Demp Personal Issues, Miles&Harden Update, and more

• Ryan Dempster has been dealing with some issues off the field. His daughter, Riley, was born prematurely in March. She has a rare form of DiGeorge Syndrome. It's difficult for her to keep her food down.
• "I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy," Dempster told the Sun-Times. "I wouldn't wish the person I hate most in the world to go through that because I wouldn't wish any little kid to have to go through that."
• Aaron Miles played for the Iowa Cubs on Saturday. He played at 3rd base for 5 innings and went 2-3. The I-Cubs won 3-1. Miles is expected to be activated this Wednesday day.
• When Miles is activated it'll be interesting to see who the Cubs send down; Fox, Scales, or Blanco. I think they should be sending Blanco down, but he's the one of them that has been starting almost everyday.
• According to the Sun-Times, the Cubs are having some fun today. Angel Guzman has his glove on his head, is juggling, and is singing to PA music. Let's hope it means a win!
• The Cubs have an 0-19 streak with runners in scoring position going.
• Rich Harden has been scratched from his AAA rehab start today for undisclosed reasons according to Paul Sullivan. Not good news!
• The Cubs lost 4-3 to the Reds in extras last night.

Let's go get a win to take 2 out of 3 today! We need it!

June 6 Notes

• Jake Fox is batting .429. Lou said, "We have to make a decision (about Fox) here in the next or so with some people coming off the DL."
• Aaron Miles will come off the DL next week most likely. He's going to AAA Iowa for minor league rehab.
• Carlos Zambrano said after his 100th win yesterday that he will retire at the end of his current contract.
• The Cubs have the 3rd worth Batting Average with runners in scoring position in the NL.
• Rich Harden will make a rehab start for AAA tomorrow.
• Aramis Ramirez is doing baseball activities and is expected to come of the DL in early July.
• Derrek Lee and Lou Piniella believe that Sammy Sosa belongs in the Hall of Fame.

Cubbie Birthdays:

Brooks Kieschnick (37)

Bob Talbot (82)

This Date in Cubs History:

2003- Insisting the corked bat, designed to put on home run displays during batting practice, was accidentally used in the Devil Rays' game, Cubs' slugger Sammy Sosa is suspended for eight games by major League baseball. Bob Watson, baseball's vice president of on-field operations, agreed the Chicago's outfielder use of an illegal bat was an "isolated incident," but one that still deserved a penalty.

1981- The Cubs score 4 runs in the 4th inning‚ 3 on a pinch HR from Mike Tyson‚ to knock rookie phenom Fernando Valenzuela out of the game. The Cubs are victorious over the Dodgers 11-5 at Wrigley.

Let's go get our 3rd win in a row tonight!

Game Preview: Cubs VS Braves Game 3

Thursday, June 4, 2009: Chicago Cubs VS Atlanta Braves

Game Info:
Records: Cubs 26-25, Braves 26-26
Pitching Matchup: Carlos Zambrano (3-2) VS Jair Jurrjens (5-2)
First Pitch: 6:05 CT
Stadium: Turner Field
TV: CSN Chicago, MLB Network

Series Info:
This Series: The Cubs won last night in extras to even the series. This game is the rubber match.
Season Series: The next time the 2 teams meet will be July 6-8 at Wrigley Field.
All-Time Series: Cubs 1022, Braves 844

Zambrano VS Braves Hitters:

• Brian McCann: 5-9, 2 RBI
• David Ross: 2-12, 2 HR, 3 RBI
• Yunel Escobar: 0-3, BB
• Kelly Johnson: 4-14, BB, RBI
• Chipper Jones: 6-23, HR, 4 BB, 2 RBI
• Greg Norton: 3-9
• Jeff Francoeur: 4-14, 2 HR, BB, 8 RBI
• Nate McLouth: 5-22, 6 BB, 4 RBI

Jurrjens VS Cubs Hitters: Has never faced Cubs.

