Breaking Down Cubs Position Player Battles

With over two weeks left in Spring Training, there are still many spots on the Cubs roster up for grabs. Early this week we took a look at Dale Sveum's pitching staff decisions, click here for that post.

Today, we take a look at the position player battles that are going on in Cubs camp. The starting lineup is pretty much set, but there is some great competition for the five bench spots.

Backup Catcher
The backup catcher's position is often up for grabs during Spring Training. Seemingly every year the Cubs are trying to decide that spot. Some teams use the backup as a spot for a veteran, while other use it on a younger player who may have a future with the team as a starter. The Cubs will most likely use the latter this season. Jason Jaramillo was invited to camp, but an injury early on appears to have eliminated him from the competition. That leaves Welington Castillo and Steve Clevenger battling it out. Castillo appears to have the edge as a guy who has been in the mix for several years and seems to be ready. However, the Cubs may elect to give Castillo everyday playing time at AAA-Iowa instead of having him sit on the big league bench. Clevenger is also a talented player, but I am still giving Castillo the edge to win the job.

Fourth & Fifth Outfield Spots
With David DeJesus, Marlon Byrd and Alfonso Soriano penciled in as the everyday outfielders to start the season, the only spots open in the outfield will come on the bench. Fan favorite Reed Johnson is the type of the player that a team should want on its roster, so he appears to have the fourth outfield spot nailed down. That leaves Dave Sappelt, who was acquired from the Reds this offseason, speedster Tony Campana and non-roster invitee Joe Mather in the mix for the other spot. Campana is a nice weapon as a pitcher runner and defensive replacement, but Mather is making a good case with a .409 average this spring. I'm leaning toward keeping Mather as the team's number one pinch hit, while sending Campana back to Triple-A.

Reserve Infield Spot
Assuming the Cubs carry 12 pitchers, two catchers and five outfielders, there will be six spots left on the roster for infielders. Five of those will, unless there is an injury, be filled by Bryan LaHair, Darwin Barney, Starlin Castro, Ian Stewart and Jeff Baker. Baker will backup Stewart, Barney and LaHair, while Barney can slide over to shortstop when Castro needs a day off. That leaves a final spot open for an utility infielder. Blake DeWitt, who was released by the team but then brought back as a non-roster player, is one candidate. Adrian Cardenas, who played for the A's last season, is also in the mix even though he is hitting just .150 in Cactus League play. Other non-roster infielders in camp include Alfredo Amezaga, Edgar Gonzalez, Matt Tolbert and Bobby Scales. The last infield spot is very up in the air, but DeWitt receives my vote partly because of his .462 average in eight spring games.

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted on Everything Cubs as always!

Weekend Quick Hits: Castro Reports, Ricketts in Mesa and More

Yesterday was a busy day as the Cubs had their first full squad workout of 2012. Believe it or not, the first Cactus League game of the season will take place a week from tomorrow!

• Tom Ricketts met with the team and with the media yesterday. There are no plans for the Cubs to play anywhere else during Wrigley Field renovations.
• The new Cubs Spring Training facility is still expected to open in 2014.
• Blake DeWitt is happy to be in Spring Training with the Cubs. He said that his plans are not effected by the fact that he is no longer on the 40-man roster. Regardless, he is trying to win a job.
• Red Sox owner John Henry said that there was a misunderstanding between the Cubs and Boston on the Theo Epstein compensation package that caused the negotiation to take so long.
• The bunt tournament is continuing today at Fitch Park. Carrie Muskat reports that Steve Clevenger is set to face Tony Campana today, while Bryan LaHair takes on Anthony Rizzo.
• Dale Sveum clarified yesterday that Bryan LaHair will be the first baseman on opening day. "It's his job, not his to lose," he said.
• Starlin Castro arrived in camp and addressed the sexual allegation charges. He seemed ready to focus on baseball, and said that he learned that you have to be careful because there are a lot of bad people in the world.
• According to the Chicago Cubs twitter, "Szczur, Cardenas, Mota, Lalli, B. Jackson, W. Castillo, Clevenger and LaHair advance" in the bunt tournament today. " Lake, Vitters, Brenly, Adduci, Ha, Sappelt, Campana and Rizzo eliminated."
• According to Carrie Muskat, Alfonso Soriano said yesterday that the Cubs will not miss Carlos Zambrano.
  

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted.

Mid Week Update From Cubs Camp

The Cubs are settling in in Mesa, Arizona. Here's the latest.

