When you've got the top-tier talent the Cubs have in the pitching rotation, do you think they compete with one another from day to day? In a completely good-natured sort of way, of course. I can imagine the jibes Wood took after his first start in 2 months:

Prior: "6 innings, 1 run...why did you give up a run?"

Zambrano: "Aww, 6 innings. You're so cute with your short appearances."

Maddux: "Didn't get the win again today, Woody. You know, I've got 17 seasons in a row with 15 wins or more."

That last one might be a bit underhanded, but I have to think that they get after each other when, you know, they're finally all healthy. Which is what they are right now, and the Cubs have a modest 4 game winning streak because of it. The four starters combined with a great bullpen and 3 appearances by Ryan Dempster to limit opponents to 4 runs in 4 games, taking the pressure away from the offense for just a little while.

Not that I'm happy with the amount of runs the Cubs have scored lately, but not every game can be a blowout. The Cubs are rolling as Maddux takes the mound today, and if the bats scrape enough offense together for him, they can make it 5 in a row. Let's go Cubs!

- posted by Mike J. @ 9:22 AM
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After days of getting shelled by the opposition, the Cubs are finding that they in fact can prevent runs from scoring. Two 2-0 victories in a row--the products of Mark Prior and Carlos Zambrano-- have got me feeling pretty good about the Cub pitching staff again, but last night Zambrano relied heavily on his defense to escape an 8th inning jam. The 8th is worth a closer look, so let's go through it play-by-play:

1. Zambrano takes the mound, having thrown 98 pitches through 7 innings and still looking sharp. He promptly walks Geoff Jenkins on 6 pitches.
   
2. Damian Miller comes to the plate and Zambrano gets 2 called strikes immediately before Miller shortens up and fouls off a pair. Miller takes a ball and then knocks a single to right field.
   
3. Trent Durrington, also known as a terrible pinch hitter, gets his 2nd AB of the year and tries to sacrifice bunt Jenkins and Miller over. Instead, he bunts just a little too hard towards Derrek Lee, who charges, scoops, and throws to third to get Jenkins by a mile. I didn't think Jenkins was that slow; maybe he just got a bad jump. Either way, 1 out and 2 men on.
4. Brady Clark picks up his bat and steps into the box, unaware that he's about to be on the wrong end of the best defensive play of the night. After fouling off the first 2 pitches, he hits a blooper toward right center.
   
   That this play was not the top Web Gem on Baseball Tonight last night is a crime against fielders. Corey Patterson screams through the outfield on a line to the quickly descending ball, extends his glove and his body, robbing Clark of a hit just before slamming into the ground and sliding a good 5 feet. He's not done yet, either: he pops to his feet, sets himself, and fires to second to double off Miller to end the inning. There was an inning left to play, but the game ended here.

If Corey Patterson is diving for balls, you know he's ranging more than many center-fielders in the league can. This type of play reminds you of the potential of Patterson: if he could just keep his head straight when he's up to bat, he'd be an All-Star in no time.

As it is, he's not there yet. As soon as he trotted off the field, he came back on to lead off the bottom of the 8th and struck out on 3 pitches. That's OK, though: he earned a free pass just a few minutes before.

- posted by Mike J. @ 9:17 AM
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There was no game yesterday to talk about today, so why not look down the path a bit and see what's in store for the Cubs?

• Upcoming opponents. The Cubs play 13 more games before the All-Star Break, against the following teams in the following order: Milwaukee, Washington, Atlanta, and Florida. The Brewers currently have a losing record at 35-40, but the other three teams are 1-2-3 in the NL East and could provide some stiff competition. Like I've pointed out before, Washington has allowed more runs than they've scored and Nats find themselves being challenged by the Braves in the standings, who are only 2.5 back. Florida, who is 2-1 against the Cubs this season, will be especially tough if the Cubs face Dontrelle Willis one of those games.
  
  None of the teams coming up are unbeatable, but I'm a little happier going into this stretch knowing that Prior and Wood will being starting every 5 games. Oh yeah, there's also that Zambrano guy and Greg Maddux who will pitch every so often, too. I love this rotation.
  
