacque Jones with runners on 1st and 2nd. Ryan was unable to handle it and was able to only get a force at second keeping the inning alive. Derek Lee (3 of Cubs 4 hits) would follow with an RBI single, then a walk to Aramis, and finally Daryle Ward then crushed a grand slam into the bleachers.

The game was also not without it's controversy, like most Cubs-Cards games. In the top of the 6th the Cads had 1st and 3rd with one out, when Pujols tried to score on a wild pitch from Carlos Marmol. Replays showed that Pujols most likely was safe, but was in fact called out on a great effort by Jason Kendall and Marmol. That brought LaRussa out to argue, minus his women's sunglasses, but of course the call was not reversed. Then, Chris Duncan was called out on a check swing on a ball that struck his leg and the ball got away to end the inning and the threat.

- Albert Pujols homered for the second straight day, but again it was a solo shot. At least the Cubs are minimizing his damage.

- The Cubs have assured themselves of keeping the Cards at least in the same place as when the series started, two games behind them, but now can go for the jugular.

- Carmen Pignatiello came on after the second rain delay in place of Bob Howry, to finish Chris Duncan's at bat, which created an odd pitching line for Pignatiello. 1/3 IP, 1K only 1 pitch.

- Finally, the Cubs did not take batting practice Saturday as most of the team attended a service for Cliff Floyd's father who passed away earlier this week. Cliff was said to be in good spirits according to some players, but chances are he won't be back for a few more days at the earliest.

(Photo from Charles Rex Arbogast/AP)

Where To Find The FIRST PLACE CUBS Today...

TV: FOX 2:55PM (Turn your TVs on mute, Joe Buck & Tim McCarver will be on. Joe Buck, as usual, will continue to act like people have tuned into the game to listen to him. Joe, you're a douchebag.)
RADIO: WGN 720

Sean Marshall (5-6; 4.25 ERA) vs.
Anthony Reyes (2-11; 5.48 ERA)

The FIRST PLACE CHICAGO CUBS look to extend their lead over the Cardinals in the NL Central. FIRST PLACE CHICAGO CUBS.

Jay Mariotti Wrong As Usual

Big Z got his new deal on August 17th. On August 16th, Jay Mariotti decided his usual waste of newspaper would be on how the Tribune Company would never sign Zambrano.

Barring some sort of backroom extension deal that seems impossible under the complex circumstances, you can start sending your gratitudes and goodbyes to Zambrano, who has every right to thumb his nose in disgust at the corporate b.s. and sign with the highest bidder.

Good call, Jay. One day later, the Cubs sign Zambrano to a long-term deal with a hometown discount. If you didn't write this one day before, nobody would have batted an eye at it. However, with you writing this article just one day before, you look like a complete idiot. Stay hot, Jay. Stay hot.

Jay Inserts Foot Into Mouth Again [Chicago Sun Times]

Zambrano Re-Signs, Cubs Fans Finally Breathe

Carlos Zambrano has officially signed a new deal that will allow him to pitch and scream like a mad man in Wrigleyville for at least the next five years. The deal, 5 years $91.5 million with a sixth year player option for 19.25, locks Zambrano in until the age of 31 when he will likely land another monster deal.

The Tribune Tower seems to be trying to correct all of its wrongs in one year with the addition of Ted Lily, Jason Marquis, Alfonso Soriano, Mark DeRosa, and Lou Pinella last offseason, and now they have locked in Zambrano as well. The original deal the Cubs and Zambrano agreed to prior to the team's For Sale announcement in April was for around 5 years and $80 million, so in effect dragging this out cost future Cubs management $11 million.

As for Cubs fans, we can all breathe now. Obviously the way Carlos had been speaking lately, he had no intention of leaving, but being born only during the Tribune's rule of the team I was skeptic. With this deal however, the Cubs look to have sent a sign that things are indeed about to change. I can only hope that this news helps Zambrano focus after a few tough starts.

Zambrano re-signs, Wrigleyville giddy [foxsports.com]

Where To Find The CUBS Today...

• TV: WGN - 1:20PM
• RADIO: WGN 720

Rich Hill (6-7; 3.85 ERA) vs.

Braden Looper (10-9; 5.08 ERA)

We hate Joe Buck & Tim McCarver. We still hate Fernando Vina. We hate Tony LaRussa. We don't understand why Tony LaRussa wears old lady sunglasses, even at night. We hate how Scott Rolen & Jim Edmonds sprint around the bases after a home run. We still hate Matt Morris. We hate Chris Carpenter. We still laugh when we see highlights of Rick Ankiel pitching. We hope Zambrano throws at Jim Edmonds again. We can't wait for this series to start...

Gordon Bombay Would Be Proud

Despite sucking so far in August, it hasn’t kept the Cubs from having fun. Before Thursday’s game, Ryan “The Riot” Theriot was harassing his teammates with a duck call he dug out of his hunting gear. Mark DeRosa took it a step further and dressed up in camouflage and harassed teammates with Theriot. On the Cubs recent slide and the whole thing with the Ducks, Theriot said:

“You can't take anything too seriously.”

The Cubs then went out and stomped on the Reds. If a loose clubhouse is all that it takes, keep it up. They’ll need it this weekend against the Cardinals.

So how much do you want to bet that the rest of the season, the bleachers will be filled with ducks, duck callers, and camouflage? Theriot & DeRosa may have created a monster.

Cubs/Ducks Stay Loose [Chicago Sun Times]

DeRosa Perfect as Cubs Snap Skid

Mark DeRosa acted like he had seen enough on Thursday. After watching the Cubs blow a lead late Wednesday, DeRosa decided to make sure it didn't happen again. He set a career high with five hits in a game (5-5, 2B, 4 RBIs) and drove the Cubs to their first win all week.

After the Cubs jumped out to a four run lead after the first inning, Jason Marquis promptly gave it all back in the top of the second. However, after that Marquis was able to settle down and keep the Cubs in the game until the offense finally exploded. Marquis pitched 6+ strong innings and gave up only the 4 runs, and gave the bullpen a decent break with Eyre, Pignatiello, and Dempster all pitching one full inning.

While DeRosa set a career high with his 5 hits out of the two-hole, he was not the only one hitting as the Cubs pounded out 20 hits, a season high. Ramirez and Jones each had four hits as well, and D-Lee was the only starter to not record a base hit.

- Jacque Jones continues to try and raise his batting average 100 points in a month. While probably not possible, we do actually have to hand him credit. We'll back off if this continues.

- Carmen Pignatiello made his major league debut, and pitched a scoreless eigth inning.

- Jake Fox started for the second consecutive game and was 1-3, 2B, RBI. If he continues to hit, he could be a valuable right handed hitter until Soriano or Floyd return.

- The Cubs lost the series, but managed to keep the Cardinals two full games behind them as they come to town for a crucial wrap-around four game series.

Scoreboard Watching

The Brewers lost their 4th straight game and got swept by St. Louis in the process. Milwaukee now has a half game lead on the Cubs & a 2 1/2 game lead on the Cardinals.

The Cardinals beat up on the Brewers today, 8-0. Milwaukee was outscored 28-7 in the 3 game series and are looking like they've completely run out of gas. The Brewers have now lost 8 out of their last 10 games.

Brewers Lose Again [MilwaukeeBrewers.com]

Where To Find The CUBS Today...

TV: WGN

Radio: WGN 720 AM

Bobby Livingston (3-2, 4.24 ERA) vs. Jason Marquis (9-7, 4.18 ERA)

Jason, please, realize that you are facing the Reds. This is a must win. Not so much to catch the Brewers, but to keep the Cards further back. My ulcer can't take much more of this.

Cubs Sign Top Pick

High school 3rd Baseman Josh Vitters has finally signed with the Cubs, receiving a $3.2 million signing bonus in the process. Vitters will begin playing for the Class A rookie team in Arizona next week. With Aramis Ramirez at 3rd base right now, we might not see Josh Vitters for a number of years. Then again, we might not ever hear of Josh Vitters ever again. As we’ve seen before, Cubs first round draft picks haven’t always turned out so well.