• The compensation with the Red Sox for Theo Epstein has finally been announced. Minor league reliever Chris Carpenter has been sent to Boston, along with a Player to be Named Later, which will be announced by mid-April.
• Carrie Muskat reports that Dale Sveum has already penciled in Bryan LaHair as the starting first baseman.
• John Gaub (back spasms) is the only injured Cub. He is expected to bat and throw tomorrow.
• The 2012 Cubs bunt tournament starts tomorrow. According to Muskat, there are 64 entries, including manager Dale Sveum and strength and conditioning coach Tim Buss. Bussy took Chris Carpenter's spot when he was sent to Boston. Sveum will meet Kerry Wood in the first round.
• Here's Paul Sullivan's pic of the entire bracket.
  
• Sveum is hoping to have two left handers in the bullpen. He described Kerry Wood as the ideal setup man.
• The first full squad workout is scheduled for Friday. Tom Ricketts is also expected to speak to the team on Friday.
• Alfonso Soriano and Starlin Castro are the only position players on the 40-man roster who have not yet appeared in camp.
• James Russell is expected to play a much more important role this season with John Grabow and Sean Marshall gone.
• Be sure to check out the latest pictures on Sheridan's Blog.
• Doug Padilla thinks that Jason Jaramillo has a good chance of beating out Welington Castillo for the backup catcher's job.
  
• Bruce Levine predicts that Travis Wood and Paul Maholm will join Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza in the rotation, with Chris Volstad, Randy Wells and Jeff Samardzija battling for the final spot.

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted on Everything Cubs as always!

Radio Recap: Jed Hoyer on ESPN 1000

Believe it or not, the report date for pitchers and catchers in Mesa, Arizona is just a week away. Baseball and summer time is right around the corner. In the mean time, the Cubs have been fairly quiet as of late. Let's jump into a radio recap from GM Jed Hoyer on ESPN Radio on Friday.

• The Cubs organizational meetings will take place on Wednesday and Thursday in advance of the start of Spring Training. Physicals will take place on Friday. The first workout on the field will take place on Saturday, a week from today.
• Jed Hoyer joined Carmen, Jurko and Harry on ESPN 1000 on Friday. Hoyer currently driving to Arizona.
• Hoyer said that it is unlikely for Alfonso Soriano to start the year with a different club.
• Jed and Theo learned that they could not keep Carlos Zambrano by talking to people within the organization.
• Hoyer said that the Cubs need more guys like Matt Garza and will certainly talk to him about being a part of the team's future.
• Last year "was not Carlos Marmol's best year" but the Cubs are confident that he can get back to what he was before.
• Hoyer thinks that Anthony Rizzo is close to being ready to be a productive player at the big league level. Jed admits that he rushed Rizzo into the big leagues in San Diego. "Bryan LaHair has earned the right to start the year at first base. Anthony is not far away, but he's not a finished product."
• It's hard to have a time frame and target date for winning the World Series. Every year you try to put together a good draft and sign the right players. "When exactly that all comes together I'm not quit sure."
  
• The Cubs have scouted Yoenis Cespedes, but Hoyer feels that a lot of teams are in on Cespedes.

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted all week as we count down to Cubs camp!

Winter Meetings Day 2 Notes

Ron Santo's Hall of Fame election is by far the biggest headline to come out of the Winter Meetings so far. We'll continue to honor and cover Ronnie in the coming days and week here on Everything Cubs blog. However, there are some interesting tidbits from Dallas today.

• The Cubs have reportedly made offers for both Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder. They are not willing to offer a long term contract, but will make up for that with a large per year salary.
• The Marlins are the front runners for Pujols with a ten year contract offer on the table. However, they are not willing to give Albert a no-trade clause.
• The Cubs are more likely to sign Fielder, but they are not close with Prince either. They are not willing to go behind a five year deal with the slugging third baseman.
• The Cubs are still looking for a team to take Alfonso Soriano. They are willing to eat most of his contract. The Orioles were rumored to be interested.
• Fielder says he has many suitors and "the coffee isn't even hot yet."
• Carrie Muskat tweeted that Dale Sveum should announce his coaching staff soon. He is still looking for a first base coach. It looks as if Pat Listach will remain on the staff, moving from the bench coach to the third base coach.
• The Cubs did submit a bid for Pujols today, even though Theo Epstein claimed yesterday that he was talking to Pujols' agent about another one of his clients, Rodrigo Lopez.

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted!

2011 Winter Meetings Preview

The Cubs made their first move of the offseason this week, with more possibly on the horizon. Here's the latest.

