Comedy Central

It's a stumble to the finish. Nobody wants the NL Central crown. The Cubs lost for the 4th time in-a-row and the 5th time in 6 days. The Cubs are 0-4 since Alfonso Soriano got hurt on Sunday Night versus the Mets. The Brewers got crushed today by a score of 19-4. Rookie sensation Gallardo gave up 11 runs in 3 innings today. The Cubs lost by a score of 8-2 as the Astros completed the sweep. Lance Berkman, Craig Biggio, and Jason Lane all hit homers today for the Astros. The only Cub player to homer in this series was Matt Murton.
Good news today was Felix Pie was called up as Angel Pagan mysteriously went to the DL. The Cubs now have Ryan Theriot, Mike Fontenot, Felix Pie, and Matt Murton all called up and Giovanni Soto should be called up soon.
The Cubs are in Colorado tomorrow night trying to end the drought. Ted Lilly will take the hill and hopefully he will pick up another victory.

Cubs Stand Pat/Cubs Hang With Brewers

Jim Hendry decided to stand pat yesterday on the Trade Deadline day. Some thought he would go after Ken Griffey Jr or Adam Dunn but Jimbo didn't budge.

Meanwhile, the Cubs won last night by a score of 7-3 hanging with the Brewers yet again. Jacque Jones hit a key double that gave the Cubs a 5-3 lead and Jason Kendall put the game out of reach in the 7th. The Brewers won in 13 inning last night thanks to a Geoff Jenkins homer. The Cubs are still 1 game back of the Brewers.

MLB Trade Rumors

I will keep updated this blog with rumors and trades.

---The Cubs reportedly still have a shot at acquiring Eric Gagne, who could be used as a closer over Ryan Dempster.

The Journal News' Peter Abraham believes the Red Sox and the Cubs are the favorites, with the Red Sox offering David Murphy and Kason Gabbard. If Boston moves Gabbard, it means Jon Lester would get to stick around as the team's fifth starter.

7/30 Phillies (Hamels) @ Cubs (Lilly)

Time: 6:05 CST
Network: ESPN (HD), Comcast SportsNet (HD)

Pitchers:
Hamels 11-5, 3.63 ERA
VS
Lilly11-4, 3.46 ERA

Super Collapse!

The Brewers were up 5-0 when I left work. I will stop right there and finish that story later. The Cubs won again today by a score of 6-0. Carlos Zambrano once again was magnificent as he went 7.1 innings allowing just 2 hits and 0 runs. Zambrano struck out 6 in this game. I was listening to this game at work and I will say it was glad to here Pat Hughes again. Pat was out a few games with a stomach virus. The Cubs got out to a quick 2-0 lead thanks to a clutch double by Aramis Ramierz. In the 2nd inning Alfonso Soriano appeared to hit a home run but it was ruled fan interference by ground's crew chief Cowboy Joe West. The replay clearly showed the ball hit off a fan's chest over the railing. This may be another reason why MLB needs instant replay. That play wasn't costly as the Cubs scored another 2 runs in the 7th thanks to a 2 run homer by Derrek Lee who may be getting his power back. The Cubs finished off the Reds by scoring 2 more runs in the 9th and Bobby Howry shut down the Reds in the 9th giving the Cubs the series win.
Now it is time for the Brewers recap.
As I said before, the Brewers were leading 5-0 when I left work in the 5th inning. Gallardo was throwing a no-hitter at this time. I turned on AM 620 in my car and listened as the Cardinals scored 4 runs in the 5th. Then in the 8th the Cardinals score 5 more runs to ensure a victory. The Cubs are now just 1/2 game behind the Brewers for the division lead and they are just 1 game behind the Diamondbacks for the Wild Card thanks to some help from the Braves.
The Cubs are heading back home tonight for a big 4 game series versus the Philadelphia Phillies followed by a big 3 game series against the New York Mets. Let's go at least 4-3 on this homestand and hope these 2 teams give the Brewers damage as well.
GO CUBS!