Atlanta Weather:

• 74 degrees currently
• 70% chance of rain tonight
• Hour-by-Hour Link

Cubs Notes:

• With a win today, Carlos Zambrano will become the 21st pitcher in Cubs History to win 100 games, but only the 4th in the last 50 years. The other 3: Greg Maddux, Fergie Jenkins, and Rick Reuschel.
• Bruce Levine thinks Big Z disrespected his teammates when he missed the team flight on Monday.
• The game went to extra-innings for the second straight night yesterday. This time the Cubs pulled it out to even the series.
• Geovany Soto has been benched for a few days. Lou wants to see how Hill does in his place.
• In an interview with ESPN Deportes, Sammy Sosa hinted that he is going to make a formal announcement soon that he is retiring from baseball.
• Jon Heyman says that the Cubs are still the favorite to land Jake Peavy.
• Heyman also mentioned in that article that Milton Bradley is looking like the worth free agent signing this offseason. Not good!
• Some AL teams are interested in Jake Fox as a cheap DH option.

Injury Report:

• Milton Bradley is out off the lineup again tonight, but according to Gordon Wittenmyer, the Cubs say no DL for Milton for now.
• Bradley had an MRI on his calf yesterday. According to the Tribune, the MRI machine reportedly broke during the exam, forcing a second test to be taken. But it turned out the person being tested before him was suffering from claustrophobia. That's odd.
• Rich Harden will throw today and then head to Iowa for a Sunday rehab start. Barring setbacks, he will return June 12 VS Min.

Minor League Report:

• AAA Iowa Cubs: @Nashville 7:00 CT, SP: Jeff Samardzija
• AA Tennessee Smokies: @Carolina 6:15 CT
• Class A Daytona Cubs: @Charlotte 6:05 CT
• Class A Peoria Chiefs: VS Beloit 7:00 CT

Last week when I went to the Cubs game, I found a great article in the program/scorecard that I got for just $1. Today, I'm going to share it with you.

Another Predictable Season, by Matt Smerge:

Like any baseball season, the Cubs' 2009 campaign has been marked by many unpredictable events. Aramis Ramirez is sidelined for at least 2 months after separating his shoulder. Ryan Theriot led the league in homers during the first half of May (tied with Albert Pujols). Ten-year minor leaguer Bobby Scales, who was called up to replace Ramirez on the roster, made the most of his first major league action, becoming the feel good story of the spring. And the sale of the Cubs still hasn't been completed. Perhaps most surprising, the Blackhawks have supplanted the Cubs and Bears as the most popular team in Chicago, if only temporarily. It may be impossible to predict the unpredictable, but that's never stopped us before. Here are our predictions for the rest of the 2009 Cubs season:

• May 25- The Cubs beat the Pirates 9-8 in a Memorial Day thriller Scales paces the offense with yet another 4-hit game. His batting average climbs over .500.
• June 1- Crane Kenny announces that the sale of the Cubs is almost complete. He also threatens to move the Cubs' spring training home to Idaho.
• June 14- The Blackhawks beat the Penguins to in 56 games to claim their first Stanley Cup in 48 years. The Cubs beat the Twins 6-2 to pull even with the Brewers. Scales hits for the cycle and sells the option for the feature film depicting his life story.
• June 18- The Cubs take 2 of 3 from the dirty White Sox. Denzel Washington is cast in the role of Scales for the movie after President Obama can't clear his schedule.
• June 21- Milton Bradley accidentally chokes an umpire after being called out on strikes. He then claims the contact was incidental.
• June 25- Bradley appeals his 20 game suspension.
• June 28- The Cubs lose two of 3 to the Sox at the Cell, dropping them 4 games behind the surging Brewers. Scales meets Sox fan Mayor Daley before the game and charms him into changing his undying allegiance to the Cubs.
• July 9- Crane Kenney announces that the sale of the Cubs is almost complete. He also threatens to move the Cubs' spring training home to the island where they shoot "Survivor".
• July 12- The cubs sweep the Cardinals in a double header to climb to within 3 games of the division leading Brewers at the All-Star break. Ryan Theriot hits his team leading 23rd home run.
• July 14- Crane Kenney officially changes his name to Kenney Crane after he finds out there's a new character named Crane Kenney on "The Bold and the Beautiful" who happens to be a serial rapist and embezzler. The NL loses the All-Star game 6-5 in 17 innings despite 5 RBIs for Scales, a write in All-Star.
• July 17- Obama presents Scales with the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House. Scales charms Sox fan Obama into changing his undying allegiance to the Cubs. The Cubs beat the Nationals 11-2 later that night.
• August 6- Kenney Crane announces the sale of the Cubs is almost complete. He also threatens to move the Cubs spring training home to the Bermuda Triangle.
• August 16- Scales' batting average dips to .251 after a 0-72 slump. Piniella cites his charming attitude when questioned why he doesn't bench him.
• August 27- The Cubs sweep the Nationals and move into first place. Theriot hits his 40th homer. Scales' average drops to .221. The shocking murder of Kenney Crane's head landscaper forces him to miss his weekly pedicure.
• September 1- Kenney Crane announces that the sale of the Cubs is almost complete. He also threatens to move the Cubs' spring training ho9me to his backyard in Kenilworth. He then puts an ad on Craig's List looking for a new head landscaper.
• September 2- Scales is finally sent down to the minor after his hitless streak reaches 153 ABs. The movie is downscales from feature film to UPN movie of the week. Denzel drops out and is replaced by Jimmy "J.J." Walker.
• September 17- The Cubs sweep the Brewers to open up a 6 game lead. Ramirez returns to the lineup. The result of Bradley's suspension appeal is finally handed down (it is doubled).
• September 29- The Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates to clinch the NL Central. Theriot his his 60th homer hours after testing positive for high levels of Flintstone vitamins in his system.
• October 10- The Dodgers Sweep the cubs out of the playoffs for the 2nd year in a row. Scales announces that he is running for the Illinois senate seat.
• October 31- The sale of the cubs is finally completed. New ownership demotes Kenny Crane to groundskeeper. He is told that if he works hard he might be promoted to the job of Milton Bradley's pedicurist.