Cubs Ink David DeJesus
On Wednesday the Cubs announced the signing of outfielder David DeJesus to a two year, $10 million contract that includes a club option for 2014. DeJesus can play all three outfield positions. He spent the first ten years of his career in Kansas City before playing for the Oakland A's last season. DeJesus hit just .240 in 2011 after hitting .318 in 2010.

Outfield Update
This move does not bode well for Tyler Colvin, who will have to earn his playing time since DeJesus could be the opening day starter in right field. Brett Jackson will be in the mix in Spring Training as well and Marlon Byrd could be shipped out before the start of the season. The Cubs are also searching for a buyer for overpaid leftfielder Alfonso Soriano.

Chris Bosio and Jamie Quirk Added to Coaching Staff
The Cubs have announced the Jamie Quirk will join Dale Sveum's coaching staff as the bench coach, while Chris Bosio will serve as the pitching coach. Mark Riggins will not return to the staff, while Pat Listach could be back as a base coach. Quirk was the Astros bullpen coach the last two seasons. Bosio, who coached with the Brewers in 2011, and Sveum have a long history together. An official announcement of the full coaching staff is expected this week.

A Busy Week Ahead?
Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer has said in several interviews that he expects the team to be very active at the Winter Meetings next week. There are rumors circulating that the Cubs are planning a full roster overhaul. Carlos Zambrano, Alfonso Soriano, Marlon Byrd and Matt Garza could be among the players that the Cubs are shopping, although Epstein has said he would like to build his pitching staff around a player like Garza. The team has been connected to Prince Fielder, Albert Pujols and Mark Buehrle.

Ron Santo
Today marks the one year anniversary of Ron Santo's death. He will have another shot at the Hall of Fame on Monday as this year's veteran committee vote is release. It would be a shame to see Ronnie go in without him there to see it, but it would be a great honor none-the-less. We'll have more on Santo's potential Hall of Fame induction Sunday and Monday.

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted on everything Cubs as always.

A Look at Hendry's Worst Moves with the Cubs

On Saturday we counted down the five best moves made by Jim Hendry during his tenure as the general manager of the Chicago Cubs. Click here to read that post. As you know, not all of the moves he made were good. Now it's time to take a look at the five worst moves!

5. Signing Kosuke Fukudome... November 2007
At the time, I'll admit that I was excited about the Japanese import coming to Chicago. However, his offense sputter throughout his four season stay in Chicago. Hendry overpaid for Kosuke, giving him four years and $48 million.

4. Waiving Casey McGehee... October 2008
This move does not get that much attention, but it was the only one on this list that I knew was completely terrible the second it happened. McGehee was a promising prospect who saw some time with the Cubs during the 2008 season. He could have been Ramirez's successor at third base and learned a new spot while waiting for Rami's contract to expire. However, the rival Brewers snatched him off waivers. He had been very productive in the middle of the Milwaukee lineup.

3. Trading Nolasco, Mitre & Pinto for Juan Pierre... December 2005
The Cubs shipped three young arms to Florida to try to add a lead-off man. Pierre was lousy in his only season on the North Side, while Nolasco went on to become a quality starter.

2. Giving Alfonso Soriano 8 years... November 2006
At the time I was very excited about the Cubs picking up one of the top free agent on the market. However, this contract was way too long for an already ageing player like Soriano. The $136 million spent on Alfonso just about single handily led to the miserable 2010 and 2011 seasons. However, Soriano was a key piece to the team during the playoff runs of 2007 and 2008. Had the Cubs won a World Series it would have been worth it, so I don't blame Jim for going "all in." Note: John McDonough was the one who actually closed this deal, not Hendry.

1. Signing Milton Bradley... January 2009
While the winter between '06 and '07 was probably Hendry's best despite the Soriano contract, the 2008-2009 offseason was by far his worst. The biggest and worst move of that stretch was inking Milton Bradley to a $30 million deal. Bradley did not produce and was a distraction with his off the field antics. Bradley was the one big money signing that the Cubs literally got no production out of. During that same winter the Cubs also picked up Aaron Miles, Joey Gathright and Kevin Gregg.

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted on Everything Cubs as always!

More on Zambrano

David Kaplan has been all over the Zambrano situation on his twitter account today. Here's the latest from Kap:

• Zambrano hopes to remain a Cub. He wanted to return to the team Saturday but could not because he was suspended.


• Carlos says that he did not try to hit Chipper Jones.


• He does not think that the punishment is fair.


• Zambrano did say that he was thinking about retiring but it was because he was frustrated. The comments were supposed to be private.