Cubs Bring Sexy Back

Just when you think the Cubs forgot what a home run was they hit 3 homers today including 2 by Alfonso Soriano in the Cubs 8-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday. Derrek Lee started off the game hitting a 2 run homer off of Red's starter Aaron Harang. Aaron Harang pitched 10 innings last Monday against the Brewers but Harang only lasted 1 inning today after leaving the game with an injury. Mike Gosling came in the ballgame in the 2nd inning and gave up a 3 run homer to Alfonso Soriano his 17th of the year. Alfonso Soriano hit a 2 run homer in the 9th inning as well which was his 18th of the year. Ryan Dempster struggled in the bottom of the 9th but ended up getting out of a bases loaded jam even with the score 8-1.
In good news, the Milwaukee Brewers had a 5-0 lead in game 1 of a doubleheader but the Cardinals whittled back into it and won the game with a 2 run rally in the bottom of the 9th to help their arch rivals out.
In game 2 of the doubleheader, the Cardinals beat the Brewers 5-2 meaning the Cubs gained 1 1/2 games on the Brewers in 1 day and now trail the Brewers by 1.5 games in the division. The Cubs are also now tied with the Brewers in the loss column as well.

Long Night/Adam Dunn Rumor

Sorry for the recent drop off in blog entries, I had a wedding over the weekend and didn't have much time to blog but now I am back. The Cubs won today by a score of 4-3 thanks to some clutch hitting by Aramis and Ronny Cedeno. With the win today, Carlos Zambrano is the first National League pitcher to get 13 wins. Zambrano went 6.1 innings and struck out 5 while giving up only 2 runs. Ryan Dempster pitched for the first time in a month and got the save his 17th of the year but gave up a run in the act of it. Albert Pujols grounded out to end the game in the 9th.
The Brewers won today so the Cubs stay 3 back in the divison and 1.5 out of the Wild Card.

An Adam Dunn to the Cubs rumor was posted at Bleed Cubbie Blue earlier today. Here is the link

Hi all,

I'm a long time reader of this blog and have always enjoyed reading the work of Al in each of his entries, in my mind this is the best place to visit for Cubs news and opinions and is always one of the top sites I visit on the internet. I'm starting my first diary today to inform you guys of some action on the trade front between the Cubs and Reds that I have found out, and would like to share with all of you.

I have a very good friend who has known Adam Dunn's family for a long time, pretty much since Dunn was a senior in high school in Texas (he always speaks very highly of Dunn's family, BTW, apparently they are very nice, down-to-earth people). I was talking to my friend over the phone today and he gave me some VERY interesting/exciting news. He was at some sort of Charity Dinner with Dunn's family last night, was talking to one of Dunn's family members (didn't say exactly who), and learned the following from him:

Adam Dunn being traded to the Cubs within the next 2 or 3 days is a VERY good possibility. Apparently, Adam told his family that he is "prepared for a move to Chicago." The Reds have been shopping him and the Cubs have apparently made the best offer yet, and Cincinnati is almost ready to pull the trigger. He will stay in the lineup for the next couple of Reds games, because there's no done deal yet, but he very well could be in a Cubs uniform by Thursday or Friday.

I know some will be skeptical of this, but I am just passing along what I have heard. I would be very excited about Dunn going to the Cubs, he is very underrated and would be a great fit in our outfield. I am just praying this deal does indeed get finished!

Thank you!

I don't know what to think about this rumor. Is this guy legit? On ESPN 1000 tonight they shot down the rumor when a caller mentioned this.

Koyie Hill

The Cubs won again today thanks to some unlikely heroes. Koyie Hill and Jacque Jones step up big time in the Cubs 12-1 win today over the San Francisco Giants. Koyie had 5 rbi's in this game while Jacque had 2 rbi's. Angel Pagan got in on the fun with 2 rbi's as well. The Cubs got a big win today after their disappointing loss yesterday.

Stud Of The Day Yesterday:
Derrek Lee

Stud of the Day Today:
Koyie Hill

Giants @ Cubs 7/18/07

Tue., July 17 @ 7:05 p.m. CT
TV: CSN | Radio: WGN 720
Zito
6-9, 4.90

Vs.
Marshall
4-3, 3.48

Ahh, remember back in the offseason when we were on the verge of signing Barry Zito? Thank God we didn't because Zito has had an awful year. Meanwhile Marshall has been on fire. No he is not an Athletic as ESPN reported last night. Rob Bowen and Blevins were traded for Jason Kendell last night and he is expected to start tonight. Hopefully he can start his Cub career on a high note.