I enjoyed the article and thought it was worth sharing!

Cubbie Birthdays:

Arnold Earley (76)

Scott Servais (42)

Rick Wilkins (42)

This Date in Cubs History:

2003- Although his bat may have contained cork in yesterday's game, all five of Sammy Sosa's historic bats housed at the Hall of Fame and the76 of confiscated from his locker by major league baseball revealed no signs of tampering. X-rays and CT scans were used to clear cleared Cubs' slugger remaining lumber.

2004- Mark Prior makes his season debut for the Cubs‚ but the Cubs loses 2-1‚ to the Pirates‚ Prior goes 6 shutout innings. The Cubs hit the million mark in attendance‚ their quickest in history.

Thank You for Reading:

Yesterday's game preview was my 300th post since a started blogging about the Cubbies about 6 months ago. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my work!

Cubs Starting Lineup:

• Soriano, LF
• Theriot, SS
• Kosuke, RF
• Lee, 1B
• Fontenot, 3B
• Johnson, CF
• Hill, C
• Blanco, 2B
• Zambrano, P

Interesting Story:

Carlos Zambrano said this to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Sun-Times: "Look, Geo is going in Lou's office... They closed the door... They're fighting... Be in the paper tomorrow."

That's all I have on this story right now, but I'll keep you posted on it.

Let's forget off the field stuff, and win this series!

Game Preview: Cubs VS Braves

Wednesday, June 3, 2009: Chicago Cubs VS Atlanta Braves

Game Info:

Records: Cubs 25-25 (4th in NL Central) VS Braves 26-25 (3rd in NL East)
Pitching Matchup: Ted Lilly (6-3) VS Derek Lowe (6-3)
First Pitch: 6:05 CT
Stadium: Turner Field
TV: CSN Chicago

Series Info:

This series: The Cubs had a 5 run lead in the 7th and Randy Wells had a no hitter going, but the Cubs found a way to lose 6-5 in Game 1 last night.
Season Series: Braves lead 1-0.
All-Time Series (Since 1900): Cubs 1021, Braves 844

Cubs Hitters VS Derek Lowe:

• Milton Bradley: 1-9, 2 RBI, 3 BB
• Mike Fontenot: 3-5
• Kosuke: 1-5, BB
• Koyie Hill: 1-6
• Reed Johnson: 4-11, 5 RBI
• Derrek Lee: 11-28, 2 BB, HR, 5 RBI
• Alfonso Soriano: 13-53, 3 HR, 5 RBI
• Ryan Theriot: 2-10
• Ted Lilly: 0-2

Braves Hitters VS Ted Lilly:

• Brian McCann: 1-4, RBI, BB
• Derek Lowe: 0-2
• Yunel Escobar: 2-6
• Chipper Jones: 2-9, 4 BB, 2 RBI
• Casey Kotchman: 0-3
• Kelly Johnson: 1-4
• Greg Norton: 1-5
• Martin Prado: 2-4, RBI
• Garret Anderson: 3-22, BB
• Matt Diaz: 1-3
• Gregor Blanco: 0-3
• David Ross: 0-9

And there is a little more history between Ted Lilly and the Braves...