• He received text messages of support from Sammy Sosa, Marlon Byrd, Jason Giambi, Carlos Pena, Alfonso Soriano and Ozzie Guillen.


• Soriano and Zambrano are on good terms despite their confrontation.

Believe it or not, I actually side with Carlos Zambrano on this situation. I do not think that the 30 day suspension was in order. I know that they are sick of thing like this, but he did not do much wrong. He was ejected from the game so technically he did not walk out on his team. He cleaned out his locker but returned his things that night. Z told a clubhouse worker that he was thinking about retiring... does that violate a team rule? The only thing that I think he did that was truly wrong was throw at Jones. I'm not buying his claim this the pitches were not on purpose. I think a 3-5 day team suspension would have made more sense than a trip to the 30-day inactive list. What do you think? Please comment with your thoughts!

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted on everything Cubs as always!

Weekend Quick Hits: The Rumor Mill is Heating Up

• Phil Rogers and the Chicago Tribune have put together their All-City team, which is released each year just before the Crosstown Showdown. Despite the better record for the White Sox, the North Siders have claimed five of the eight spots on the All-City squad.


• Ken Davidoff tweets that Carlos Zambrano is not likely headed to New York. This week there have been several reports that the Yankees are not interested.


• Zambrano will waive his no-trade clause if he is asked to, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX. Big Z complained to Rosenthal yesterday that he was quoted out of context. He emphasized that he loves Chicago and wants to remain a Cub.


• Alfonso Soriano expects to stay with the Cubs, but if the team wants to trade him then he is willing to go.


• The Yankees have an eye on Ryan Dempster, but right now it is unlikely that Demp will be dealt.


• As Carrie Muskat mentioned on her blog, if the Cubs win today they will take back-to-back series for the first time this year.


• Jake Peavy will come off the DL and pitch Wednesday against the Cubs.

Tonight the Cubs and Yankees play the rubber match of the three game series, with CC Sabathia pitching against Randy Wells on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball! Tomorrow I will have a Crosstown Showdown special post!

Singing the Cubbie Blues

The Cubs woes have continued this week with a dreadful sweep at the hands of the last place Pirates. The Cubs appear to be headed for the basement in the NL Central themselves, after going 1-5 in a six game home stretch against two of the other worst teams in the league. On the injury front, things have continued to get worse. Let's check in on some news and notes.

• Matt Garza threw 30 pitches in the side session today. If he does not suffer a setback, he could come off the DL and pitch against the Astros next Monday.


• Aramis Ramirez was hit in the lip today with a ground ball and left the game. He will need stitches for his lip but at least the injury was not more serious.


• Alfonso Soriano is the latest Cubs outfield to be placed on the disabled list. Tyler Colvin was called back up yesterday to try to help an outfield that currently has three of the four regulars disabled.


• Bruce Miles reports that Marlon Byrd chatted with reports today. Byrd says he is waiting for his fractures to heal and he plans to return in 4-6 weeks.


• Mike Quade has no plans of using a six man rotation, so either Doug Davis or Rodrigo Lopez will be removed when Garza returns.


• Tom Ricketts quickly walked away from a group of reports today when someone asked what was wrong with his team.


• According to Baseball Prospectus, the Cubs chances of making the playoffs are 1.1%.


• The Cubs have the ninth overall pick in the First Year Player Draft, which takes place next week.

Cubbie Quick Hits While the City Waits for the Kick-off

The Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers will meet today in a NFC Championship matchup for the ages. The Fanfest of another Chicago baseball team is taking place this weekend. The defending Stanley Cup Champions are red-hot in January, while the city's NBA team is in first place.

But soon the Cubbies will take center stage once again. Pitchers and catchers report three weeks from tomorrow! The first game of Spring Training is exactly five weeks from today. Let's catch up on the latest news and notes on the North Side Ballclub:

• The ESPN family of networks has set its Spring Training schedule. The Cubs games on March 24 (against Texas) and March 26 (against the Sox) will both be on ESPN2.
• The big news of the week was the minor league outfielder and Villanova wide receiver Matt Szczur has committed to playing baseball. He will skip the NFL Draft and instead sign a deal that has a signing bonus of $1.4 million.
• Justin Havens of ESPN.com wonders if the Cubs should have traded Tom Gorzelanny. His 2010 stats were pretty close to Matt Garza's.
• According to Bruce Miles, Andrea Soriano passed away this week. Andrea is the mother of Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano. I would like sent my condolences to the family.
• The Cubs signed outfielder Lou Montanez to a minor league deal with an invite to big league Spring Training. Montanez was originally drafted by the Cubs in the first round of the 2000 draft and never panned out. He hit .223 in 26 games for Baltimore last season.
• The Chicago White Sox have invited former Cub Jeff Gray to Spring Training. He spent one year with the Cubs (2010) after coming over in the Fox/Miles trade with the A's. Gray's season was derailed by a groin injury.
• Check out the new poll on our right sidebar!