Vitters Signs [Chicago SunTimes]

Losing Skid Now At 4

The good news is that it looks like the Cubs hitting is coming around. The bad news is now the pitching blows. The Cubs blew yet another opportunity to gain a game on the Milwaukee Brewers, who lost again to the Cardinals last night. The inconsistent play during August is absolutely killing the Cubs right now. During this month, the Cubs are now 4-10. They have one more game with Cincinnati today, and then the 4 game weekend series with the St. Louis Cardinals is looming. With the way the Cubs are pitching, the Cubs will be lucky to win a game this weekend.

Lou Piniella summed things up after the game:

“It seems like we’re in a pennant race, I’m not too damn sure.”

We’re not too sure either.

Ted Lilly struggled through 5 innings, giving up 6 runs on 6 hits, including 2 homers. But as bad as Lilly threw, he still left with the lead after 5. Then Michael “Anal” Wuertz came in the ballgame. Wuertz gave up 3 hits in 1/3 of an inning and was charged with 3 runs to tie the ballgame at 9. Bob Howry would later come in the 8th and give up a pinch hit 2 run homer to Josh Hamilton to pick up the loss. The only good pitching news is Kerry Wood threw an uneventful 9th inning, throwing 12 pitches and striking out 1.

Even after all of these losses, the Cubs are still only 1.5 games out behind Milwaukee. But don’t you get the feeling like St. Louis already leads the division at this point?

Cubs Lose Again, 11-9 [Yahoo Sports]

Wednesday Scoreboard Watching

There is ground to be gained in the Central. The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers again tonight, this time by the score of 8-3. Wow, does Milwaukee blow or what? Milwaukee has now lost 7 of 9 and the Cardinals only trail the Brewers by 3.5 games. If the Cubs can win tonight, that would put them just a half game behind.

Cards Now 3.5 Games Back [MilwaukeeBrewers.com]

Lee Has Been "Fixed"

Cubs Hitting Coach Gerald Perry (who always looks pissed off and I love it) and Manager Lou Piniella say that they have found the flaw in DLee's swing by watching video of Lee. The fixed Lee had 2 hits with 2 RBI, including a homer last night. Perry & Piniella say it has to do with Lee's hip and that's all they would elaborate on the subject.

Hopefully Lee is really "fixed" because the Cubs desperately need his bat. This isn't new news. I just wish he would have been fixed sooner. If Lee is fixed then Lee is fixed. Lee was brutal on the 7 game road trip, going 4 for 27. The 2005 Derrek Lee (batting champ) needs to reappear and soon.

Gerald Perry & Lou Watch DLee Movies [Chicago Sun-Times]

Soriano Plays Catch Today

Alfonso Soriano played catch today, the first baseball activity he's done since injuring his quad. Soriano has also been riding a stationary bike, but has yet to actually run on his bum leg. Soriano says he feels great, but the timetable is still September 1ish for El Uno's return.

It looks like Sept. 1st can't come soon enough. The Cubs are 2-7 without Soriano.

Soriano Throws, Continues To Ride Bike [Cubs.com]

Where To Find The CUBS Tonight...

TV: WGN 7:05PM
RADIO: WGN 720

Ted Lilly (13-5; 3.51 ERA) vs.
Phil Dumatrait (0-1; 7.71 ERA)

Obviously the picture has nothing to do with the Cubs, but I can't get over the Jose Offerman story. Hopefully he had fun in his last game ever as a professional baseball player.

In Milwaukee tonight, Yovani Gallardo faces Joel Piniero. Prince Fielder is in the lineup tonight, despite being suspended today.

Royal Pain, Fielder Suspended

Prince Fielder was suspended Wednesday for three games by the commissioner's office for "inappropriate and aggressive conduct" during a confrontation with plate umpire Wally Bell on Sunday. This would leave the Brewers minus their big bat in the line up, however, as we know he can appeal. My guess would be with the Cardinals still in town that will be the likely outcome for at least the near future.

Prince not acting Royal [foxsporst.com]

Scoreboard Watching for Tuesday

The Cubs lose and the Brewers lose. Good news right? Not really since the Cardinals beat the Brewers last night and are creeping even closer into what should have been a two team (actually could have been one) race. The Brewers jumped out early on a Prince Fielder bomb, but the Cards scored 6 times in the 5th and tacked on a few more in the end for the win.

• Other notable scores:
• Phillies 3 - Nats 2
• Braves 5 - Giants 4
• Padres 8 - Rockies 0
• Astros 7 - Dodgers 4

Zambrano Struggles, Cubs Lose 6-5

The Cubs needed a big game out of their Ace last night, but they didn't get it. Carlos Zambrano gave up 13 hits (!) in 7 innings and gave up 6 runs in the process to pick up his 9th loss of the year. Zambrano was wild in the zone all night and the Reds made him pay for it. Ken Griffey Jr. had 2 RBI & 4 other Reds had an RBI each (Hamilton,Keppinger, Valentin, Hatteberg).

With Aaron Harang on the mound for the Reds, 6 runs was enough for their staff ace. Zambrano had the chance to end the Cubs 2 game losing skid and pick up a game on Milwaukee (12-4 losers vs. the Cardinals last night), but he & the Cubs blew yet another opportunity. The division is theirs for the taking, but the Cubs don't seem to want it. Instead of this year being like 2003, it's looking more like 2004.

- This was a game that the Cubs were winning in June/July. All 5 of the Cubs runs came with 2 outs and they were simply let down by Carlos Zambrano Tuesday night.

- The Cubs had 5 hits all night. They made the most of their hits by scoring on each one (3 solo homers, 2 RBI singles), but it wasn't enough.

- Derrek Lee went 2 for 4 with 2 RBI and one of the Cubs solo homers. Hopefully this is Lee breaking out of his slump. Coincidence Lee hit well with Aramis back in the lineup?

- Jacque Jones homer in the 6th was the first home run by a Cubs player to land on Sheffield. The first!?! Last night was August 14th. The season started in April. You get the picture.

- Aramis Ramirez hit his 17th homer of the season in his first game back from the wrist injury.

- Cubs face two lefthanders nobody has ever heard of on Wednesday & Thursday. The Cubs have struggled against lefties (10-18). This could be an ugly homestand if the Cubs don't figure out lefties soon.

Phil Rizzuto Has Died

Phil Rizzuto has passed away at the age of 89. It got me thinking.....How will I remember Phil Rizzuto?

- Hall of Fame Shortstop? No, I'm way too young to have seen him play.

- Long-time Broadcaster? No, I'm from Chicago and I've never heard him
broadcast game.

- So, how will I remember Phil Rizzuto? From this movie scene...

More Iowa Cubs On the Way

According to Paul Sullivan, it looks like the Cubs will be making yet another roster move before the series begins tonight against the Cincinnati Reds. Left handed reliever Carmen Pignatiello & Outfielder Jake Fox will be on the big squad to start tonight.

Pignatiello is a graduate of Providence High School and I actually saw him pitch when he was a senior. I was a junior on Marist High School's baseball team & Pignatiello threw a no-hitter against us. The pitcher for Marist that day against Pignatiello & Providence? Tom Gorzelanny of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Pignatiello has been lights out against left handed batters at Iowa, a job he'll most likely take on while he is with the Cubs. Pignatiello has held lefties to a .162 average while with Iowa. The last outing for Pignatiello was Sunday, meaning Lou probably won't waste anytime getting him in the game tonight if need be.

Jake Fox makes his second appearance with the Cubs. Last saturday, Fox had 3 homers in a game. Fox will most likely replace Eric Patterson, considering Patterson hasn't seen the field much since his arrival.

Pignatiello will most likely replace Sean Gallagher, although a surprise move could be forthcoming. Don't be surprised at what happens next because the Cubs have been like this all season. Paul Sullivan points out that this is the 18th call up from minors that Cubs management have issued this season.

Pignatiello, Fox Coming to Wrigley [Hardball - Chicago Tribune]

Where To Find The CUBS Tonight...

TV: Comcast Sports Network - 7:05PM

RADIO: WGN 720

Carlos Zambrano (14-8; 3.69 ERA) vs.