  
• The All-Star Game. There are plenty of theories out there on who you should vote for based on past performance and performance in the first half, but what it should come down to, if you're a Cub fan, is vote for Lee and Ramirez. Mostly because they're great players, but a little bit because I'd love to see them get the start over Albert Pujols and Scott Rolen. Those two would be fine choices, but they would still be jerks.
  
  So go vote.
  
  
• The trade deadline. I don't know who Jim Hendry will find, but given his track record, I'm optimistic something will get done if the Cubs end up being buyers. If you feel like speculatin', you can find all your ridiculous rumors and holes to fill for the MLB here. I'm sure I'll be checking it on a regular basis.
  
  
• The Baseball World Classic. This is very much down the road for some Cub players, but it keeps popping up as a sticky issue for almost everyone involved. Not only is it bad timing for the MLB, it's not exactly great timing for Japan, either. In the article, former big-league manager Bobby Valentine said: I

  'm all in favor of doing anything to help promote baseball internationally, but this idea is misguided. As a manager, there is no way I'd want one of my players to take part in a tournament like this before the start of the season.

  I still think the tournament will happen, but will anyone noteworthy play? I'd love to see Mark Prior pitch for the United States, but if he somehow gets injured again, I'll be first in line to raise hell about it.
  
  
• The near future. As in today. OK, back to the present. Carlos Zambrano is pitching against Doug Davis at Wrigley tonight and I'm hoping that Big Z doesn't extend his streak of poor outings. If they jump on Davis early, I like their chances better than having to come back and win, but that's more of a hunch than anything. I don't care how they do it, I just want them to win.
  

- posted by Mike J. @ 9:42 AM
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On May 27th my attitude toward the Cubs' hopes for the playoffs were markedly different than they are now. A line drive had just ricocheted off of Mark Prior's arm with such force that Aramis Ramirez caught it without moving more than few steps from third, and the Franchise writhed in pain just in front of the mound.

The subsequent days revealed that the injury wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been, and the following weeks showed that inexplicably, it wasn't that bad at all. Prior had no timetable for return until he started playing catch, which turned into simulated games that had more favorable results than anyone would have guessed. The line drive that stopped the collective heart of Cub Nation was vanishing from memory and on June 26th, Prior made his return to the majors.

I had my concerns that Prior's arm would detach at the elbow and travel to home plate along with the ball, or that he simply would not be as sharp as he was before the DL, but everything actually worked out. Instead of more anxiety, Prior delivered six scoreless innings, a reasonable 71 pitches, and a victory over the South Siders/best team in the majors to split the season series at 3-3.

While I wonder if ignoring the Cubs, if only for a brief moment, made them suck me back in, I'll ignore superstition for now and bask in this series win. There's also a few other items to address on this off day:

• The bullpen: Prior and Wood's return to the starting rotation equals Glendon Rusch and Sergio Mitre's return to the bullpen. Jerome Williams did pitch 2 innings in relief on Sunday, which might mean he'll go instead of Rusch or Mitre, but Williams was scheduled to start Sunday and he won't get his chance to start until Saturday.
  
  Who gets sent down then? I'd like to see Joe Borowski out of the bullpen for now because, well, he just hasn't performed so far this season and there are too many other guys better than him. Michael Wuertz has been struggling lately, but I doubt his spot in the bullpen is in serious jeopardy.
  
  
• Kerry Wood: Wood is scheduled to return on Wednesday, but how long will he stay this time? Has he changed his mechanics in such a manner that injury will be avoided in the future? Probably not:

  "I'm not going to talk about my delivery and my mechanics," he said. "I went down there (Triple-A Iowa) to do what I had to do to get ready. I feel great. I'm back and I'm ready to pitch."

  Not like one can just up and change their mechanics, though: an adjustment big enough to reduce Wood's chance of injury would likely come during the offseason if it comes at all. Let's just hope he's back for the remainder of the season.
  
  
• Trade Rumors: Given the injuries the Cubs have dealt with so far, a 38-36 record is about all you can really ask for. Does that mean they'll be buyers in July, though? I would like to think so, but if you're Jim Hendry, where do you start?
  