Here is the list of non-roster invitees so far for Spring Training-

• Angel Guzman, RHP
• Scott Rice, LHP
• Scott Moore, INF
• Bobby Scales, UTL
• Jim Adduci, OF
• Reed Johnson, OF
• Bryan LaHair, 1B/OF
• Lou Montanez, OF

A lot of names will be added to this list over the next three weeks.

I know, many of my readers will hate me for this. However...

"I don't care who wins as long as it's THE PACK!"

Catching Up Quick Hits: Rotation Switch, Sori Resting, Injury Updates and More

• Casey Coleman will make his first big league start in on Wednesday. He will take Thomas Diamond spot in the rotation. Diamond will switch roles with Coleman and head to the bullpen.
• Alfonso Soriano was out of the lineup for two games this weekend, but he just go two days off because of the heat. He returned on Monday night.
• Darwin Barney got his first career hit on Monday, a double in his first at bat at Wrigley.
• Barney was starting at shortstop in place of Starlin Castro, who got a much needed day of race after playing three games in the heat in St. Louis.
• Ron Santo returned to the broadcast booth Monday night. He missed the last road trip to rest up, but says he plans on going on the next road trip. The Cubs visit Washington D.C. and Cincinnati next week.
• Derrek Lee is out with a bulging disc in his back. He left Sunday's finale against the Cardinals after he had already launched two home runs on the day. D-Lee was heating up with four bombs in the three game set. He is expected to return on Thursday.
• Geovany Soto is expected to take batting practice tomorrow. He could return from the DL as soon as next Sunday.
• Carlos Silva is expected to begin a minor league rehab program soon.
• Oneri Fleita joined WGN Radio's David Kaplan on Monday. He said that Chris Archer, Brett Jackson, and Josh Vitters will all be in the Arizona Fall League in Mesa this October. Vitters, who is rehabbing from a broken hand, will see time at first base and third base.
• Bruce Levine reports that Padres bench coach Ted Simmons is interested in the Cubs managerial opening. The search for a new manager could go all the way up to the team's organizational meetings in November.

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted on Everything Cubs as always!

Series Preview: Cubs VS Reds

June is history! The Cubs will welcome in July today after going 10-16 last month. They've had their chances against last place teams, but they've lost to the likes of Pittsburgh and Seattle. Perhaps a good opponent is just was the doctor ordered.

Can the Cubs step up their game against the first place Cincinnati Reds, who come into play today 0.5 game ahead of the Cardinals in the NL Central? The Reds are fighting for first, and they will do their best to take advantage of a meager Cubs offense. The Cubbies are ten games under at 33-43, which means they need a win today to avoid setting a new low water mark for the year. In fact, the Cubs have not been 11 under .500 in four years under Lou Piniella.

Speaking of managers, whenever these two teams meet it's a reunion of sorts. Sweet Lou spent three years in Cincinnati, including the World Series champion 1990 ballclub. Current Reds skipper Dusty Baker is returning to Wrigley Field, where he managed from 2003-2006. Piniella is in the final year of his contract and is in a situation similar to the one Dusty was in in '06. Chris Speier (bench coach, former Cubs third base coach) and Juan Lopez (former Cub and current Red bullpen coach) are still a part of Baker's staff.

The Cubs have fallen to forth place, 9.5 back of the Reds and 1 game behind the now third place Brewers. The Crew open a series with the Cardinals today. Cincinnati is in town for four straight day games that wraps up the seven game homestand at Wrigley.

The Cubs are coming off losing two of three to the Pirates to fall to 3-9 against the Bucs this year. In the three games, they scored a total of just four runs. The series finale, a 2-0 loss despite five shutout innings from ex-Pirate Tom Gorzelanny, was particularly frustrating. Andrew Cashner continued his recent struggles as he has gotten the loss in each of his last three appearances. The Cubs bats were silent, Aramis Ramirez made a costly error on defense, and Sean Marshall walked in a run.

The Reds just concluded a six game stretch at the Great American Ballpark where they went 4-2. The beat a good Phillies team 4-3 on Wednesday to take the series and finish the month 13-13. When the first place club had an average month and the Cubs had an "easy" schedule, you know Lou's crew missed a chance to make up some ground. From now on, they will have to do it against the good teams.