Cub Lineup:
Theriot
Fontenot
Lee
Ramirez
Soriano
DeRosa
Kendall
Pagan

GO CUBS!

A "Giant" Victory

I am sure some of you saw this title coming after the Cubs beat the Giants 3-2.
The Cubs scored 2 runs in the 8th on a big Aramis double to ensure them the victory. Rich Hill pitched great today striking out 3 but only giving up 2 runs and 4 hits. Hill gets his 6th victory of the season and Bobby Howry gets his 6th save of the year. Koyie Hill hit a homer today in the 3rd inning to give the Cubs an early 1-0 lead and the Giants came back to score 2 unanswered runs.
Sorry about the short recap but I am leaving in a few minutes.

Stud Of The Day:
Aramis Ramirez

1-4 2 rbis

GO CUBS!

Giants @ Cubs 7/16/07

Mon., July 16 @ 6:05 p.m. CT TV: WCIU, ESPN Radio: WGN 720

Pitchers:
Lincecum
4-2, 4.63

VS
Hill
5-6, 3.81


Rich Hill started the season off so well but has struggled in the past 2 months. Meanwhile Tim Lincecum has pitched consistent all year despite the bad offense he has to deal with. The big story today is Barry Bonds coming to Wrigley (Which will get the Cubs in the first 10 minutes on SportsCenter) A lot of ballhawks will be prowling Sheffield today and tonight's game is sold out as usual although you can still buy single tickets on the Cubs website. Hopefully Rich Hill shuts down the Giant offense and the Cubs pick up their 4th straight win. The Brewers are hosting the Diamondbacks tonight.

GO CUBS!

Power Surge

3 home runs in one game? Angel Pagan, Derrek Lee, and Ryan Theriot all played longball in their 7-6 win over the Houston Astros completing a 3 game sweep. Jason Marquis struggled in the first 2 innings giving up 5 runs as the Cubs quickly went down 5-0. The Cubs put up a 6 spot in the 2nd scoring on a homer by Angel Pagan and a 3 run homer by Derrek Lee who gave the Cubs a brief lead. Then in the 3rd Mike Lamb tied the game with a solo shot but Ryan Theriot hit the eventual game winning blast in the 4th. The Cubs had an unbelievable outing out of their bullpen. Carlos Marmol and Michael Weurtz pitched flawless and Bobby Howry did a great job at closing the game out.
Meanwhile, in Milwaukee the Brewers won 4-3 against the Colorado Rockies keeping their 3.5 game lead. The Padres lost today meaning the Cubs gained a 1/2 game in the wild card.

Stud Of The Day:
Derrek Lee

3-3 1 HR 3 rbi's

Next Up: Barry Bonds and the Giants come in for a big 4 game series.

The Hunted/Game Thread 7-15-07

The Cubs won again today by a score of 9-3. Finally, after a 10 game drought the Cubs picked up a home run by Alfonso Soriano in the bottom of the 6th inning with 2 on. The only lowpoint in today's win was Rob Bowen who went 0-4. In fact, Cubs catchers have gone 2-37 in July which equals to a batting average of .054! Giovani Soto, Rob Bowen, and Koyie Hill better get things going or some moves will have to be made. As I mentioned in the game thread I attended this game and even got the Astros rookie centerfielder Hunter Pence to sign my hat which was awesome. Wrigley got really loud at multiple times during this game. Once when Aramis was up with the bases loaded everyone stood up and urged him on to get a hit and he hit a single past 3rd to drive in 2 runs. Another time after Soriano hit the 3 run homer. Lastly, when they announced Ron Santo would be singing Take Me Out To The Ballgame. As much as I like the celebrity singers I think Ron should sing all the 7th inning stretches. Another thing I noticed at the game today was the hustle by Jacque Jones. He is playing harder now than he did in May and hopefully he can get his bat going. In other news, the Brewers won today 2-1 in 10 innings over the Colorado Rockies. Ben Sheets hurt his hand early in the game which is causing some concern for Brewer fans. Hopefully it is nothing too severe because you never like seeing any pitcher go down with an injury (We have experience here with Wood and Prior)

Stud Of The Day:
Aramis Ramirez

3-4, 4 rbi's, 1 run scored
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
July 15 @ 1:20 p.m. CT TV: WGN Radio: WGN 720
Rodriguez
6-7, 3.87

VS
Marquis
6-5, 3.67

Should be a great matchup. Marquis started the season off so well but struggled in June. So far this month, he has been pitching well and hopefully he can keep it up as the Cubs go for the sweep.