  There's more or less two places that need fixin': the bullpen and the outfield. While a reliever might still come to the Cubs this year, I'm not sure a move will be made if Mitre and Rusch vastly improve the bullpen's performance. That leaves the outfield, where Todd Hollandsworth has taken the job back from a not-looking-so-ready-now Jason Dubois, a struggling Corey Patterson, and a stable Jeromy Burnitz. I've heard all sorts of rumors, most of which I suspect to be idle speculation, ranging from Gary Sheffield to a Moises Alou return to the newest one, Mark Kotsay.
  
  Why Sheff or Alou? I suspect that if the Cubs did make a move that didn't involve trading Patterson, they'd be looking to rent someone to make a run at the playoffs. In that case, getting an aging star is a good place to look, but not exactly something I'd advocate. It'd involve giving up prospects and a better shot at the playoffs in years to come in exchange for an improved shot this year, and I'm not sold on the Cubs' chances this year anyway.
  
  That's why the Kotsay trade raises an eyebrow. If it were to happen, the Cubs could end up keeping the 29-year-old for some time. He's doing well lately in the leadoff spot for the Athletics and is a good fielder, and on some level I'm sure the deal makes sense. Looking at his career numbers, though, I'm not convinced. His career OBP is .343, which is good but not great and has good but not great power with a .467 SLG. Both are still an improvement over Patterson's numbers, but what would the Cubs have to give up to get Kotsay? The Athletics will certainly want prospects--the good ones, too--and I don't know if it'd be worth it. If the Cubs end up being one piece away from becoming a contending team, though, it's hard to argue with making a move.

This has gone on a bit longer than I expected, so I'll stop here for now. Brewers again tomorrow, Wood Wednesday, and hopefully an extended return to winning ways is just around the corner.

- posted by Mike J. @ 9:12 AM
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Some of you have a question floating around in your heads right now. It's tickling the back of your brain, making you crave...something, but you don't quite know what (no, it's not Wendy's and their delicious Double Stack Value Meal with a Dr. Pepper. Good guess, though). "What is that which is taunting me?" you might ask aloud, to no one in particular. I hear your question, before you even know what it is, and it is this:

"What, oh what shall I read when the Cubs are playing so poorly?"

The answer does not lie in the seductress that is overanalyzation, who tempts you with siren calls such as "game-changing plays," and "poor calls." Nor does the answer dwell in the lair of brooding pessimism, where a hateful beast paces back and forth, cursing and shaking a clawed fist at the world, consumed by Corey Patterson's inability to make the slightest of contact. The hopeful will look just over the hill, expecting Mark Prior and Kerry Wood to crest on shimmering white horses, but these are not the answers you seek. False idols, I say! The truth lies in front of you, regarding your growing anxiety with a tranquil countenance.

The answer? Don't read about the Cubs, dummy. Read about other baseball teams, baseball in general, sports in general. The Cubs will be here tomorrow, the day after, and the day after that as well. So go on, take a little break. I've even got suggestions for you. Links, if you will:

• The Baseball Analysts has guest writers from time to time, and this last week saw Brian Gunn, an amazing writer that used to blog about the Cardinals, post a really good feature on how he first came around to the game of baseball. If anything can take your mind off the Cubs while still keep you thinking about baseball, this is it.
  
  
• Nothing new to some of you, I'm sure, but I always like going to Baseball Almanac and just looking at all the odd things and feats that have occurred in baseball. Better things do with your time probably exist, but come on. It's the Internet.
  
  
• Apparently a leopard's weak spot is it's tongue. Who knew?
  
  
• Did you know the NBA playoffs started around 6 months ago? OK, maybe in mid-April, but it's been going on for a long time and it's finally over. Actually, there's no link for this one: I just hate the NBA playoffs.
  
  
• I'm really getting into this whole podcasting business. If you're unfamiliar, it's more or less amateur radio shows without the radio. You can find all sorts of podcasts at PodcastAlley.com as well as a better description of what it is. One of my personal favorites is called Coverville, because any time I get to hear a Flock of Seagulls cover, my day feels a little bit brighter.
  
  
• The Gigapxl Project might just be one of the coolest things I've ever seen.
  