• In 2007, Alfonso Soriano hit 3 home runs in a Cubs 9-1. The next game, Tim Hudson hit Soriano with a first-pitch fastball causing home-plate umpire Tim Tschida to issue warnings to both teams. In the final game of the series, Lilly hit Edgar Renteria in the first inning and was thrown out of the game by Jim Wolf.
• After Greg Norton homered against Lilly in the first inning of a game in 2008, the next pitch went over the head of McCann and both benches were warned.
• Could there be a Lilly VS Braves Part III tonight?

Weather:

• Isolated T-Storms
• 30% chance of precip.
• Currently 85 degrees.

Cubs Notes:

• Carlos Zambrano skipped the team charter flight to Atlanta and arrived to the ballpark late yesterday. He did not have permission. Lou hauled the suspended pitcher into his office before last night's game to address the situation. Neither Lou nor Big Z would comment.
• Randy Wells was 7 outs away from a no hitter yesterday, and not only did he lose the no-no, but ended up losing his first big league win. Carlos Marmol and Angel Guzman were wild, Kevin Gregg got another blown save, and Aaron Heilman gave up the game winning hit as the Cubs bullpen continues to struggle.
• Also, Derrek Lee made a rare costly error.
• Jim Hendry is not with the team because he is preparing for next week's first year player draft.
• "We Believe" the movie is coming out soon! Check it out on Muskat's blog.

Injury Report:

• Milton Bradley left last nights game with a strained right calf. The DL is a possibility according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Sun-Times. The good news is that Reed Johnson is red hot and will get more playing time with Bradley out of the lineup.
• Ryan Dempster, who has been bothered by a blister, will make his scheduled start on Friday in Cincinnati.
• Alfonso Soriano's knee is not a problem. He says his slump is because he's swinging at bad pitches.
• Rich Harden threw a 33-pitch bullpen session on Tuesday. Harden said the back pain is gone. He could return to the rotation during the Minnesota series at Wrigley June 12-14.

Minor League Report:

• Iowa Cubs: Loss to Nashville 3-0.
• Tennessee Smokies: VS Carolina 6:15 CT
• Daytona Cubs: VS Charlotte 6:05 CT
• Peoria Chiefs: VS Beloit at 7pm CT

Radio Recap:

Darren Rovell, CNBC business expert, joined Mully and Hanley on 670 the Score to break down the Cubs sale yesterday:

• Darren thought the sale would be done by June 1.
• The Rickets deal is going to get done, but the times are still tough.
• You really do have to have the cash to buy a team now a days, and that makes it hard to sell a team.
• Every teams values are going to drop if a team sells for a cheap price.

Dave Van Dyck joined the guys to talk Cubs:

• Dave says that nobody can stop Zambrano from being Zambrano. Mully seemed to think that Lou needs to get control of the team.
• Carlos said in Spring Training that no of this stuff would ever happen again, but if you have a temper, you have a temper.
• What should Lou do with Reed Johnson? That question solved itself in last nights game with the injury but Van Dyck said, "I've always believed you go with your hot hand. I think they have to play Johnson while he's hot."
• There is a need for power in the Cubs lineup. Soriano has to stay in the lineup everyday for some power.
• Lee and Bradley have to get it going in the middle of the lineup.
• Van Dyck gets tired of preaching that if your 3-4-5 hitters are not hitting you don't win a lot of baseball games. Milton Bradley should hit 20-25 homers.
• Derrek Lee has to hit for average and power as a #3 hitter.
• Dave thinks Koyie Hill should start at catcher for 3-4 days in a row. He's a good defensive catcher and his a little pop in his bat.
• The Soto situation puzzles Van Dyck a little bit. He says that there is no solution to this problem.
• Bradley is just suffering from the "yucks" according to Van Dyck.
• Milton is guessing at pitches, doesn't have any confidence, and is taking a lot of called strike 3s.