GO CUBS GO!

Astros @ Cubs 07/14/07

Sat., July 14 @ 2:55 p.m. CT TV: FOX Radio: WGN 720

Pitchers:
Oswalt
8-5, 3.53

VS
Lilly
8-4, 3.67


Ted Lilly has been amazing so far as a Cub. I have almost as much confidence in him than I do in Carlos Zambrano. Roy Oswalt has been equally good this year though and has been the only consistent pitcher on the Astros. Hopefully the Cubs can take the game and the series as the Brewers are currently losing 4-6 in Milwaukee and I will update you on this game throughout the night. The Cubs cannot worry about what the Brewers are doing. Just go out there and play great baseball and we will be in the playoffs. I may bring my camera to the game tomorrow to show you some pictures.

GO CUBS GO!

Small Ball

(Photo By Al From www.bleedcubbieblue.com)
The grass in the outfield after the Police Concert.

For the 10th straight game the Cubs have not hit a homer but the Cubs are still 7-3 in these games which means we are using small ball to get the job done. The Cubs got 12 hits today and 10 of them were singles and 2 of those were doubles. Did I mention the Cubs won today 6-0? Carlos Zambrano pitched excellent pitching 6.2 innings with 7 strikeouts and no runs given up. With the win today, Zambrano becomes the first National League pitcher to get to 11 wins. Not so shabby considering he started off the season poor. Carlos Marmol came in relief for Zambrano and went 1.1 innings without giving up a hit. Bob Howry came in the 9th and shut down the Astros sealing a Cub victory. On the hitting side of things, Giovanni Soto in his season debut went 0-5 with 2 K's. Derrek Lee hit a key double in the 8th to drive in 2 runs. The story of the day has to be the Astros' fielding. They had 4 errors in this game including 2 by Mark Loretta. Lance Berkman threw a ball away in the 4th bringing in a run.
The Brewers take on the Rockies tonight so if they lose we move just 3.5 behind them for 1st so Go Rockies!

Stud Of The Day:
Carlos Zambrano

6.2 innings pitched, 0 earned runs, 7 k's

Video of the Day:


Next Up:
Roy Oswalt takes on Ted Lilly tomorrow on FOX at 2:55 PM CST. I will be in attendance tomorrow so I should and hopefully will have a good story to tell you all.

Astros @ Cubs 07/13/07

Happy Friday the 13th!

Fri., July 13 @ 1:20 p.m. CT
TV: CSN
Radio: WGN 720
The Cubs take on the Astros today live from beautiful Wrigley Field. First some news to tell you all. Catcher Geovany Soto will be promoted to AAA while Felix Pie will be sent down. The Cubs will carry 3 catchers on their major league roster but Dempster may be back soon meaning we will have to release or trade Bowen or Hill. In other news, Mark Cuban has sent in an application to buy the Cubs. Finally, according to an insider Ken Griffey Jr. wants to only go to Atlanta or Chicago. As I mentioned in my last blog, the outfield may be roughed up from that Police Concert a week ago so that may play a factor in this game.

The Pitching Macthup:
Jennings
1-4, 4.07

VS
Zambrano
10-7, 4.03


Great pitching matchup but the Cubs should have the edge. Watch out for Carlos Lee in this game since he hits Zambrano well.

Astros VS Zambrano:

(Click To Enlarge)

Cubs VS Jennings:


(Click to Enlarge)

GO CUBS GO!