  
• Next to Strandbeest, that is. The video footage is absolutely mesmerizing. And no, I don't give extra points because the guy's last name is Jansen. Well, maybe a few.
  

Oh yeah, the Cubs play the White Sox tomorrow, which is kind of a big deal. It'll be an even bigger deal if the Cubs slip below .500, but I'll worry about that when/if it happens.

- posted by Mike J. @ 12:04 AM
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Carlos Zambrano has started 93 games in his career and thrown a total of 630 2/3 innings in the process. While I had to look up those numbers, I didn't need to check and see if last night's outing, an 8 ER, 1 2/3 innings start, was the worst of his career. Having pitched for only 4 years so far, I vaguely remember most of his outings, i.e. the really good ones and the really bad ones, and I know he's never had a game quite like this one.

How bad was it in comparison to other terrible games this year? Well, that's a more difficult question. I certainly don't remember every terrible start by every pitcher this season, but I do remember Tuesday, where Randy Johnson gave up 7 ER in 3 innings. That looks pretty awful, but exactly how awful in comparison? That question can be answered with the help of game scores. In case you have no idea what a game score is (don't worry, it's not important at all), it's an arbitrary scoring system that gauges how well a pitcher performs and allows comparisons like this one to be done easily. Here's the definition, yanked from ESPN's baseball stat glossary:

Start with 50 points. Add 1 point for each out recorded, (3 points per inning). Add 2 points for each inning completed after the 4th. Add 1 point for each strikeout. Subtract 2 points for each hit allowed. Subtract 4 points for each earned run allowed. Subtract 2 points for each unearned run allowed. Subtract 1 point for each walk.

You can go here to see who has the highest game scores this year, but unfortunately, not the lowest, which means I have no idea if these games were even in the top 10 worst starts this season. Anyway, Randy Johnson's game score from his Tuesday Devil Ray fiasco was a meager 17, which is pretty bad. Not as bad as Cardinal Jason Marquis' 9 against the Reds, but pretty bad nonetheless. Since it's Wednesday night as I'm writing this and Zambrano's game score is not yet calculated and online at ESPN, I'll have to do it myself, which is just fine because it illuminates the whole process. Learn by doing, my teachers would always say. Well, the non-lazy ones. Right, let's just get started:

1. Start with 50 points. Gotcha, 50 points.
2. Add 1 point for each out recorded, (3 points per inning). Let's see, 1 2/3 IP, that's 5 points. 55.
3. Add 2 points for each inning completed after the 4th. Um, not applicable, which is never a good sign. 55 it is.
4. Add 1 point for each strikeout. 2 strikeouts, so 2 more points. Total so far is 57, that's not so bad.
5. Subtract 2 points for each hit allowed. Uh oh. 7 hits and -14 points puts us at 43. We're in the red.
6. Subtract 4 points for each earned run allowed. D'oh? -32 points in one fell swoop, and there's still two steps to go. 11 points.
   
7. Subtract 2 points for each unearned run allowed. Ah ha, he didn't allow any unearned runs! The total stands at 11.
   
8. Subtract 1 point for each walk. 1 walk, -1 point. Final score is 10.

Again, you don't need a game score to see if an outing was good or bad, but it puts a little perspective on it. It was worse than Randy Johnson's game, where he managed 4 more outs than Zambrano, but not the worst even in the last few days. So chin up, Zambrano, because at least Jason Marquis sucked more than you by 1 point.

There is a little bit of good that came out of last night's game. For one, the bullpen gave up only 1 run after Zambrano made his not-so-graceful exit. It was another Joe Borowski home run, but I won't dwell on that: this is the positive paragraph. Rookie Rich "Velodrome" Hill threw 4 1/3 innings of scoreless baseball, striking out 6 with his wicked curve and walking only 2 Brewers. This gave the Cubs time to rally, and while they fell short, they managed to score 4 runs and make the final score look respectable. I'm not exactly pleased that the Brewers won 9-4, but more pleased--maybe I should say "less annoyed"--than if they had won 8-0.

I should probably be a bit more concerned that Zambrano has had 2 lousy outings in a row, or that he took a line drive off his right hand to start his downward spiral, but lately I've been hard to rile up. Besides, the Cubs won the first 2 games, the bullpen held, and Mark Prior could be back on Sunday: could be worse, right? You know, like losing 8 of the last 11 or something depressing like that.