Aaron Harang (11-3; 3.37 ERA)

Staff ace vs. staff ace tonight, as Zambrano looks to rebound from his terrible start vs. the Astros last week. Hopefully Z can control himself and not break any bats over his knee tonight. Also, Aramis Ramirez should be returning to the lineup tonight after resting his bum wrist.

St. Louis plays Milwaukee the next 3 days, we'll keep a close eye on that series as well. If only there was a way both teams could lose...

Zambrano To Sign With The Rangers?

Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News thinks it's a possibility. With the Rangers dumping some serious payroll by getting rid of Teixiera, Gagne, and Lofton at the trade deadline, Rangers Owner Tom Hicks could really open up the bank for a free agent pitcher like Carlos Zambrano. We've see Hicks do it before, giving A-Rod that 250 million contract. So if it's insane money Zambrano is after, the Rangers could be a possiblity.

I just don't see it happening.

One, Zambrano doesn't get to play for a contender. With the Cubs playing well with an up & coming nucleus of young guys (Theriot, Fontenot, Pie, Hill, Marshall, Marmol) and with good players locked in long term deals (Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Ted Lilly) the Cubs could compete for the NL Central crown every year.

Two, Zambrano wouldn't get to bat. Maybe this isn't a real reason, but we've seen how much Zambrano loves to bat. I believe he would miss it too much.

Three, it seems Zambrano loves playing here too much to leave. He's stated many times that he's ready to sign, just get him the contract. In the end, I just don't see Zambrano pitching anywhere else. Only Cubs management can screw this up at this point.

Z With the Rangers? [Dallas Morning News]

Monday Scoreboard Watching

The only National League game of note was the Astros 4 Dodgers 1. Roy Oswalt pitched lights out for eight innings as the Astros continued their decent play of the last week, and the Dodgers continued their awful decent in the standings. [astros.com]

The Dodgers were leading the NL West a few short weeks ago, but have only scored more than two runs in a game twice in their last eleven, including being shutout four times (three in a row). They better do something in a hurry, otherwise they playoff hopes are over.

Other scores:

• Giants 10 - Pirates 3
• Pirates 3 - Giants 1 (Second fastest game all year, 1hr 57min)
• Red Sox 3 - D-Rays 0
• A's 7 - Tigers 2
• Yankees 7 - Orioles 6
• Royals 6 - Blue Jays 2
• Mariners 4 - Twins 3

Wood Struggles in 6-3 Loss

The Colorado Rockies were giving away a game yesterday by starting Tim Harikkala. Harikkala was pitching in his first Major League action since 2005 and starting his first game since 1996. The Cubs managed 9 hits and 3 runs off of Harikkla in 3+ innings, getting into the Rockies’ bullpen early. Good news, right? Wrong. Cubs didn’t get a hit the rest of the game. The Rockies’ bullpen faced 17 hitters and retired 16 of them, walking 1. That was it for the Cubs. The Cubs have an off day Monday and it couldn’t come at a better time. Aramis Ramirez should be back for Tuesday’s game after resting this weekend with his bum wrist.

Kerry Wood picked up the loss after giving up 3 runs in the 6th inning. Wood was wild and it hurt the Cubs on Sunday. Wood walked 2 and gave up 2 hits, including a 2 run double by Troy Tulowitzki.

- The Cubs had 9 hits and all of them were singles.

- Cubs finish their 20 games in 20 days at 9-11. Luckily they are only 1.5 games out.

- Tim Harikkala was designated for assignment after Sunday’s game. He was a rent-a-pitcher for one day and the Cubs couldn’t score more than 3 off of him. Disgraceful.

- Cubs begin a series with Cincinnati on Tuesday, and then have a weekend set that runs into Monday with St. Louis. St Louis won again on Sunday and is only 4 games back of the Cubs for 2nd place.

Cliff Floyd Placed On Bereavement

Cliff Floyd left Colorado to be with his father who is ill. Floyd was placed on the Bereavement List, allowing the Cubs to activate bench player Daryle Ward.

Info isn't available yet on when Cliff will return.

Cliff Out, Ward In [Hardball-Chicago Tribune]

Where To Find The CUBS Today...

TV: WGN 2:05PM
RADIO: WGN 720

Sean Marshall (5-6; 4.17 ERA) vs.
Tim Harikkala (making 2007 debut)

Tim Harikkala is a 36 year old reliever turned starter who is pitching in his first game since June of 2005. The Cubs are going for the series victory and there is no reason they shouldn't get it today against a guy who hasn't face major league hitters since '05.

Podsednik Deal Dead

The Scott Podsednik deal with the Chicago White Sox is dead, and some are saying it never had a chance of being made in the first place. Well, it's nice to know that Jim Hendry hasn't gone insane.
Podsednik in no way helps the Cubs. It wouldn't take long before he would be riding pine with Cliff Floyd and his rickety old knees.

No Lisa Dergan on the Northside [Chicago SunTimes]

Cubs Going Closer By Committee

Lou has mixed things up again with his roster, now appointing Bob Howry as the Cubs closer. Carlos Marmol will close at times, depending on the situation. Ryan Dempster will also close.

Uh, Lou?

According to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune, Lou has said the he would like Ryan Dempster to regain his arm strength and his stamina to be the full time closer again. But who knows? With Howry throwing cheese in the 95-96 MPH range right now, it's hard to argue with Howry being the closer. Carlos Marmol makes a strong case to do the same as well. The bullpen is shaping up to be a strength for the Cubs right now, something we wouldn't have said in April or May.

Howry/Marmol/Dempster are the Closers [Hardball - Chicago Tribune]

Where To Find The CUBS Tonight...

TV: Comcast Sports Net - 7:05PM
RADIO: WGN 720

Rich Hill (6-6; 3.54 ERA) vs.
Josh Fogg (6-7; 4.53 ERA)

Cubs go for the series win tonight & they need a strong pitching performance from Rich Hill. The Rockies haven't lost a home series since May. Hill should get some run support today from the awakened Cubs bats and he says he's fixed his mechanic flaws that have been hurting him lately.

More Updates On Podsednik Waiver Claim

Apprarently the Sox want a prospect in return, maybe like a Sean Gallagher. The Sox have to be out of there freaking gourds. This is a salary dump for the White Sox and now they all of sudden think Podsednik has value? Give me a break. The only part of Scott Podsednik that has value is his wife. To ask for something in return, Kenny Williams, takes balls. The only thing you should be hoping for is for another team just to take on his salary the rest of the way.

If Hendry makes this deal, getting Podsednik for a Cubs' pitching prospect, he might as well pack his things.

Sox Want Something in Return? Haha. [ChicagoSports.com]

Jones and Murton Power Cubs to Win

First of all, we at Out of Right Field are just as suprised as anyone that we were using the headline seen above. It seems that suddenly someone has switched out Matt Murton and Jacque Jones with two guys who look like them, but can play baseball. To be fair we never really disliked Matt Murton, he just seemed like he wasn't developing quickly enough at the major league level. Jacque was never a favorite though.

Jones was 3-5 Friday with a home run and two more RBIs, in what can only be described as a miraculous turnaround from the beginning of the year. It is going so well for him right now, that even when he struckout late in the game, he reached on a wild pitch for strike three. Matt Murton also homered (3-5 also), which gives him three on this trip through five games. Hopefully he can share his power secret with the rest of the team.

However, the real story of the night was Jason Marquis. The way his last few outings have gone, and the fact that the bullpen has been so depleted that Sean Gallagher was called up to be the long man and possibly take a turn in the rotation, you had to figure Marquis wouldn't last long at Coors Field. Wrong.

Marquis pounded his sinker in the zone all night and cruised through much of the game. He gave up one run unearned run in 6 2/3 and was only releaved after plunking Jeff Baker in the face. Pinella saw Marquis' reaction and knew that with a four run lead he could afford to pull Marquis and not let him lose his concentration after the pitch got away from him.