This Date in Cubs History:

1978- The Braves and the Cubs tie a major league record using 14 hurlers in a single game. Each team using seven pitchers as Chicago beats Atlanta at Wrigley Field, 8-6.

2003- Slugger Sammy Sosa is ejected from the game during the first inning after he shatters his bat and the broken remains exposes cork. The Cub outfielder will be suspended by major league baseball for 8 games (will be reduced to 7) his offense.

Cubbie Birthdays:

Robert Machado (36)

Jose Molina (34)

Steve Smyth (31)

Starting Lineup:

• Soriano, LF
• Theriot, SS
• Kosuke, RF
• Lee, 1B
• Fontenot, 3B
• Johnson, CF
• Hill, C
• Blanco, 2B
• Lilly, P

"I don't care who wins as long as it's the Cubs!"

June 2 Game Preview: Chicago Cubs VS Atlanta Braves

Tuesday, June 2, 2009: Chicago Cubs @ ATL

Game Info:

Records: Cubs 25-24 (4th in NL Central), Braves 25-25 (3rd in the NL East)
Pitching Matchup: Randy Wells (0-2, 1.80 ERA) VS Kenshin Kawakami (3-6, 4.73 ERA)
First Pitch: 6:05 PM CT
Stadium: Turner Field in Atlanta
TV: WGN 9

Series Info:

This Series: Game 1 of 3
Season Series: Game 1 of 6
All-Time Series (since 1900): Cubs 1021, Braves 843

Kawakami VS Cubs Hitters:
Rookie, has not faced Cubs.

Wells VS Braves Hitters:
Never faced Braves.

Weather:
Current Temp.- 89 degrees!
Chance of Rain- 0%

Latest Cubs Info:

• Alfonso Soriano and Kosuke Fukudome are leading the team in fan all star voting.
• Ted Lilly, Ryan Dempster, and trainer Mark O'Neal hosted 60 kids at Wrigley on Sunday, part of the PLAY campaign to talk about the importance of a healthy lifestyle.
• Steve Rosenbloom of the Chicago Tribune thinks that Jim Hendry picked the wrong guy when they signed Milton Bradley last winter.
• The Cubs are starting to shop for a power bat and a top of the rotation pitcher according to Hot Stove Cubbies.
• The off day yesterday came at the right time for Cubs pitchers.
• Alfonso Soriano wants to keep playing even though he has a injury to his left knee that is holding him back. We'll see if he's in there tonight.
• Will Reed Johnson start tonight? Lou said, "Reed Johnson has been playing well, we'll see what to do, obviously he's made a statement."

Injury Report:

• Aramis Ramirez might have to have shoulder surgery during the off season. He's working to get his strength back and hopes he won't need surgery.
• Rich Harden will throw a side session today before the game. He hopes to do a simulated game over the weekend in Cincinnati.

Minor League Report:

• Iowa Cubs: @Nashville at 7pm CT. Esmailin Caridad will pitch.
• Tennessee Smokies: @Carolina at 6:15 PM CT.
• Daytona Cubs: VS Sarasota at 6:05 CT.
• Peoria Chiefs: VS Beloit at 7:00 CT

Radio Recap:

Todd Hollandsworth talked about the Cubs on Waddle and Silvy on ESPN 1000 yesterday:

• Todd said that going into the weekend series, this was a good measuring stick for the Cubs going against a similar team in the Dodgers, who are very good.
• The Dodgers get it done by stealing bases, being creative, hitting behind runners, and hitting in front of runners.
• LA is without Manny Ramirez as the Cubs are without Aramis Ramirez.
• Hollandsworth doesn't think you can take anything from this series.
• Todd has heard a lot of guys on the team saying "When we get this guy back we're going to be better." "When we get that guy back we're going to be better." The Cubs need to take responsibility and lead the team out of this slump, instead of looking for people to come back according to Silvy and Todd.
• The one thing that this team is lacking is consistency.
• He points out that "championship caliber teams weather the storm when they lose somebody."
• Do the Cubs have the pieces to do it? Todd thinks so, but he wonders when the run is going to come.
• Derrek Lee has lost some of his power since the wrist injury. Todd doesn't think Derrek is a guy who carries a team. He is suffering from inconsistency.
• The Cubs had a good matchup in there favor on Sunday coming off a big win Saturday. Hollandsworth says that Sunday's loss shows this teams "vulnerability".