...damn.

- posted by Mike J. @ 10:00 AM
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Baseball can be a very boring sport. Sometimes you'll get the rare game with a jaw-dropping rally, sometimes you'll see a pitcher make batters look silly with his dominance. More often than not, however, hitters ground or fly out quietly for the opposing pitcher most of the game. If you're not careful, you can nod off just as it really gets exciting.

The Cubs and Brewers game last night fell into the latter category, with all 6 runs coming off homers. The offenses flared like magnesium strips as Bill Hall hit two solo shots for the Brew Crew and Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez took advantage of two errors in the seventh. Right fielder Geoff Jenkins, who robbed Jeromy Burnitz of a home run in the first, misplayed a Todd Hollandsworth hit to set up homer #1 by Lee, and Rickie Weeks booted a Burnitz grounder to set up homer #2 by Ramirez. I almost changed the channel out of boredom and frustration in the sixth, but luckily I stuck with it and saw the important parts of the game.

This is, of course, not to say that Jerome Williams didn't do his part. As long as your team is winning, you don't care how boring the opponent's offense is, and Williams pitched a solid, if somewhat unremarkable, 7 innings, giving up the aforementioned home runs and walking 4. It's great to see this so called pitching depth of the Cubs pay off and minimize the loss of Prior and Wood, but that being said, I doubt there will be a place for Williams when the Big Two are healthy. In my mind the 5th spot is still Glendon Rusch's, and with Sergio Mitre pitching extremely well recently, Williams has a lot of ladder left to climb.

Speaking of the Big Two, Prior could actually start as soon as Sunday. Considering the knot my stomach twisted itself into while watching "the injury" over and over, I'm in shock he's ready a mere month later. Chances are he could face Jon Garland that Sunday, too, so if he's healthy it'll be a great matchup. You know, one of those non-boring games.

Baseball can be a very boring sport. Given the roller coaster ride the Cubs were on heading into this series, though, I can handle a little doldrum as long as a win comes out of it.

- posted by Mike J. @ 9:51 AM
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Baseball will baffle me until the day I die, and maybe a little longer afterwards. What's been making me pull my hair lately? Well, since you asked...

• After sweeping the Cubs, the Yankees lost to the Devil Rays at home. The team that is 6-28 on the road can beat the Yankees at least once in a series, so why can't the Cubs eke one out? Thankfully, I can keep my sanity thanks to a Cub win last night, in which the gap in runs scored and allowed was only one. Weird to say after this last week, I know.
  
  
• The White Sox are an amazing 20-8 in one-run games. This has contributed mightily to their excellent record and has them outperforming the number of wins expected (i.e. considering their runs scored and runs allowed, see the link for more details) of them. Their actual record is 47-21 and their expected wins record is 41-27. A sizeable difference, but 41-27 would still have them in good shape. How does a team perform so well in tight games consistently? Even though one could say the Sox have been getting lucky, they're undeniably playing great baseball, and that's what baffles me here: they're good and lucky at the same time.
  
  
• The Nationals are just lucky. This first-place teams is also doing well in one-run games, putting up a 17-7 record in that situation. Unlike the Sox, this bit of luck is making all the difference in the world for this team. Consider: although Washington's record is currently 41-29, their expected wins record is a shocking 34-35. Somehow, the Nationals have a great record despite being outscored 288-290 thus far. To get an idea of how lucky they've been, look at the bottom of their division at the Mets, who are currently 33-36. Their expected wins record is the exact same as the Nats at 34-35.
  
  
• The Cardinals are damn good. I'm mostly surpised that this ship has been running as smoothly as it has so far. I never figured they'd come close to their 105-57 record in 2004, but winning 100+ seems entirely reasonable. I mean hell, with this NL Central, why not? They've been letting Scott Rolen heal slowly and will likely have the same luxury with Jim Edmonds and all the pieces will be ready to go in August and September to gain momentum for the playoffs.
  