Carlos Marmol scared everyone by loading the bases in the eighth with no out, but Bob Howry came in and got out of it with only one run crossing the plate. Dempster then got the last three outs in the ninth, eventhough Murton's home run made it a non save situation.

- The Jeff Baker plunking reminded Cubs fans of Adam Greenberg who was hit in the head in his only MLB plate appearence. Hopefully Baker recovers a little quicker, and without any psycological effects.

- Aramis Ramirez was back in the dugout, but isn't expected to even pitch hit all weekend.

- The Cubs have now won all 5 games against the Rockies this year. Rich Hill looks to keep the streak going tonight as the Cubs play their 7th straight night game on this trip.

Friday Scoreboard Watching

The Brewers came back from a 4-2 deficit late to push the game into extra innings, then winning in the 11th over the Astros. Thanks Houston. [MLB.com]

Cardinals & Dodgers went scoreless all the way until the 9th, where the Dodgers scored 2 in the top. In the bottom of the 9th, St. Louis only managed 1 and fell to LA, 2-1. With the Brewers & Cubs winning, the Cardinals dropped to 6.5 games back. [MLB.com]

Other scores:

• Orioles 6 - Red Sox 5
  
• Yankees 6 - Indians 1
• A's 16 - Tigers 10
• Marlins 4 - Mets 3
• Padres 12 - Reds 7
• Phillies 5 - Braves 4
• Blue Jays 2 - Royals 1
• White Sox 5 - Mariners 3
• Rangers 7 - Devil Rays 4
• Diamondbacks 11 - Nats 4
• Angels 10 - Twins 1
• Pirates 8 - Giants 7

Cubs Soap Opera Continues

I don't think there has ever been a Cubs team with more side stories to go along with the season than the '07 season. Recently demoted Will Ohman went on the Mike North Morning Show (670 The Score) Friday morning and had some interesting things to say. Ohman says the medical staff has known about his "barking" shoulder for 2 months now. Ohman says he had the medical staff keep it a secret from Manager Lou Piniella and GM Jim Hendry because the pain wasn't bad enough for him not to pitch.

Lou doesn't see how that's possible.

''All I know is I didn't know anything about Ohman having a problem, and Mark is really good about conveying to me if a guy has as much as a pimple,'' Piniella said. ''If I'd have known there was a problem with Ohman or any other player, I wouldn't use him. It's hard enough playing this game when you're 100 percent, much less when you're not. And I know that Mark's good at giving me reports as well. Leave it at that.''

So why would Ohman throw Cubs Head Trainer Mark O'Neal under the bus like that? It's simple. Will Ohman's having a hard time dealing with getting demoted, so he's blaming somebody or something else for the reason. Ohman is also probably upset that Scott Eyre, who has struggle almost all year, wasn't sent down before or instead of Ohman. Either way, Will Ohman is acting like a complete baby and it's not looking good for him the rest of the season. One teammate referred to Ohman as the "our ex-lefty."

I'd say Ohman is acting like a girl, but that would be an insult to girls. Be a man, Will Ohman, and own up to sucking. Don't make up fake injuries. Enjoy watching the Cubs from Iowa the rest of the season.

Ohman Continues To Talk About His "Injury" [Chicago SunTimes]

Where To Find The CUBS Tonight...

TV: Comcast Sports Network - 8:05PM
RADIO: WGN 720

Jason Marquis (8-7; 4.39 ERA) vs.
Aaron Cook (8-6; 4.16 ERA)

Jason Marquis, at Coors Field? I'm not a betting man (lie), but I'd definitely take the over.

Quick News Around MLB

Rick Ankiel made his triumphant return to the majors on Thursday with a home run. Ankiel must remain on the roster the rest of the year, which is why the Cards took so long to recall him. He wore out Triple-A pitching, so trust us baseball fans, this isn't a gimick. He can hit.

To make room for him, St. Louis placed Scott Spiezio on the restricted list. Turns out whatever he used to die his facial hair red, also may have contained a narcotic. The actual cause isn't released, and there are just too many drugs to guess so we will leave that up to reporters close to the Cardinals, or until Spiezio is released from rehab and lets it out.

Ankiel Returns [foxsports.com]


Elsewhere tons of people are being claimed on waivers and this blog, along with others has reported Scott Podsednik was claimed by the Cubs. This means nothing. The Cubs and Sox must work out a trade, the Sox could just make the Cubs take him and pay his salary (unlikely), or the Sox could pull him back.

Other notable "claims" being mentioned include:

Padres claim K. Igawa from Yanks.

Cubs claim Shannon Stewart from Oakland.

Finally, Will Ohman seems to be OK. He will report to Iowa despite a "barking" shoulder. I am guessing Will was just upset that he was being sent down and decided to take a detour, and who can blame him? I mean it's Iowa for God's sake. It's kind of like "Field of Dreams," minus the cool baseball playing ghosts of course.

Ohman heads to Iowa.....finally. [chicagosports.com]

Rumor: Cubs Claim Scott Podsednik Off Waivers

A source to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune says that the Cubs have made a claim on Scott Podsednik of the White Sox. Why would the Cubs make a claim on Podsednik? They're not that desparate to replace Soriano, are they? Podsednik isn't as fast as he used to be, he can't hit, and he's always hurt. The Cubs already have this guy... his name is Cliff Floyd.

The White Sox, obviously trying to dump salary, would love to get rid of Podsednik. I don't blame them, he's not the same player he was in '04 & '05. If the Cubs were able to acquire another outfielder, the guy would need to have power. The Cubs have plenty of singles hitters on the club already. They don't need another one. Podsednik does not help the Cubs, don't make a move just to make one.

Cubs Claim Pods? [Hardball - Chicago Tribune]

Soriano Says Only 2 More Weeks

El Uno was at the game last night, apparently bored out of his mind watching everybody take batting practice and because he can’t. Yet. Soriano says that at first he thought his season was over when he felt something pop in his leg, but the results of the MRI calmed him down. That’s what it was like for Cubs fans as well. Now Soriano is talking about returning 2 weeks from now. Lou Piniella says the goal is still Sept. 1st for El Uno’s return to the Cubs lineup.

The fact that they’re disputing over the return date is encouraging, solely on the fact that Soriano will indeed be returning. You can look at it this way: if the Cubs can keep pace with the Brewers and stay ahead of the Cardinals until September, adding Soriano could seem like a big trade or acquisition when he returns to the lineup. Soriano’s power and energy could be enough to put the Cubs over the top in the NL Central. Who knows what things will be like by September? It’s been such a strange & crazy season so far, nothing should surprise us at this point.

Soriano Says 2 more; Lou Says Not So Fast [Chicago Tribune]

Cubs Unload On The Rockies

Maybe it was the short team meeting before the game. Maybe it was having Alfonso Soriano in the dugout during the game. Maybe it was finding out Aramis Ramirez doesn’t have to go on the DL. Maybe it was because they were out of Houston. Maybe it was because a guy named Ubaldo Jimenez was pitching. No matter what the reason was, the Cubs snapped out of their offensive drought in a big way against Colorado last night. The Cubs scored early and often and a blowout was exactly what this team needed. If it was close game last night, I don’t think the Cubs win. Not with the way things had been going the past week or so.

Ted Lilly didn’t pitch great, racking up a pitch count of 127 in 6 innings. But when you have a lead of 9-1 after 3 innings, the 127 pitches weren’t high stress pitches. As Bob Brenly put it during the telecast last night, Lilly was free and easy all night, looking as if he hadn’t even broke a sweat in a 127 pitch game. Lilly picks up win #13 in the process, giving up 5 hits & 5 walks over 6 innings. Lilly also struck out 5. As strange as this sounds, Ted Lilly has to at least be in the discussion of the Cy Young Award. He’s not a frontrunner, but Lilly has a 13-5 record with a 3.51 ERA this season. Lilly has won 8 out of his last 9 decisions.

- Ryan Theriot went 2 for 4, scoring twice and drove in a run. Theriot looks like the perfect leadoff hitter and Lou will have a decision to make on where to put Soriano when he returns this season.

- Jacque Jones went 4 for 5 with 4 RBI, including 3 RBI with 2 outs.