Some Notes And News 7/12/07

First off Bruce Levine from ESPN Radio AM 1000 Chicago is reporting that three teams are interested in Cesar Izturis. This may be good news for us because it will help us get a 12th pitcher into the rotation.
Also, Bruce is reporting that Kerry Wood is close to a minor league rehab start.
Finally, Bruce is reporting that the outfield grass is almost completely destroyed thanks to that Police concert last week. He reported that the Grounds Crew was trying to patch things up but it wasn't working. He called it disgraceful and said this could be a huge story for this weekend's games.
Hopefully the field is playable.

(Photo by Al at www.bleedcubbieblue.com)
You can see the stage was located in center field

One of the few bad days of the year

The day after the All Star Game is always the worst day of the year because no baseball is on. We have to wait 2 more days until the Cubs play their next game against the Houston Astros on Friday. The one thing that is happening today is the reaction to La Russa's choice to bench Pujols the whole game. As I said yesterday, Pujols is not happy with La Russa's choice and said he wouldn't of shown up if he knew he wasn't going to play. If the Cardinals were in first place would La Russa have done the same thing? I think not.

Top Headline:
Sources: Yankees Willing To Bend Rules To Talk Extension With A-Rod


Video of the Day:

An umpire threw a piece of gum at Michael Barrett!

Soriano Homers|NL Loses Again

It was a 5-2 game in the bottom of the 9th. 2 Outs and Dimitri Young is on 1st base with Alfonso Soriano at the plate. You would think Soriano would strike out in typical Cub fashion but instead Soriano belted a clutch homer over the right field wall at AT&T Park in San Fransisco to put the N.L. down 1 trying to end their 10 year drought. Then Derrek Lee picks up a walk with 1 on and JJ Hardy walks to load the bases for Aaron Rowand. Now I am thinking to myself it is time to put in Pujols who was the only player for the Saint Louis Cardinals in the game and Tony La Russa was the manager. Instead Aaron Rowand came up with the bases juiced and he flied out to end the game to give the AL their 11 straight year of winning. Now the question occurs: Why didn't La Russa play Pujols? Did Pujols tweak something after the Home Run Derby Monday Night? Did La Russa want to save Pujols for a playoff run? Apparently Albert is not happy about being benched.
Whatever the case, the Cubs represented this team well especially with the Soriano clutch homer in the 9th. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come for the Cubs.

Cubs Trade Options

Here are some names the Cubs may be looking at to trade for:

1) Xavier Nady-The Cubs and Pirates are always big trading partners (See 2003 where the Pirates traded the Cubs Aramis Ramirez and Kenny Lofton for virtually nothing. These two players were key roles in the Cubs run in 2003) Xavier is a RF so he would replace Jaqcue Jones. He is batting .291 with 14 home runs and 50 rbi's. Xavier is 28 years old so he still has plenty of time left in the majors. The only problem is the Cubs are looking more for SS's and CF's to trade for and I am not sure how comfortable Xavier is with moving to CF. Plus there is no guarantee the Pirates are willing to trade Xavier.


2) Ken Griffey Jr.- You knew I was going to bring this one up. Ken Griffey Jr. already says he would like to play for the Cubs and remember, he played for Lou as a Mariner. Although the Cubs are looking for a righty bat, I am sure Hendry won't mind having a player like Ken Griffey on his team. Griffey is batting .286 this season with 23 homers and 59 rbi's. Griffey would fill that need in CF. The only problem I have with Griffey is his age. Griffey is 37 years old right now. I would love to have Griffey on this team but does Hendry?



3) Alex Rodriguez-A-Rod would be a great fit in Chicago. He can fill our needs at SS and he is a great hitter. The only problem is his salary. The Cubs don't have that much money left and A-Rod would costs us a lot of money. A-Rod also played under manager Lou Pinella in Seattle with Ken Griffey Jr. and this year has talked pubically about how much he enjoyed playing under him so that is encouraging. One problem about getting A-Rod is we are going to have to gjve up a lot to get him because the Yankees will not take him for cheap and as I said before he will cost a ton of money. A-Rod is having a great year this year with a .317 batting average and 30 homers and 86 RBI's. If the Cubs could pull of an A-Rod trade I am thinking playoffs for sure.