That's only the tip of the iceberg, but then again, that's just what's eating at me today. Sometimes I like it when stuff just doesn't make sense, but sometimes I hope for just a little order and sense to shine through. In the meantime, though, let's hope I'm baffled again tonight when Jerome Williams takes the mound and pitches the game of his life. It'd surprise me, but if there's one thing I do know about baseball, it's to expect just about anything.

- posted by Mike J. @ 8:54 AM
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Surprisingly, the week of graduation was a little busier than I thought, not to mention a little break now and then is always nice. I'll be updating regularly again, but it may not be early in the morning every time. Now, on to recent Cub developments...

• The Cubs are slumping something fierce. They've lost 6 of their last 7 in spectacular fashion, giving up 55 runs in those losses and watching their offense sputter, scoring only 17. Add in their 14-0 victory and they've still been outscored by 24 runs. Ugh. The Cubs are now only 1 game over .500 and are 9.5 behind the Cardinals. There's a lot of games left, but not that many. Get back in the hunt soon, Cubbies.
  
  
• Jerome Williams is starting Tuesday. Cub pitchers in general have been struggling lately, and after a great run following Prior's injury they're finally missing the Franchise. Koronka's out, Williams is in, and we'll see how one half of Pariah Hawkins' replacement performs. If I had to predict anything, I'd say something similar to Koronka's first appearance could be in the works: 5 decent innings, except it remains to be seen if the Cub offense can get back on track.
  
  
• Neifi needs your help. I have a feeling that there's been a lot of Neifi love lately, as even I have admitted that things are working out just fine with him at shortstop. Yesterday's performance, which included an error and an 0-fer at the plate, centered around being out of position on a hit and run with Giambi on first. It was more unfortunate than his fault, but it led to a rally that put the Yankees on top for good. Neifi needs your help, people: boo him and the production will return.
  
  
• Buster Olney needs to work on his figures of speech. Granted, the ESPN writer rightly recognized Cub pitcher Rich Hill's curveball as flat-out nasty, but his choice of words in his ESPN blog just made me shake my head:

  And then, late in its journey toward home plate, the pitch suddenly banks like a cyclist making the turn in a velodrome.

  I get it--cyclists take sharp curves--but isn't there anything else you could have compared it to? Like something that isn't boring as hell to watch? Because if it's anything, Hill's curveball is not boring.
  
  
• Derrek Lee is still hot. Maybe we can't even call it hot anymore: it could just be normal. While the Cub team has been struggling, Lee has been chugging along, collecting 10 hits in their last 6 losses (and 4 hits in their win). You probably know he's first in slugging (currently .698), but did you know it's an absurd 100 points hight than 2nd place? Yeah, he's that much better than every other hitter right now.
  

Maddux starts tonight against new Brewer Tomo Ohka, who threw a complete game in his first start for Milwaukee. The Cubs will see Benny Sheets this series, which makes for good baseball, but not necessarily good results, and after that are the White Sox and more Brewers. If they manage to win half of these games I'd be all right with the results, just so long as the return of Prior and Wood spark a streak of good baseball like we have yet to see this year.

- posted by Mike J. @ 10:13 AM
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Just as the Cubs game began yesterday, I typed the conclusion of my last paper of my college career, making me want to throw back my head and laugh maniacally at having finished. You know, kind of like this guy. With that in mind, it's probably easy to understand that although Sergio Mitre's dazzling performance was a great way to see the Cubs avoid the sweep, it was not the most satisfying part of my day.

As far as baseball goes, though, it's right on the top of the list. Another shutout victory for the Cubs will do that, especially when you consider the number of shutouts the Cubs have thrown this year:

April - 1. Zambrano outduels Ben Sheets in a 4-0 victory.
May - 1. Greg Maddux strikes out 10 over 6 2/3 as the Cubs defeat the Mets, 7-0.
June - 3. Rusch and Zambrano both shut down the NL West-leading San Diego Padres in 5-0 and 4-0 victories, plus Mitre's gem.

Besides Rusch's performance against the Padres, none of them have been complete games. While you've got to give Mitre all the credit in the world for outpitching Roy Halladay, save some for the boys in the bullpen, who have been amazing since Dempster became the closer.