- Matt Murton had one hit, but it was his 3rd homer of the season. He also had an outfield assist, throwing out Yorbit Torrealba at second base.

- Jason Kendall went 3 for 5, with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI.

- Felix Pie went 2 for 5, with 2 doubles and 1 run scored.

- Jason Kendall & Mike Fontenot both had triples last night.

- Kerry Wood wasn’t flawless last night when he walked 2 batters, but he struck out 2 for another scoreless inning of work.

- The Brewers didn’t play, so the win puts the Cubs just a half game back of the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers start their weekend series with the Astros tonight.

- Cubs had 16 hits, win 10-2.

Ramirez Update

Aramis Ramirez has fluid in his wrist, but he does not have a tear or a break. This is the best possible scenario for the Cubs, as Ramirez will probably sit out a few days and most likely play on Tuesday. Ramirez got a cortisone shot in his wrist to lessen the pain. Hopefully he had his back checked out, because he'll need to carry the offense when comes back.

No Tear or Break [Hardball - Chicago Tribune]

Where To Find The CUBS Tonight...

TV: WGN - 8:05PM
RADIO: WGN - 720

Ted Lilly (12-5; 3.53 ERA) vs.
Ubaldo Jimenez (1-1; 5.16 ERA)

The slumping Cubs try to break their 4 game losing skid against the scorching hot Colorado Rockies. The last time the Cubs played the Rockies, the Rockies were red hot and the Cubs swept them out of Wrigley Field. At this point with the way things are going, I'll gladly take 2 out of 4.

Ramirez Headed To The DL Next?

Aramis Ramirez left the team to go see a doctor about his ailing right wrist. When it rains, it pours on the Cubs. Hopefully Ramirez only needs a couple days rest. If he goes on the DL, the Cubs might not score again.

Ramirez To See Doctor [Cubs.com]

Ward Could Be Back Very Soon

Daryle Ward has been on the DL recovering from a calf strain for the last 3 weeks, but he could be back this weekend. Ward is scheduled to work out for Piniella and coaches before tonight's game against the Colorado Rockies. If he comes back, the corresponding move would probably to send down terrible Ronny Cedeno. Hopefully Ward has stayed out of the buffet line during his stay on the DL.

Big Daryle Ward Coming Back Soon [Chicago Sun Times]

Cubs Swept By Astros

Wow, well that was ugly. The Cubs scored 5 runs in a 3 game series against the 4th place Houston Astros. Amazingly, the Cubs are still only 1 game out of first place. Milwaukee was absolutely trounced by the Rockies, losing 19-4. They were also swept in a 3 game series against a 4th place team. Now the Brewers & Cubs switch opponents, with the Cubs starting a 4 game series against the Rockies tonight. And don’t forget about the Cardinals, who are only 6 games back now because the Brewers & Cubs stopped winning.

- Zambrano gave up 7 runs in 5.2 innings and failed to become MLB’s first 15 game winner.

- Cubs left 13 men on base

- Lou, Jacque Jones batting second? Our suggestion was to not bat him at all. Now it's a demand. When did he finally get a hit yesterday? In the 8th inning when the score was 8-1. Jacque Jones is the king of the meaningless hit.

- Derrek Lee went 0 for 3, but did have one RBI. That RBI, however, came with two on and nobody out and he weakly grounded out to the third. The Astros just gave the Cubs the run to get an out because they were already up big at that point. He needs to break out in Colorado.

We had more notes about the game, but a break is needed from the Cubs right now. They are playing ugly baseball right now and I'm too riled to type right now. But we would like to thank Milwaukee for keeping the Cubs still in this division race.

Felix Back; Pagan Goes To The DL With Colitis

Felix Pie is back on the big squad for the 3rd time this season. I doubt he'll start, but he will be available most likely off the bench. Hopefully this gets rid of Jacque Jones for a quite awhile.

Angel Pagan goes on the DL with colitis. What exactly is colitis? I had to look it up and this is what I found:

Colitis is an acute or chronic inflammation of the membrane lining the colon—your large intestine or bowel. Colitis causes inflammation and sores, called ulcers, in the top layers of the lining of the large intestine.

The inflammation makes the colon empty frequently, causing diarrhea. Ulcers form in places where the inflammation has killed colon lining cells. The ulcers bleed and produce pus and mucus. You may have abdominal pain, diarrhea, rectal bleeding, painful spasms, lack of appetite, fever, and fatigue.

That sounds painful. Or maybe Lou is so mad that Angel Pagan has forgotten how many outs there are that he's given Pagan a leave of absence and is embarrassing him with this injury. Lou probably isn't the type of guy that would do this to somebody. I think I would. Scratch that, I know I would. And I think I've found my next excuse to miss work and catch a Cubs game.

Felix Back; Pagan Has the Squirts [Hardball]

Mets Fan Ejected From Wrigley; Nobody Cares

I’m not really sure what the point of Shamus Toomey’s article is in today’s Chicago Sun Times. A NYPD Detective caught Derrek Lee’s home run on Friday & threw it back onto the field, mimicking the Wrigley Field tradition of throwing the visiting teams homers back. Chris Innace, the scumbag from New York, was then abused non-stop by the fans around him in the bleachers. Innace would eventually get kicked out of the bleachers, with Cubs Spokesman Peter Chase saying that Innace was ejected for being overly aggressive with the fans around him and for foul language. Chris Innace claims he wasn't doing anything wrong and that CUBS security staff was just looking for any reason to throw him out.

So we have to ask… who cares? Are we supposed to feel sorry for this guy? Are we supposed to be appalled that Cubs security threw out a guy from New York for no reason? I think it’s great & that guard should get a raise. Those guards deal with enough crap, with having to watch a section of the bleachers get stupid drunk and not get the chance to join in the fun. The guard shouldn’t have to also deal with rat New Yorkers as well.

Shamus Toomey, this is some solid investigative reporting. The Sun Times is wasting paper by letting you write.

Mets Fan Had It Coming To Him [Chicago Sun Times]

Everybody Needs To Relax

Notes from the game:

* Aramis Ramirez did not play, but instead got some rest. Lou, your team is still trying to come to grips with playing without El Uno. It*s obviously bothering them and they are beginning to press, striking out for half the outs Monday & Tuesday. Why sit your best hitter on Tuesday?

* Derrek Lee went 0 for 3, with 3 strikeouts. I blame this on the media and the fans who continue to gripe about Derrek Lee not hitting homers. With the way Derrek is swinging the bat, he's obviously trying to hit homers with every pitch, instead of taking that outside pitch down the rightfield line for a double. You are all at fault, jagoffs. Go back to hitting singles & doubles, Derrek.

* Remember when the Cubs would score all their runs with 2 outs? It*s not happening right now. Last night the Cubs left 8 runners in scoring position with 2 outs. Everybody needs to relax.

* Murton's homer last night was a bomb. I was thinking it would be the start of a nice rally for the Cubs against the Houston bullpen. Nope, not last night.

* Jacque Jones is back to being Jacque Jones. 0 for 4 with 5 guys left on base.

* The Cubs are 0-2 without Soriano, scoring 3 runs in total. The good news is that Milwaukee is 0-2 since Soriano got hurt.

* Eric Patterson looked like Corey Patterson last night, striking out twice on high heat with runners on.

* Carlos Zambrano pitches tonight and will try to stop this 3 game losing streak. Roy Oswalt will pitch for the Astros.

Tuesday Scoreboard Watching: Nobody Wants To Win The NL Central

Milwaukee blows 3-0 lead and loses to the Rockies, 11-4. [Brewers.com]

St. Louis scores 0. San Diego scores 4. St Louis could be winning the division right now if they really wanted to. [Cardinals.com]

Ohman Not Reporting to Iowa According to Ohman

Instead, Will Ohman will be heading to Chicago to have his "barking" shoulder looked at. So that's why you sucked lately, you're hurt? Don't you think you should have said something sooner? Ohman said he was getting guys out, even with the hurt shoulder, so it would be pointless to say anything.