4) Jose Cruz Jr.-No he isn't A-Rod or Ken Griffey but Jose Cruz Jr. is another great and realistic option for Hendry. The Padres have said they have some interest in Matt Murton already so this could be a good option for the Cubs. One good thing about Jose Cruz Jr. is his salary is low. His 2007 salary is only $650,000 so he is a cheap deal for the Cubs. Jose Cruz can play both LF and CF for the Cubs filling that center field need. Although I don't think Cruz is our best option I think it is one of our more realistic options. (Note: Cruz is in fact a Padre, ESPN has him in a Dodger cap)



5) Eric Gagne-Yes this is the same Eric Gagne that won the NL Cy Young in 2003. Since that award Eric has suffered a lot of injury problems but he would be a key relief pitcher for this team since we have been struggling so much there. Bobby Howry, Scott Eyre, and Will Ohman have all struggled this year. Eric is 2-0 this year with a 1.32 ERA. He has just been lights out this year for the Rangers. Eric is 31 years old and is making $6,000,000 in 2007. He could be a key player in this trade deadline.

Jason Bay Day

The Pirates deserved every bit of their 6-2 win over the Chicago Cubs. Jason Bay had one heck of a game going 2-4 with a home run and 4 rbi's. Carlos Zambrano pitched well but the offense didn't back him up. The Cubs once again got off to a quick 1-0 lead but that would be the last time they would lead in this game. The Pirates scored 3 in the 3rd capped off by a Jason Bay home run. The Cubs then scored one in the 6th but failed to tie the game. In the 8th Bobby Howry gave up 3 runs almost giving the game to the Pirates and the Cubs failed to rally in the 9th.
The good news today is the Nationals beat the Brewers by a score of 7-2. With that Brewer loss the Cubs go into the All-Star break 4.5 behind them for the National League Central division lead. As I am typing this the Dodgers are killing the Marlins 8-0 in the 2nd. If the Dodgers hang on the Cubs will move to 4 games behind them in the National League wild card chase.
The Cubs now get 3 big days off before playing the Astros next Friday in Chicago. Monday is the State Farm Home Run Derby on ESPN and Tuesday is the All-Star Game on FOX. Derrek Lee and Alfonso Soriano will represent the Cubs at the game.
Finally, I noticed that the scoring bug on Comcast SportsNet looked different today. I am wondering if anyone else noticed this as well.

Stud of the Day:
Mark DeRosa

2-4, 1 rbi

Youtube Video Of The Day:


GO CUBS!

Cubs at Pirates 07/08/07

@

12:35 p.m. CT
TV: CSN
Radio: WGN 720

Zambrano
10-6, 4.04


VS
Youman
1-0, 3.00


This is the last game before the All-Star break so this would be a huge win for the Chicago Cubs. Carlos Zambrano has been hot ever since his fight with Ex-Cub Michael Barrett on June 1st. Zambrano just missed out on making the All-Star game when he landed 2nd in the Final Vote. Hopefully the Cubs can end their home run drought of over 1 week. (They haven't hit a homer since Aramis' walk off last Friday)

GO CUBS!

Lucky 7's

Cubs 7
Pirates 1
A day of 7's from PNC Park on 07/07/07. The Cubs scored 7 runs on this lucky day behind a great outing by Ted Lilly. The Cubs beat the Pirates by a score of 7-1. Daryle Ward got the start in RF and had a good game going 1-3 with an RBI. The Cubs scored 2 quick runs in the first inning thanks to 5 hits. The Cubs also scored 3 in the 3rd and 2 in the 5th giving them a 7 run lead and they never looked back after that. The Cubs are now 4-2 on this road trip and are looking to go 5-2 with a win tomorrow. In other good news, the Nationals beat the Brewers 5-4 meani the Cubs now trail the Brewers by 4.5 games in the NL Central. The Brewers are struggling losing 4 of their last 6 games making it a 2-4 road trip while the Cubs have a 4-2 road trip.

Stud of the Day:
Ted Lilly
7.1 innings pitched, 8 hits allowed, 1 earned run, 6 K's.

Cubs at Pirates 07/07/07

6:05 p.m. CT
TV: WGN
Radio: WGN 720
After a tough loss yesterday the Cubs need to fight back and get a win tonight versus the Pirates.