I've got to cut it a little short today, but if you're looking for more reading material on this first off day since May 20, read about the Cubs' draft picks at The Cub Reporter. I doubt we'll see any of these guys for a few years, but I'll still let myself get excited about a few of them, especially the Cubs' #1 pick.

- posted by Mike J. @ 10:29 AM
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Tomorrow at 8pm I'll have handed in my last final paper of my college career and at 8:01pm, I'll have all the free time in the world. Until then, though, I'm a little swamped.

That's why I have to keep it short today. Instead of mulling transitions from paragraph to paragraph, I'll stick with good old bullet points, especially since my thoughts are all over the place today.

• Missed most of the game again last night, but it didn't result in a victory this time around. A 4-1 loss to the Blue Jays with John Koronka pitching didn't really surprise me; rather, it was the offense suddenly going cold that raised an eyebrow. At least the bullpen was great again, providing some consolation. They'll get 'em back tonight, don't you worry.
  
• Breaking your collarbone while tripping on the stairs carrying groceries is embarassing enough for any major league baseball player, which is what Clint Barmes did. He's out for three months and his rookie of the year campaign is out the window. What can make it worse? Getting absolutely burned by ESPN.com, who titled the article "Stair Mastered."
• Have insomnia? Put away your sleeping pills for the next week or so, because the San Antonio Spurs and the Detroit Pistons are meeting in the NBA Finals! The most boring basketball in history will be played during this series, and I plan on not watching a single game.
  
• Speaking of basketball, the Bulls are in danger of losing Scott Skiles as their head coach. If such a thing were to happen, I'd go and put money on a quick return to below .500 for next season.
• Back to baseball: the MLB draft is today, an event that will affect the success and failure of many franchises...in about 4 or 5 years. If you're really interested/need reading material, check out the top 200 prospect list provided by Baseball America.
  
  One could argue that the crapshoot that is the MLB draft is a reflection of the general stupidity of baseball front offices, but it's not nearly that simple. Baseball at the professional level is harder than any other pro sport out there, namely because skill can and does override sheer athleticism with regularity. It makes for a boring draft day, but if that's what has to be sacrificed for an incredibly complex and intriguing sport, I'll take it.
• The Cardinals have 3 starters with 7 wins and 1 with 8 wins. They're all fine pitchers, too, with good ERAs and WHIPs, but it serves as evidence that win-loss records for pitchers don't mean all that much. Have a bad game? That's OK, we'll have Pujols, Edmonds, and Walker go pick up the slack for you, no biggie.
  

I'll try and come back tomorrow, but I can't make any promises. Hopefully I'll be commenting on a win, though.

- posted by Mike J. @ 11:42 AM
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When the Cubs are riding the kind of hot streak that leads them to the head of the Wild Card race and whomping on a division leader, the fan side of me overpowers the side that likes to take a closer look at what's really going on in the games. When this happens, I don't like to comb the box scores or think about how one play changed the course of the game: instead, I do little dances and pump an inordinate amount of fists. What can I say? You all knew what you were getting into when you came to a weblog called "Old Style Cubs."

Anyway, because I'd rather not look back at how the Cubs won, I'm going to take a brief look at what the Toronto Blue Jays will bring to Wrigley over the next three days.

Pitchers

The Cubs will see Gustavo Chacin and Josh Towers in the first two games, a pair of pitchers that started hot but have since had little luck on the mound. Neither are overpowering pitchers, striking out around 5, 5.5 per 9 innings, and Chacin has been hurting himself with his lack of control, walking 25 compared to 37 strikeouts. Chacin will face undefeated (well, he is) John Koronka today and Towers gets Glendon Rusch, who is in need of a nickname worthy of his awesomeness.

Game 3 doesn't match so favorably for the Cubs, as the Jays send Roy Halladay to the mound against Sergio Mitre. Halladay is looking pretty good right now, having won his last 5 outings, and he looks even better next to Mitre. Mitre has a 6.88 ERA and the smattering of other unimpressive numbers that usually follow an ERA that high. This game isn't hopeless for the Cubs, but it's going to depend on the performance of the...