Bruce Levine also joined Waddle and Silvy yesterday:

• The problem with the Cubs is run production.
• Lee and Bradley don't have that power stroke any more. Where is the run production going to come from?
• Bruce says that guys like Bobby Scales and Jake Fox are not the answers to this team winning the division.
• Geovany Soto needs to produce.
• People in LA are asking the same questions about Martin as the Cubs are about Soto.
• Jim Hendry can make trades all day long, but he cannot add money.
• Nobody knows at this point when the sale is going to be done. Now we are not even sure the Rickets Family are going to be the buyers of the team.
• Levine agrees with Tom and Mark that Soriano could take a few games off with his struggling knee and Kosuke and Johnson have been hitting well.
• Lou hesitates to sit Alfonso down because he needs run production.

Cubbie Birthdays:

Lee Gregory (71)

Steve Rain (34)

This Date in Cubs History:

2003- The Cubs edge the Devil Ray‚ 3-2‚ but the headline news is Sammy. Sosa is ejected from the game in the 1st inning after apparently driving in a run with a broken-bat ground out. Inspection of the bat reveals it to have cork inside and the run is disallowed.

2001- The red-hot Cubs push their winning streak to 12 games‚ beating Milwaukee‚ 10-4. Matt Stairs hits a 3-run homer‚ while Sosa and Rondell White add 2-run shots‚ all off Paul Rigdon. Frank Tapani is the winning pitcher. The streak is the longest by the Cubbies since they won 15 in 1936. The streak ends tomorrow.

2000- The Cubs defeat the Tigers‚ 2-0‚ as Rick Aguilera picks up the 300th save of his career.

1961- The Cubs Ernie Banks ties a ML record with 3 run-scoring sacrifice flies in one game. Chicago beats the Reds 7-6.

Cubs Starting Lineup:

• 1. Soriano, LF
• 2. Theriot, SS
• 3. Kosuke, CF
• 4. Lee, 1B
• 5. Bradley, RF
• 6. Fontenot, 3B
• 7. Soto, C
• 8. Blanco, 2B
• 9. Wells, P

"I don't care who wins... as long as it's the Cubs!"

June 1 Off Day Notes: Minor Leagues, Former Cubs, and More!

Let's start with our full minor league report.

The Iowa Cubs are 26-26, 3rd in the PCL North. Here are the pitchers stats:

• Mitch Atkins: 2-7, 8.38 ERA
• Esmalin Caridad: 3-5, 4.56 ERA
• J.R. Mathes: 7-3, 2.89 ERA
• Jeff Samardzija: 2-1, 4.04 ERA
• Kevin Hart: 0-3, 3.93 ERA
• Greg Reinhard: 1-1, 3.73 ERA
• Jeff Stevens: 0-2, 1.80 ERA
• Vince Perkins: 4-0, 3.13 ERA
• Jesse Estrada: 1-1, 10.50 ERA
• Jayson Ruhlman: 0-0, 8.03 ERA
• Chad Fox: 1-0, 1.59 ERA
• Justin Berg: 1-1, 4.66 ERA
• Blake Parker: 0-0, 1.04 ERA
• Neal Cotts: 2.1 IP, 1 ER

And the Hitters:

• Chris Robinson: .384 AVG, 25 RBIs
• Brad Snyder: .319 AVG, 12 HR, 35 RBIs
• Luis Rivas: .281 AVG, 1 HR, 3 RBI
• Doug Deeds: .273 AVG, 3 HR, 14 RBI
• Matt Camp:.267 AVG, 2 HR, 16 RBI
• So Taguchi: .250 AVG, 4 RBI
• Sam Fuld: .249 AVG, 11 RBI
• David Macias: .240 AVG
• Kyle Reynolds: .233 AVG, 2 RBI
• Nate Spears: .209 AVG, 12 RBI
• John-Ford Griffin:.194 AVG, 6 RBI
• Steve Clevenger: .182 AVG, 2 RBI
• Matt Matulia: .162 AVG, 1 HR, 2 RBI
• Mark Johnson: .156 AVG, 3 RBI

The AA Tennessee Smokies are 21-30, 4th in SOU, 9 games back.