The Cubbies hope to finally put an end to their struggles in series openers today. They have dropped ten straight game ones and haven't started off a set with a win since May 25 against the Dodgers. Alfonso Soriano is a guy that needs to heat up. When he gets hot, he can carry the team on his back. Sori has showed some signs of getting hot with two solo-homers in Tuesday's win and a deep fly ball to the warning track that would have left the yard on most days on Wednesday.

John Grabow was placed on the DL with a knee injury during the last series. The Cubs now have four rookies in the bullpen in Andrew Cashner, Jeff Stevens, James Russell, and Brian Schlitter, but youth is not necessarily a bad thing. Grabow will wait for the swelling in his knee to lessen a may miss as long as a month.

Yesterday, Mike Fontenot got the start at second base and Ryan Theriot received the day off. According to FOX Sports, the Red Sox had talks about acquiring Little Mike before they settled on Eric Patterson. Could the Cubs be showcasing Fontenot for a possible trade? Will he see a few starts in this series?

On a quick note... the Major League Baseball All-Star voting ends tonight at 10:59 CT. Be sure to log on to MLB.com or Cubs.com and give the Cubs players your votes! You can cast your votes 25 times per email address.

After only winning one series in the month of June, the Cubs will look to get that first series of July out of the way right off the bat this weekend.

Game 1: Thursday at 1:20 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Carlos Silva, RHP (8-2, 3.01 ERA)
Reds Starting Pitcher: Travis Wood, LHP (MLB Debut)
TV/Radio: CSN/WGN Radio 720

Games 2: Friday at 1:20 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Ryan Dempster, RHP (6-6, 3.58 ERA)
Red Starting Pitcher: Bronson Arroyo, RHP (7-4, 4.49 ERA)
TV/Radio: WGN-TV/WGN Radio 720

Game 3: Saturday at 12:05 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Randy Wells, RHP (3-6, 4.96 ERA)
Reds Starting Pitcher: Johnny Cueto, RHP (8-2, 3.74 ERA)
TV/Radio: CSN/WGN Radio 720

Game 4: Sunday at 1:20 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Ted Lilly (3-6, 3.12 ERA)
Reds Starting Pitcher: TBA
TV/Radio: WGN-TV/WGN Radio 720

The Cubs will look to avoid giving guys their first big league debut on back-to-back days. Travis Wood was called up from AAA after Sam LeCure was sent down. Wood, a former second round pick, was 5-6 with a 3.12 ERA at Louisville before the callup.

The Chicago Cubs will finish up the first half on the West Coast against the D'backs and Dodgers. After this weekend, they will not return to Wrigley until July 15 after the All-Star break. Dusty's club will continue their road swing in New York, and then finish up the first half in Philly. They will return to the Windy City August 6-8 and the Cubs go to Great American the final weekend of August.

Cubs in the All-Star Game?

The MLB All-Star Selection Show will be on TBS on July 4. At that time, at least one of our Cubbies will become an All-Star. The team is nine game under .500, but there are still several players on the club having great years.

If one of the top hitters in the league is not an All-Star, something is wrong. Marlon Byrd is hitting .326, which ranks second in the National League (only behind Atlanta's Martin Prado). Somehow (as of Tuesday) Byrd was not even in the top 15 NL outfielders in the fan voting. Even teammate Alfonso Soriano (.283 AVG, 10 HR) is in front of Byrd. Sori is 11th in the outfield voting with 725,614 tallies. Voting on Cubs.com is over next week, so if you haven't given Marlon your 25 votes (per email address) yet, do so! It is not likely that Byrd will finish in the top three outfielders to start in the game, but he needs to at least be pushed into the top 15.

Marlon still does have a chance at being selected as a reserve by either player voting or as a manager's pick.

There are two guys named Carlos on the Cubs who deserve to play in the game at Angel Stadium on July 13, but neither one has a last named that starts with the letter Z. Carlos Marmol has been fantastic as the closer, although his save chances have been limited because the Cubs are not winning. Marmol still has saved 13 games, notched two wins, has an ERA of 1.71, and has struck out 58 in just 31.2 innings. Marmol was an All-Star in the 2008 game at Yankee Stadium and deserves a return trip to the Mid-Summer Classic.

The other Cubs hurler who is among the game's elite is starter Carlos Silva. Silva is 8-2 on the year, and started the season by winning his first eight decisions. Carlos, who came to the Cubs in the Milton Bradley trade with Seattle, has posted a 3.01 ERA in his bounce back season so far.