Well, now you're completely useless to the Cubs because you're hurt. You can't go down to Iowa and regain your form or work on any pitches. Ohman's shoulder will be evaluated and there should be more info on his hurt shoulder tomorrow.

Demoted Ohman Suddenly "Hurt" [HardBall - ChicagoSports]

We Suddenly Love Matt Vasgersian

San Diego Padres TV Broadcaster Matt Vasgersian had some interesting comments during yesterday's Cardinals/Padres game. Vasgersian was kidding around, but I wish he would have stepped up and said he meant every word of it and that he truly does hate St. Louis. Have you ever been to St. Louis? Is anybody under the age of 60? Why does everybody have a mustache? How come half the people driving aren't wearing shirts?

Read the link to get the full story from Awful Announcing.

Word of The Day For Will Ohman: Departure

In a somewhat surprising move by the Cubs, Sean Gallagher has been brought back up to the team and Will "Word of the Day" Ohman has been sent down to Triple-A Iowa. Will Ohman blows, that's not the surprise factor in this. The big surprise is that this now leaves Manager Lou Piniella with one lefty in his bullpen, another bad lefty in Scott Eyre.

Sean Gallagher will be slotted in the bullpen to be the long reliever, or he could be called up to give a spot start during this 20 games without a day off streak that the Cubs are in the middle of.

So what does Lou do about not having another lefty in the pen? Neil Cotts is having a brutal season in Iowa with his 6.68 ERA. Providence High School alum Carmen Pignatiello, who has been 41 appearances out of the Iowa bullpen this season and has a 2.78 ERA? He doesn't have overpowering stuff though. Could Clay Rapada be making his way back? Or maybe this is Jim Hendry's and Piniella's way of telling Will Ohman to wake up and have every intention of bring him back soon. Who knows.

These Cubs continue to be unpredictable.

Later Will [Cubs.com]

Where To Find The CUBS (still minus El Uno) Tonight...

TV: Comcast Sports Network - 7:05PM
RADIO: WGN 720

Sean Marshall (5-5; 3.86 ERA) vs.
Woody Williams - AKA The MILF Hunter (5-12; 5.37 ERA)


Lou, no Ronny Cedeno today. Or ever again. He's not good.

Monday Night Scoreboard Watching: Brewers Lose Again

To make this extra innings loss even worse, the Brewers lose to the Rockies. Once again, the Cubs blow another chance to get back into first place of the NL Central. With Soriano out, the Cubs will take every Brewers loss they can get. Thanks Colorado.

Brewers Lose 6-2 [Yahoo Sports]

Cubs Lose Another Game In Extras

1-7. That's the Cubs record in extra innings this season. Pathetic. And against the bad Houston Astros. This is not a good way to start off a 7 game road trip.

Rich Hill pitched like the Hill of April. Hill threw 100 pitches in 7 innings which isn't bad, but he can still improve on that. Too many pitches are fouled off by the hitters. As Hill matures on the mound, he'll have to learn to finish off hitters more economically. Regardless, he pitched well enough to win. All Hill did wrong was one bad pitch to Carlos Lee. Lee took a pitch the opposite way for a homer off of Hill in the 4th. Of all the people too.

Michael "Anal" Wuertz committed the mother of all pitching sins in the 10th: he walked the leadoff batter. The worst part is that Wuertz had Ty Wiggington at an 0 and 2 count before walking him. Wiggington would come around and score on an Eric Munson single later in the 10th, giving the Astros the victory.

The offense without Soriano didn't show up. The Cubs only had scoring opportunites in the 1st, 4th, and the 10th, with each opportunity ending in a whiff by Aramis Ramirez, Rich Hill, and then Cliff Floyd. They were dominated all night by Wandy Rodriguez too, which is embarrassing. I don't care if he's now 7-2 at home this season, Wandy Rodriguez is a low rate pitcher that the Cubs should eat alive. Didn't happen tonight and the Cubs better get their heads out of their asses and show up tomorrow.

With Soriano out, the biggest component of the Cubs that needed to improve was the starting pitching. That happened tonight. The hitting, however, still hasn't arrived in Houston yet.

And Ronny Cedeno batting 2nd? Give me a break Lou. He can't hit, let alone be a #2 hitter.

I Hate Goodbyes

Actually, I'm not too sad about this one. Wade Miller has been given his outright release from the Cubs organization today. Now to be fair, the Cubs basically took a flyer on him as he was just coming off of shoulder surgery. It worked with Ryan Dempster, it didn't work with Wade Miller.

In 2 years for the Cubs, Miller made 8 starts & went 0-3.

Miller Time Is Over [Yahoo Sports]

El Uno Gone At Least One Month

Finally, the results of the MRI. Soriano's MRI showed that he has a one centimeter tear in his quad muscle. The tear will keep El Uno on the DL until at least Labor Day.

Jim Hendry says that Soriano will not be eased back into the lineup because of his high contract. Hendry says when Soriano is ready, Soriano will play.

One Centimeter Tear? Come on. Get on the field. [Chicago Tribune]

Where To Find The CUBS (minus El Uno) Tonight...

TV: Comcast Sports Network - 7:05PM
RADIO: WGN 720

Rich Hill (6-6; 3.67 ERA) vs.
Wandy Rodriguez (7-10; 4.72 ERA)

Cubs will be without El Uno for at least the next 15 days, so there's test #1. The Cubs will be facing a lefthander tonight, which the Cubs have had trouble with all season, test #2. The Cubs now have a "Patterson" on their team, test #3. Rich Hill has been shaking lately and tonight's game is at a little league field in Left, test #4.

El Uno Officially Hits DL, Patterson Called Up

First off, not that Patterson. It is Eric Patterson, and while he is Corey's brother, word is that he is a better player. We'll see. He was batting .299 at Triple-A Iowa with 14 homers, 23 doubles, 62 RBIs and 16 stolen bases in Iowa, and is mainly a lead-off hitter.

It is a bit curious though, because Eric Patterson is by trade a second baseman who has been converted to an outfielder this year in the hopes that he would be more useful in the near future with Fontenot, Theriot, and De Rosa all manning that position at times.

The other curious bit is that Felix Pie was left at Iowa. Felix had been hitting since his most recent demotion, and while he has the speed and ability to play defense as a starter, Lou Pinella probably had a say in keeping him down at Iowa for the stretch run. Lou has cast aside players that he isn't fond of (Izturis, Cedeno, Jones in the early part of the year), but has held the party line on Pie. The consensous is that Pie will be the 2008 starter for sure, but as Pinella knows, that doesn't win you a World Series in 2007.

"El Uno" hits DL, Wrigleyville still deathly quiet. [cubs.com]

Cubs Lose Game & Lose El Uno

Short notes from Sunday night's games:

• Tom Glavine won his 300th career game
• Tom Glavine's wife is easy on the eyes. Nice going Tom.
• El Uno is out 2 to 4 weeks. The disturbing thing? The fact that 2 to 4 weeks isn't even based on an MRI result. The MRI was scheduled for late Sunday night. This could be very bad.
• Expect to see Felix Pie back on the squad. The Cubs can NOT have an outfield of Cliff Floyd, Jacque Jones, and Mark DeRosa. Somebody out there needs to be able to run down some flyballs.
• Will Ohman sucks.
• Ryan Dempster sucks.
• Kerry Wood's return was successful and it was just weird to see him back on the mound. He still throws gas, his curve is still disgusting, and the Cubs needs him more than ever because Will Ohman sucks and Ryan Dempster sucks. The Cubs banking on Kerry Wood? That's never turned out well.
• I still haven't come to terms with Soriano's injury yet.
• The good news in all of this? The Brewers still suck on the road. Brewers are at Colorado & then at Houston this week.

Soriano Out 2 to 4 Weeks [Chicago SunTimes]

El Uno Gives Cubs Fans A Heartattack

El Uno pulled up a lame coming around 2nd base tonight and I'm not gonna lie.... I dropped mud in the trousers when I saw that. I had a hard time breathing, the room was spinning, and I thought I was going to black out. I initially thought that Soriano tore his Achilles the way he was holding up his leg. As of right now, it's a strained quad and El Uno is day-to-day. We don't have a lot of info right now, which always makes us nervous. Needless to say, if El Uno is hurt, that aren't too many options in replacing him. The Cubs would be screwed. Please continue to pray. Pray for a new bullpen too.