The pitchers stats:

• Jay Jackson: 3-3, 3.35 ERA
• Casey Coleman: 4-2, 3.31 ERA
• Casey Lambert: 3-3, 3.28 ERA
• Hung-Wen Chen: 2-4, 4.87 ERA
• James Russell: 2-3, 5.11 ERA
• Alex Maestri: 1-1, 2.81 ERA
• Marcos Mateo: 1-3, 5.40 ERA
• Jeremy Papelbon: 0-3, 4.50 ERA
• Brian Schitter: 0-3, 5.40 ERA
• John Gaub: 2-1, 3.50 ERA
• Todd Blackford: 1-1, 7.88 ERA
• Blake Parker: 1.46 ERA
• David Cales: 10.50 ERA
• Vince Perkins: 1-0, 0 ER allowed in 11.1 IP

The Hitters:

• Steve Clevenger: .364 AVG, 1 HR, 10 RBI
• Blake Lalli: .350 AVG, 2 HR, 15 RBI
• Darwin Barney: .325 AVG, 1 HR, 17 RBI
• Matt Camp: .298 AVG, 5 RBI
• Marquez Smith: .288 AVG, 3 HR, 14 RBI
• Tony Thomas: .283 AVG, 8 HR, 19 RBI
• Ty Wright: .272 AVG, 2 HR, 20 RBI
• Russ Canzler: .263 AVG, 2 HR, 11 RBI
• James Adduci: .261 AVG, 1 HR, 17 RBI
• Welington Castillo: .210 AVG, 5 HR, 12 RBI
• Brandon Guyer: .185 AVG, 1 HR, 11 RBI
• Jonathan Mota: .175 AVG, 7 RBI
• Kyle Reynolds: .148 AVG, 1 HR, 3 RBI

On our off day next week, I'll update the Class A teams, Daytona and Peoria.

Former Cubs Updates:

• Mark DeRosa (CLE): .266 AVG, 8 HR, 33 RBI
• Kerry Wood (CLE): 2-2, 6.00 ERA, 8 SV
• Felix Pie (BAL): .195 AVG, 2 HR, 4 RBI
• Rich Hill (BAL): 1-0, 6.14 ERA, 14.2 IP
• Ronny Cedeno (SEA): .173 AVG, 2 HR, 5 RBI
• Jason Marquis (COL): 7-3, 3.93 ERA, 68.2 IP
• Henry Blanco (SD): .172 AVG, 3 HR, 6 RBI
• Bobby Howry (SF): 0-2, 3.79 ERA
• Michael Wuertz (OAK): 2-1, 2.59 ERA
• Chad Gaudin (SD): 2-3, 4.76 ERA
• Luis Vizcaino (CLE): 1-2, 2.84 ERA

NL Central Standings:

• 1. Milwaukee: 30-20
• 2. St. Louis: 1 GB
• 3. Cin: 3.5 GB
• 4. Cubs: 4.5 GB
• 5. PIT: 8 GB
• 6. HOU: 9 GB

Cubbie Birthdays:

Randy Hundley (67)

Carlos Zambrano (28)

Happy Birthday Big Z!

This Date in Cubs History:

2003- The U.S. House votes 372-0 to congratulate the Chicago Cubs Sammy Sosa on his 500th home run and praise him as a role model. There will be a ceremony on the 5th is to present him with a copy of the House resolution.

2001- The Cubs sign Korean high school P Jae Kuk Ryu. He turned 18 two days ago.

You can email me anytime it's cubsblogmailbag@aol.com.

Cubs and Braves, Game 1 of 3 tomorrow at 6:05 CT in Atlanta.

Don't forget to read my Cubs First 2 months Recaps (click link or scroll down on blog)

Also, vote on our poll on the right sidebar!

I'll keep you posted!

April and May in Review

Well, we've played 2 month of baseball. There are only 4 months left in the regular season. In April and May you hear people say, "Oh, it's early." Once the calendar flips to June it's no longer early. It's time for the Cubs to start taking care of business.