Likely, the Cubs will have only one or two guys on the NL roster of the three mentioned. Last year their lone representative was Ted Lilly, but Ted did not get a chance to pitch in the game. Lilly most likely will not return, as he's 2-6 with a 3.42 ERA in 2010. Each National League team must have at least one All-Star on the squad.

With just over a week left until the selections are announced, Byrd, Silva, and Marmol must continue to perform in order to earn their spot in the 2010 Major League Baseball All Star Game.

Vote on the poll on our right sidebar to tell us which Cub you would most like to see in the Mid-Summer Classic!

Lilly Says No! (Almost)

What a ballgame that was. That was the most fun I've had watching the Cubs play all season! Lilly had better stuff tonight than any Cubs since Zambrano's no-no in September of '08.

For those of you that missed it, you missed a good one. Lilly did not allow a hit through eight, but his no-hit bid was broken up by former Cub Juan Pierre with no outs in the ninth.

Not only was Lilly awesome, but Carlos Marmol did a nice job of working out of the jam in the 9th to get the Cubs the 1-0 win and earn the save. It's unfortunate that it looked like the rain may have played a factor in the 9th. I wonder if Ted could have gotten the three outs he needed if the showers had stayed away.

To do it against the Sox would have been great... but the big thing was for Ted to single handedly get us one win in the three game Crosstown series at Wrigley. Perhaps will get them back on the Southside.

With the appearance from the Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks, there was excitement from the start (even during the Anthem). Several of the Hawks sang The 7th Inning Stretch and all of them were on the field before the game. Ryan Dempster and a few other Cubs and Sox were given the chance to lift the cup.

The other oddity about this game was that both pitchers had no-hitter though six, something you rarely see. Gavin Floyd pitched a great game but was the hard luck loser Alfonso Soriano banged a 2-out double in the 7th for the first Cub hit and then Chad Tracy drove in the first run of the game with a clutch single.

I just figured this game deserved its own post! More stuff on the off day tomorrow!

Until then... Go Cubs Go!

Numbers Breakdown: Cubs Starters VS Bench

Are the Cubs starting position players doing better than their potential replacements so far this season? Let's find out in today's Numbers Breakdown!

Catcher
Geovany Soto: .254 AVG, .401 OBP
Koyie Hill: .250 AVG, .291 OBP

First Base
Derrek Lee: .238 AVG, .343 OBP
Xavier Nady: .260 AVG, .333 OBP

Middle Infield
Ryan Theriot: .274 AVG, .305 OBP
Starlin Castro: .289 AVG, .337 OBP
Mike Fontenot: .310 AVG, .358 OBP

Third Base
Aramis Ramirez: .171 AVG, .233 OBP
Chad Tracy (AAA stats): .380 AVG, .417 OBP

Outfield
Alfonso Soriano: .295 AVG, .361 OBP
Marlon Byrd: .309 AVG, .347 AVG
Kosuke: .285 AVG, .383 OBP
Tyler Colvin: .300 AVG, .363 OBP

So, the Cubs have someone on the bench who plays each position with a better batting average than the current start at every position except catcher. Will we see some changes of this pattern continues through the next month?

Remember, the numbers don't lie!

Weekend Quick Hits: Colvin to Get More Playing Time, Lee Says He's Staying, and More

• Lou Piniella is "fed-up" according to Paul Sullivan. He may bench Kosuke and Geovany Soto in order to get Tyler Colvin and Koyie Hill in the lineup everyday.
• Today's report is the Lou is not "benching" Kosuke, but he is going to try to get Colvin in the lineup on an everyday basis. As Piniella points out, Tyler can play all three outfield spots.
• Ryan Dempster pitched well in the first month but then had a tough month of May where he went 1-4 with a 4.54 ERA. Demp is on the hill tonight.
• The Cubs and the Chicago Fire have begun talks to bring a soccer game to Wrigley.
• Derrek Lee is staying a Cub. He has no desire to leave the organization, and says that any trade rumors are inaccurate.
• Moving Alfonso Soriano back to the lead-off spot is not being considered.
• Randy Wells will pitch tomorrow and Carlos Silva has been moved to Monday.
• The Cubs are taking a longer and better look at Jeff Samardzja's stuff at AAA-Iowa before promoting him again.
• Carrie Muskat reports that the Cubs would liked to see Ryan Theriot show some more patience at the plate.
• Andrew Cashner and Jeff Stevens have both been pitching very well.

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted!