El Uno Scares Everyone [Cubs.com]

Sunday Scoreboard Watching: Brewers Lose!

The Brewers were up by 5 going into the 9th inning today, but the bullpen blew it. The Phillies scored 5 in the 9th and then 2 in the 11th, giving Philadelphia the comeback victory. If the Cubs can somehow pull it out against the Mets tonight, the Cubs will move back into 1st place. The Brewers don't belong in first if they're blowing leads like that.

Brewers Bullpen Gives Phillies A Win [Brewers.com]

Where To Find The CUBS Tonight...

TV: ESPN (Get ready to listen about how Tom Glavine was a good hockey player, over and over and over, etc.) - 7:05PM
RADIO: WGN 720

Jason Marquis (8-6; 4.22 ERA) vs.
Tom Glavine (9-6; 4.38 ERA)

Tom Glavine goes for career win # 300. Cubs struggle against lefties (10-16), but I see the middle of the lineup eating Glavine alive tonight.

Zambrano Has His Pen Ready

"I'm ready to sign," Zambrano said. "My hand is ready to sign that contract. Just bring it to me. I want to stay here and be a Cubbie for a long time."

OK, Cubs management, it's time to draw up a long-term deal from Zambrano. Zambrano is a rare Ace that you developed in your own Farm system. He doesn't miss starts. He brings an exorbitant amount of energy on the field. He's a fan favorite. This is all info you know.

Do you recall what Cubs management in the past did with Greg Maddux? Greg Maddux was just entering the prime of his career, much like Carlos. Greg Maddux had just won the Cy Young Award for the Cubs. Carlos is in the running for it this season. Greg Maddux was going to be the Ace of the future for the Cubs. So is Carlos. Greg Maddux was not re-signed. Big mistake. Please learn from the past.

Zambrano Ready To Give His John Hancock (Or is it Herbie Hancock?) [Chicago Tribune / Chicagosports.com]

Saturday Scoreboard Watching: Brewers Rally Late

Prince Fielder hit an absolute bomb off of Tom Gordon in the 8th inning to complete the comeback for the Brewers. The Phillies had been up 5-1. The Brewers go for the sweep today, as they send Jeff Suppan to the hill to face Adam Eaton. Go Phillies.

Brewers Rally [Brewers.com]

Others scores from the league:

• Yankees 16 - Royals 8
• Blue Jays 9 - Rangers 5
• A's 2 - Angels 1
• Twins 3 - Indians 2
• White Sox 7- Tigers 5
• Reds 9 - Pirates 8
• Braves 6 - Rockies 4
• Marlins 6 - Astros 5
• Nats 12 - Cardinals 1
• Devil Rays 9 - Orioles 2
• Red Sox 4 - Mariners 3
• Padres 3 - Giants 2
• Diamondbacks 8 - Dodgers 7

Cubs Players Need To Shut Up About Booing

Derrek Lee and Cliff Floyd expressed much disappointment in the fans booing of Ryan Dempster in the 9th inning yesterday, an inning in which he gave up 4 runs and picked up the loss for the Cubs. This is the second time Dumpster has pitched horribly against the Mets this season. What do you want the fans to do? You play like garbage, you get treated like garbage. You play well, you get treated well. Cliff Floyd really needs to worry about actually getting some hits and worry less about the fans booing.

Are We Hurting Your Feelings? [Chicago Sun Times]

Ned Yost Staged Argument

Brewers manager Ned Yost may not say it, but his berating of JJ Hardy that started an altercation with Johnny Estrada and himself was staged. Trying to take a page out of the Cubs book this season, Yost has obviously seen how well the Cubs have played since the Zambrano/Barrett dugout fight. So far it's worked, as the Brewers are 1-0 since the altercation with Estrada. The Brewers had a player's only meeting on Friday, most likely to discuss how they have blown an 8.5 game lead in the matter of 5 weeks or how they suck so bad on the road or that maybe how their luck so far this season is finally running out. Don't try to be like the Cubs, Brewers, because it's the Cubs season to win the division. Not yours. Step out of the way, your luck has run out.

Ned Yost A Fine Actor [JS Online]

Where to Find the Cubs Today.....

TV: FOX - 2:55PM

RADIO: WGN 720

Theodore Lilly (11-5; 3.60 ERA) vs.

John Maine (12-5; 2.92 ERA)

Hopefully the Cubs can strike early. There is rain in the forecast for the early afternoon and a quick 5 inning win would be great.

Ted Lilly also is looking to rebound after having his win streak snapped his last time out against the Phillies.

Zambrano Leaves With Cramps, Dempster Faulters

The anguish could be seen on the face of every Cubs fan as Lou Pinella and trainer headed to the mound in the top of the sixth inning. Carlos Zambrano had to be lifted from the game at that point with his team trailing 1-0, eventhough the pitch count was decent, and everything seemed to be fine.

Is the season over? Do the Cubs need a starter in a hurry? Thankfully the answer to those is no, but the reason Zambrano left the game makes you wonder. Carlos left after experiencing cramps in his leg and forearms, and it brought to mind one more question: "How long have you been pitching in Chicago during the summer?"

Dehydration was the cause and while Zambrano was not at his best, he gave up 7 of the Mets' 11 base on balls, he was still only losing 1-0. Carlos Marmol did an adequate job in two innings, surrendering one run, and Bob Howry gave Lou P. another scoreless inning as well. Ryan Dempster on the other hand, didn't fare so well. Dempster gave up four runs in the ninth inning despite entering it in a tie game, not a save situation. He gave up five hits, including a Carlos Delgado double that put the Mets up for good.

The offense struggled as well, but was able to answer the Mets first two scoring tallies. Derek Lee continued his power surge by hitting his 12th home run in the 6th, and Jason Kendall doubled in Mark DeRosa in the 7th. The rest of the offense though was unable to push across against the Mets despite several opportunities.

- EL Uno was 0-4, 1 K. Not especially a good day, but he is still our guy.

- Kerry Wood was in the bullpen and ready, but his only action was to catch the first pitch from Eddie Vedder. Hopefully Pinella throws his arm in their soon. It is fresh compared to the rest of the bullpen.

- The Brewers one and took control of the Central. It's only one game, and the Cubs will only pay 14 games against winning teams from here on out.

- The Mets assured themselves of a season series win against the Cubs, and now hold a 4-1 advantage with two games remaining.

Neifi Perez Called for Strike Three Without Hitting

Neifi Perez was handed an 80 game suspension on Friday for his third positive drug test. You may remember that under MLB's weird system, the first one no one hears about, the second is a 25 game suspension, and the third is 80 games. Now I realize that this is for a banned stimulant, since no one in their right mind would think Neifi was taking steroids, but you have to wonder what he was thinking.

I know that he didn't play too much, but he was making $2.5 million this year to be a bench player. Oh, and in case you love Neifi (admit it, some of you do) and believe that the third positive could have been from the same time frame as the first.....impossible. The tests were staggered. That means even after getting a 25 game ban, and being alerted to the fact that more tests would be coming, he chose to do it again.

The real test will be to see if he gets to serve the balance of his suspension, since he is a free agent and would have to sit out beginning next April. I will go with doubtful.

Neifi Perez = Not Bright [foxsports.com]

Where To Find The CUBS Today...

TV: WGN - 1:20PM

RADIO: WGN 720

Carlos Zambrano (14-7; 3.47 ERA) vs.

Orlando Hernandez (7-4; 3.02 ERA)

This is a big series vs. the Mets this weekend. It could be a preview of a playoff matchup in October, perhaps the NLCS.

It's also Kerry Wood day at the park. Best case scenario: Zambrano throws 8 scoreless, the Cubs are up 8-0, and Kerry Wood comes in the 9th to pitch one inning. Over/under on the ovation when he steps onto the mound: 2 minutes. I'll take the over.