Pitchers:
Lilly
7-4, 3.84

Ted Lilly has had a great season so far and is hoping to move to 8-4. Lilly beat the Nationals last Monday thanks to some great offense.
VS
Van Benschoten
0-2, 4.35

Van Benschoten has had a tough start so far but his ERA isn't so high. He is not getting a lot of run support this season from the Pirates so this could be another trap match for the Cubs.

GO CUBS!

Losing Ugly

Cubs 4
Pirates 8
When the Cubs lose they go down ugly. The Cubs put up just 6 hits in the 8-4 loss to the Pirates and have yet to hit a home run since Friday. Jason Bay usually hits Marquis well but he went 0-4 today but his teammates picked him up. Xavier Nady went 3-4 with a homer and 2 rbis. Jason Marquis had an awful start giving up 6 runs in 4.2 innings pitched. On Sunday he pitched a great game against the Brewers continuing his up and down season. Speaking of the Brewers they beat the Nationals 6-2 today meaning the Cubs are back to 5.5 behind the Brewers.
If you like offense you should have been at the White Sox/Twins double header today. In game 1 of the day/night doubleheader the Twins beat the White Sox 20-14! 5 Home Runs were hit in that game. In game 2 of the day/night doubleheader the Twins beat the White Sox 12-0.
So in total the Twins scored 32 runs today while the Sox scored 12.
Going back to the Brewers, rookie Ryan Braun hit 2 home runs today. He and Hunter Pence from the Astros are in a battle for NL Rookie of the Year.

Stud of the Day:
Alfonso Soriano

1-3 1 rbi

Youtube Video of the Day:
NBA Mix Tape

Cubs at Pirates 07/06/07

Fri., July 6
6:05 p.m. CT
TV: CSN+
Radio: WGN 720

Marquis
6-4, 3.31

vs
Maholm
4-11, 4.74


Chicago Cubs VS Maholm

(Click To Enlarge)

Pittsburgh Pirates VS Marquis

(Click To Enlarge)

The Cubs are looking to finish off the first half of the season on a winning note after they took 3 of 4 from Washington. The Brewers are now playing Washington after Pittsburgh took 3 of 4 from Milwaukee.

Go Cubs!

Dubya

Nationals 2
Cubs 4
One day after coming off a disappointing loss to the Nationals, the Cubs continued onward with their winning attitude with a 4-2 win over the Washington Nationals Thursday.

With Derrek Lee taking the day off and President George W. Bush in attendance in front of a small crowd of 22,594 at RFK Stadium, Cubs skipper Lou Piniella inserted a new lineup mixed in with Mike Fontenot back in his more comfortable two-spot in the order, and Daryle Ward taking Lee's spot at 1st and batting third in the order. Cesar Izturis played shortstop for Ryan Theriot and Jacque Jones took over centerfield.

A seemingly power-less Cubs team over the past week displayed their ever strong run producing ability by having a big night by Daryle Ward. He was singled in by Aramis Ramirez in the 4th inning, and doubled to deep center in the 6th inning to score Mike Fontenot.

Sean Marshall pitched a decent outing until the 6th where the Nationals picked up two runs via Dmitri Young's RBI triple to score Ryan Zimmerman and Austin Kearn's sacrifice fly to score Young to nod up the score at 2-2.

The Cubs would pick up after Marshall by scoring 2 in the 7th inning. Mike Fontenot singled to center to score Angel Pagan and also sending Alfonso Soriano to third. Daryle Ward came through again hitting a sacrifice fly to score Soriano. The Cubs would keep this 4-2 lead to win the game.

Clutch pitching and defense that came through late in the game as Carlos Marmol got out of a bases loaded jam with a nice catch by Daryle Ward from a hard hit liner from Brian Schneider.

The Milwaukee Brewers fell to the Pirates 6-3 Thursday and the Cubs moved to only 4.5 games behind them in the NL Central. The Cubs are now looking to take their winning ways to Pittsburgh before the All-Star break.

Stud of the day-
Daryle Ward

2-4, 2 rbi, 1 run scored

Youtube video of the day-