Weekend Quick Hits: Rami's Struggles, Sori's Fun, Lou's Fire, and More

• Carlos Zambrano is working his way back into the starting rotation. He is going to throw a simulated game on Monday at Wrigley Field and then see how he feels on Tuesday.
• The Cubs have not decided who will leave the rotation once Zambrano returns.
• Tom Gorzelanny is having no problems with his finger after being hit by a line drive in his last start.
• Greg Maddux is enjoying his role with the organization. He spent a week with the Class-A Daytona club and is now headed to Tennessee to visit the Smokies.
• Whenever Starlin Castro bats second in the lineup, the Cubs have won. Tonight's win improved the Cubs to 5-0 with Castro in the two hole.
• Lou Piniella does not feel the need to call a team meeting. Instead, he prefers dealing with players one on one.
• Aramis Ramirez returned to the Cubs' lineup as the DH tonight and went 0-5. His sore left thumb is now OK, but he's hitting just .160.
• Carlos Silva and Ryan Dempster are tied for the team lead in quality starts with 6 each. Dempster still only has a 1-3 record to show for his good work.
• Former Cub (Spring Training only) Kevin Millar has been busy since being released by the Cubs. He's on the St. Paul Saints' DL, he is a studio analyst for MLB Network, and now he has joined FOX Baseball coverage.
• Phil Rogers reports that the Cubs signing of Bob Howry was seen as a sign of desperation by rival scouts.
• Alfonso Soriano is still having fun playing the game of baseball, which is good to see.
• Piniella is finally start to show a little fire. He realizes that the Cubs need to start hitting with men on base.

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted!

Mid Week Quick Hits: Dawson, Colvin, the Bullpen, and More

• Andre Dawson took a tour of the Hall of Fame the other day. Dawson says he's pretty much done with his HOF speach already.
• Esmalin Caridad pitched a scoreless rehab inning at AAA Iowa. He will work again tomorrow and then the Cubs will decided whether or not he is ready to come off the DL.
• Carlos Silva is dealing with a wrist injury but he will still make his scheduled start on Friday. Silva is only in pain when he swings the bat, not when he pitches.
• The Cubs have reitterated the fact that Carlos Zambrano's bullpen duty is not limited to the 8th inning. We could see him sub for Marmol in the 9th from time to time.
• Alfonso Soriano has homered in each of his last four games. If he goes deep on Wendesday night in Pittsburgh, Sori will tie a franchise record. Hack Wilson, Ryne Sandberg, and Sammy Sosa are the only men who have 5-game home run streaks in Cubs history.
• Derrek Lee and Alfonso Soriano will both be hitting career long ball number 300 sometime soon. With Alfonso's shot tonight both now stand at 297.
• Carlos Marmol's ERA is 0.71. Wow.
• Before Sunday's game, Cubs relievers had allowed no runs in 7 of the last 9. A huge turn around for a bullpen that was really struggling before the addition of Big Z.
• Tyler Colvin has not been getting that much playing time because of the fact that all of the Cubs' outfielders are swinging hot sticks.
• Now that the Cubs' bats have come around, everyone is jumping on the Jaramillo ban wagon.
• Cubs GM Jim Hendry says that Starlin Castro will join the Chicago Cubs at some point this season. Hendry is talking with Ryan Theriot about a possible position change according to Bruce Levine.
• Matt Capps told Gordon Wittenmyer that he was pretty close to becoming a Cub.

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted!

Zambrano to the Bullpen

Well that was the most surprising Cubs news I've heard in a long time. According to the Chicago Tribune the Cubs have decided to move Carlos Zambrano into a setup role. How often do you see the Opening Day starter moved to the bullpen before the end of April?

To me, this move makes sense. Zambrano needs to get going and the Cubs need an 8th inning man. The match could work out perfectly. Big Z is handling it okay, but he seems to be under the impression that this move in temporary, while Lou Piniella says that the Cubs are looking for stability.

Ted Lilly will return to the rotation on Saturday to take Zambrano's place. Another roster move will have to be made in order to make room for Teddy. (Vote on the right sidebar for which reliever you think will be sent down!)

Bruce Levine is reporting that the Cubs have scouted Braden Looper, who's currently a free agent. David Kaplan says that they could be looking to make an even bigger move, but he mentioned tonight on Cubs' Tenth Inning on WGN Radio that "not many deals are made in April."

After Lou told the media that Zambrano would be used in the eighth, the Cubs went out an snapped a four game losing skid with a big win over the Mets. Alfonso Soriano has a great game. Perhaps better things are on the way!