Rocky Cherry Back To Iowa

Rocky Cherry got the news after the game that he was going back to Iowa. Cherry pitched well on thursday afternoon, but the Cubs need to make room for Kerry Wood. The Cubs organization pondered going with 13 pitchers, but then they would have to send down possibly Matt Murton. With Cliff Floyd's old rickety knees and Daryle Ward still not back yet from injury, Murton needs to stay around.

Wood Is Back, Cherry Is Gone [Chicago Sun Times]

Marshall Faulters, Phillies Take Advantage

Sean Marshall pitched like a starter who never spent a day in the major leagues on Thursday, and the Phillies jumped on him, early and often. Marshall lasted just 2 2/3 innings and gave up 7 runs in the process on a day that the Cubs needed him to go deep.

The offense chipped away as the game went along against the Phillies bullpen and was able to cut lead with RBIs from Derek Lee, Matt Murton, and Ryan Theroit. El Uno had was his usual self as well with 3 hits and scored 2 of the Cubs 6 runs.

The story was the pitching however, and Marshall's inability to pitch with any effectiveness. The bullpen though, was masterfull for 5 1/3 innings as they held the Phillies without a run and allowed the offense to calmly get back into it. The heart breaker was the three runs Will Ohman surrendered in the ninth inning, all but assuring the comeback would come up short.

- The Phillies big deadline deal for Kyle Loshe lasted all of one inning. Loshe had to leave the game in the second after being struck on the forearm by a Jacque Jones shot up the middle.

- Kerry Wood returns to the active roster after today's game. There is still uncertantity who will be sent down, a postion player or pitcher, but chances are the Cubs won't go with 13 picthers.

- Scott Eyre pitched lights out yet again, and Lou Pinella said that he was planning on getting Eyre into more crucial situations. That will benefit the rest of the pen's work load especially Will Ohman.

- Cubs finish out the tough homestand with three against the Mets starting Friday. The Mets are the calss of the NL to this point, hopefully the Cubs can take them down a peg.

Big Z Is NL Pitcher of the Month

Carlos Zambrano won NL Pitcher of July award. Zambrano went 5-1 with a 1.38 ERA in the month, striking out 34 in 6 starts. He only gave up 1 homer, 19 hits, and 6 runs in 39 innings pitched during July. Zambrano also didn't fight anybody during the month, at least from what we've heard. When are the Cubs finally going to pony up and give Carlos a long term deal?

Z Wins Award [Cubs.com]

Milwaukee Begins To Fight Each Other

Milwaukee lost to the Mets today, 12-3. More importantly for the Cubs, it's beginning to look like the pressure is wearing on the Brewers. During today's game, Johnny Estrada & manager Ned Yost had to be restrained from one another. Eventually the two would meet in the Brewers tunnel. We'll post more when we find out more, but the Brewers collapse seems to be ruining the clubhouse. Players fighting each other is normal. A manager fighting a player is absolutely ridiculous.

Can't Handle The Pressure, Milwaukee? [Yahoo Sports]

EL UNO Watch: Wednesday vs. the Phillies

- 2 for 4

- 1 walk (pitchers are afraid of El Uno)

- 3 stolen bases (career high)

4 Fans Sake

Here's an interesting idea. Eric Majeski has a goal of organizing a fan buyout of the Cubs, a model he proposes would be like the one that currently owns the Green Bay Packers. Normally with anything associated with the Green Bay Packers, I would be disgusted and just brush aside. However, I like this idea. Imagine getting the chance to own the Cubs, even if it's such a minuscule percentage.

According to the Sun Times, Majeski's plan would be to sell $100 dollar shares, with a max buy of $100,000. Majeski would then have the banks hold the money in escrow for a bid that could be about a billion dollars.

Does Majeski's plan sound cool for Cubs fans, with the chance of actually owning the team? Absolutely. Does Majeski have a chance in getting into the bidding with this plan? Absolutely not. I just don't see Bud Selig being very intereted in this, especially with his friend John Canning Jr. in the mix to buy the club.

Does the name Eric Majeski sound familiar? It shouldn't because the guy is a random nobody. Majeski does have a website, so show your support if you like the idea. Or send him nasty emails if you don't. Either way, cool with us.

Cubs Fans Own The Cubs? [Chicago Sun Times]

First Place Chicago Cubs!

On June 23rd, the Cubs were 8.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers. Today, they’re in first place. I don’t care if it’s August 2nd. I don’t care if Lou Piniella says to not get caught up in it. We’re Cubs fans & this is what we do. Sure it’s obnoxious & I can see why other fanbases can’t stand Cubs fans, but I don’t care. This whole summer has been unbelievable and we’re not going to stop being excited because it’s too early.

- Thanks go out to Phillies’ Closer Brett Myers, who threw 2 wild pitches to give the Cubs the victory. Myers threw one wild pitch to get Matt Murton to 3rd with nobody out, and then a wild pitch later in the inning to score Murton to give the Cubs the win. No word yet if Myers took out this loss on his wife yet.

- Rich Hill was the first guy to get into the wild pitch action. His wild pitch in the 1st scored Chris Roberson to give Philly the early lead. He also had an error in the first inning on a wild throw to Derrek Lee.

- Hill had a rough night on the mound, giving up 4 runs on 8 hits & 3 walks. He didn’t make it out of the 5th inning, as Lou had seen enough.

- The bullpen shut the door for Hill. Eyre, Marmol, Howry, & Dempster threw 4.1 innings, giving up only 1 hit and striking out 5.

- Aaron Rowand hit a homer off of Hill in the 5th inning. That homer makes 2 for Rowand in this series already. Will you please get the hell out of town already?

- Strange thing happened in the 8th inning that I can honestly say I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen before. With a 1-1 count on Mike Fontenot and with El Uno stealing 2nd base after almost getting picked off, Lou Piniella made a change at hitter. Lou took out Fontenot and brought in Ryan Theriot. The move didn’t pay off, but you’ve got to love watching Lou make & have the stones to make these crazy type moves.

- Antonio Alfonseca pitched for the Phillies last night. Alfonseca was a member of the Cubs last playoff team. Did you see his gut? Holy shit. Do yourself a favor and do some situps or take a jog once in awhile.

- Cubs are in first place. It never gets old saying it. The Cubs are in first place.

Milwaukee Officially Blows 8.5 Game Lead

The Mets did themselves & the Cubs a favor on Wednesday night, beating the Brewers 8-5. With the Braves trading & now surging, the Mets need all the wins they can get to fight them off. The win, combined with the Cubs win over Philly, puts the Cubs .0007 percentage points ahead of the Brewers in first. Now it's time for the Cubs to distance themselves from the scrubs up north.

.0007 [Yahoo Sports]

Kerry Wood Is Baaaaaaaackkkkkk!

Guess who's back on the team on Friday? No, Glenallen Hill is retired and the 1st Base Coach for the Colorado Rockies. Nice try though. Dumbass. It's Kerry Wood, who should be making his triumphant return from injury against the Mets sometime on Friday afternoon. The ovation for Wood when he comes out of the bullpen should be ridiculous. Is everyone disappointed in his failed potential as a dominant pitcher? Absolutely. Will he still be a fan favorite? Absolutely. We can't wait to see him back on the mound.

Wood Returns on Friday! [Cubs.com]

Cubs Beat Phillies, 7-3

- Jacque Jones made up for this terrible play above where he lost the white ball in the dark sky apparently, with a 16 inch softball style slap swing double that plated two runners in the 6th to give the Cubs the lead for good.

- Hey! A Jason Kendall Sighting! Kendall had a two run single in the 7th. Welcome to the team, finally.

- Jason Marquis didn't pitch great, but it was good enough last night. Marquis gave up 8 hits & walked 3 in 6 innings. And he gave up what can only be described as a "fucking bomb" to Pat Burrell.

- EL UNO: 2 for 5, 1 run scored. El Uno whiffed twice. EL Uno still hops like a goon out in Left when he's catching a flyball. I like it though. El Uno has style. Jacque Jones needs to take tips from El Uno.

- Cubs finish the month of July at 17-9. That's the most they've won in July since 2000.