The Cubs are 25-24, 4.5 games off the pace in the NL Central. A year ago, the Cubs were never more than 2.5 games out of first, and that was on May 7. Let's take a look at where the Cubs were after the first 2 months in recent years:

2008: 35-21
2007: 22-29
2006: 20-32
2005: 26-24

So the Cubs have put themselves in a position where they really need a strong month of June. Here are some of the Cubs stats and splits for the first 2 months:

Days in first: 5, 10 counting all days of season including off days
Farthest Behind: 5 games, May 25
Most Games Over .500: 7, May 16
Most Games Under .500: 1, May 25
Longest Winning Streak: 5, May 10-16
Longest Losing Streak: 8, May 17-25
Most Run Allowed: 12 (May 9)
Most Runs Scored: 11 (Apr. 8, 28, and May 14)
Times Shutout by Opponent: 4
Times Opponent Shutout: 2

Home: 16-10
Road: 9-14
April: 10-11
May: 15-13
9-inning games: 22-22
Extra Innings: 1-2
Shortened: 2-0
One-Run Games: 4-7
Blowouts(5+ runs): 8-8
Most Wins Against: Houston (5)
Most Losses to: STL (6)

My Awards:
April MVP- Kosuke Fukudome hit .338 with 4 HR and 15 RBIs.
May MVP- Ryan Theriot hit .273 with 5 HRs and 15 RBIs.
April Pitcher of the Month- Rich Harden was 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA.
May Pitcher of the Month- Randy Wells had a 1.80 ERA in 4 starts.
April Defensive Play of the Month- Reed Johnson (Click to see)
May Defensive Play of the Month- Ryan Freel (Second One)

Cubs Team Ranks in Hitting Categories (Going into play on May 30):
Runs: 209 (12th in NL, 22nd in MLB)
Hits: 389 (14th in NL, 27th in MLB)
HR: 53 (4th in NL, 11th in MLB)
TB: 627 (13th in NL, 24th in MLB)
RBI: 198 (11th in NL, 21st in MLB)
BA: .249 (11th in NL, 24th in MLB)
OBP: .328 (12th in NL, 21st in MLB)

Cubs Team Ranks in Pitching Categories (As of today):

ERA: 4.28 (9th in NL, 12th In MLB)
SHO: 2 (T-10th in NL, T-17th in MLB)
SV: 11 (10th in NL, T-17th in MLB)
Hits allowed: 391 (Fewest in NL!, Fewest in MLB!!)
Runs Allowed: 213 (6th fewest in NL, 7th fewest in MLB)
HR Allowed: 54 (5th most in NL, 12th most in MLB)
BB Allowed: 190 (7th most in NL, 10th most in MLB)
SO: 394 (2nd most in NL, 2nd most in MLB)

Cubs Team Leaders:
Batting Average- Kosuke (.309, 20th best in NL)
HR- Soriano (12, 8th in NL)
RBIs- Soriano (25, 39th in NL)
Runs- Soriano (36, 6th in NL)
Hits- Theriot (53, 20th in NL)
SB- Theriot (7, 17th in NL)
2B- Soriano (11, 28th in NL)
3B- Theriot (2, 12th in NL)
SLG- Kosuke (.507, 23rd in NL)

Injuries in First 2 months:

• Derrek Lee (neck)
• Alfonso Soriano (knee)
• Ryan Dempster (blisters)
• Rich Harden (back)
• Milton Bradley (groin)
• Geovany Soto (shoulder)
• Carlos Zambrano (hamstring)
• Chad Fox (arm)
• Ryan Freel (hamstring)
• Aaron Miles (shoulder)
• Aramis Ramirez (Shoulder)

Suspensions:

• Zambrano (6 games)
• Bradley (1 game)

Transactions:

• Luis Vizcaino DFA'd later signed with CLE. (4/23)
• Jeff Samardzija recalled from AAA (4/23)
• Bobby Scales called up from AAA (5/4)
• Chad Fox called up from AAA, Samardzija optioned down (5/6)
• Joey Gathright outrighted to AAA, then traded to Baltimore from Ryan Freel. Randy Wells recalled from AAA Iowa (5/8)
• Jose Ascaino recalled from AAA (5/10)
• Andres Blanco, Jason Waddell, and Jake Fox called up from AAA. Neal Cotts and Bobby Scales sent to AAA. (5/27)
• Bobby Scales recalled from AAA (5/28)

Team Strengths:

• Young Players
• Starting Rotation
• Late Relief

Team Weaknesses:

• Middle Relief
• Injuries
• Bottom of the Order

Let's hope the Cubs improve on those weaknesses as we head into the month of June! From now on, I will be doing a month recap like this at the end of each month.

Off day notes later!