Cubs Hitters Show up, But pitchers Don't; MLB Draft, All Star Game Voting, And More!

The Cubs hitters showed up last night, but the hitting did not. The Cubs have no loss 8 in a row. They scored more runs last night than they did on the whole previous road trip, but still did not get a W. Here are some Cubs notes:

• Mike Fontenot and Kosuke were available on the bench, but were not used last night. There were 2 spots where these guys should have been used, one when Jose Ascaino hit for himself, even though he did not stay in the game and pitch the next inning, and another when Carlos Zambrano was used as a pinch hitter in a key spot.
• Lou has seen enough of Neal Cotts walking people and giving up home runs. He said, "We've given Neal all the opportunities in the world, it's time isn't it?"
• Billy Williams will represent the Cubs at the MLB draft next month. The first round will be on MLB Network June 9 at 5 PM CT. MLB.com will have the rest of the draft after the first round.
• I'll have full coverage of the draft and leading up to the draft right here on this blog.
• Derrek Lee missed his second game in a row last night, he has the flu.
• Ted Lilly was ejected from the bench during last nights game. Ted told the home plate umpire Bob Davidson that he needed to concentrate a little more, and ended up getting tossed.
• According to multiple sources, the Cubs are interested in Kevin Kouzmanoff of the Padres. The Cubs would like to add him to the infield mix to fill in for Ramirez at 3B.

All Star Voting Update:

• Soriano is vying for his 8th trip to the midsummer classic and ranks second among NL outfielders (top 3 OF make it)
• Aramis Ramirez is in the top 5 in fan voting at 3B.
• The All Stats will be announce on the Selection Show on TBS July 5.

Speaking of TBS, tune in tonight at 9:30, they will be playing the episode of My Boys that Mike Fontenot and Micah Hoffpauir acted for in Spring Training!

Cubbie Birthdays:

Jason Bere (38)

Eddie Haas (74)

Chuck Hartenstein (67)

Randall Simon (34)

This Date in Cubs History:

2006- Carlos Zambrano walks 4 in the 1st inning against Atlanta, then loses his no-hit bid in the 7th when Jacque Jones loses a ball in the sun. The Braves rally for 3 runs in the 9th, one on a bases loaded walk by Ryan Dempster, to beat the Cubs, 6-5. Chicago has now lost 19 of 23 games.

1997- In the Cubs' 2-1 win in Pittsburgh‚ Chicago's Sammy Sosa and Pittsburgh's Tony Womack both hit inside-the-park homers in the sixth inning. It is the first time two inside-the-park homers are hit in the same NL game since Lou Brock and Hector Cruz of St. Louis did it against San Diego on June 18‚ 1976. Greg Gagne of the Twins had two for Minnesota on October 4‚ 1986.

One site note:

As soon as the calendar turns to June, I will start posting a daily Game Preview for each day's game. The Game Preview will include:

• The all time series VS that team.
• The season series VS that team.
• The location, time, and broadcast info for the game.
• The pitching matchup.
• Weather
• Notes from the papers that morning.
• Radio Recaps.
• The injury report.
• Minor League teams games for that day.
• Updates on quotes from the player/Lou and any other team news.
• Rumors
• Numbers Breakdowns

I've been very busy this month, but I plan to have even more to offer on the site once we move into June.

Also look for the Cubs First 2 month in Review on May 31 or June 1.

Coming up at 7:05 Ian Snell will pitch against Sean Marshall as the Cubs try to stop an 8 game skid.

Let's break the streak tonight!