Batters

As a team, Toronto has the 5th most productive offense in the AL, scoring 270 runs. They've been doing it with a ho-hum looking lineup as well: their top 5 hitters by good old on-base plus slugging percentage are-

Aaron Hill          .930
Reed Johnson        .844
Frank Catalanatto   .806
Shea Hillenbrand    .798
Gregg Zaun          .785

Oddly, the man leading the Blue Jays in home runs, Vernon Wells, is not on the list due to a terrible batting average and not many walks. Watch out for the 5 guys listed above, but keep an eye on Wells too, especially if the wind is blowing out.

Despite the Cubs' recent offensive surge, they're still 8th in the NL in runs scored (254). Ramirez, Lee, and Neifi are the ones to watch, again, especially to see if Neifi can extend his 14-game hit streak. I'm curious to see how many starts Todd Hollandsworth will get this series as well: he started 3 times on the road trip, having multi-hit games twice.

Prediction

No predictions for this series: I haven't made one in a while and I'm too superstitious to do anything out of the ordinary as long as the Cubs are winning. Instead, I will simply continue to dance and fist-pump. Go Cubs!

- posted by Mike J. @ 10:28 AM
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Last night was the first game I've missed in it's entirety all season. No TV, no radio, no cell phone updates. Needless to say, I hooted with joy when I read that Glendon Rusch and the Cubs blanked the Padres 5-0.

Since I didn't see any of the game, I don't really have any comments on it. It's good to see the Cubs keep rolling and maybe some of this luck they have will carry over to tonight's game, when Sergio Mitre starts. Mitre doesn't exactly inspire confidence, but then again neither does John Koronka or Glendon Rusch facing the Padres.

Two more nights of 9pm CST baseball, then we're back to a day game before leaving the west coast. Let's go Cubbies!

- posted by Mike J. @ 11:20 AM
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Yesterday I wrote that I wouldn't be all that surprised if the Cubs managed a win, given their streak heading into last night's game. Turns out I was more than a bit surprised when they won 9-5. Surprised that:

• John Koronka pitched 5 innings and gave up only 3 runs. I wouldn't say he earned a spot in the rotation, but he did a damn good job filling in.
  
  
• Neifi Perez went yard in the 2nd inning. Despite Dodger Stadium's penchant for reducing extra-base hits, it still gives up the long ball more than average, which let Neifi get in on the fun and help give the Cubs a 4-0 lead with his 3-run shot.
  
  
• Neifi Perez looks like the captain of this ball club. Who runs out to calm down the rook after throwing 6 straight balls? That's right, Neifi. His performance this year is so baffling to me that I think you have to give Dusty credit for keeping the Neifster playing on a new level for so long. He's a head manager, right? At least he's managing this head pretty darn well.
  
  
• Derek Lowe had Farnsworthian rage in him. Lowe chucked a stool in the dugout after giving up the home run to Neifi, which caused him to start bleeding from his wrist. He was fine--it looked like they super-glued him up--but that's the sort of thing I'd expect from the guy who hates electric fans, not Lowe.
  
  
• Derrek Lee keeps surprising me. I expect heroics from Lee these days, but I didn't think he'd go 5 for 5 with a 3-run tater in the 8th to put the game away. I wondered why the Dodgers didn't respect his authoritah and walk him in the 8th, and realized that Burnitz is a pretty solid bat behind him. However, Lee is so good right now that I'd rather take my chances with the bags loaded and Burny at bat than face a man who has gone 4-4 already that night.
  
  By the way, Derrek Lee now leads the major leagues, not just the NL, in the following statistical categories: batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, home runs, runs batted in, and awesomeness.
  
  
• the Cubs have now won 6 in a row. San Diego's the best team in the NL West and is up next for the Cubs, but if they can win with Koronka, they can win with Rusch.
  

On a side note, Joe Borowski, Todd Wellemeyer, Michael Wuertz, Will Ohman, and Ryan Dempster combined for 4 innings and gave up 2 runs last night. San Francisco Giant LaTroy Hawkins pitched 1 inning and gave up 4 runs on one swing. Hawkins might get his head together soon, but I'm feeling a little better that the Cubs didn't wait for that to happen.

- posted by Mike J. @ 10:01 AM
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There were good breaks and bad breaks last night, but when the Cubs one-hit the opposing club over 10 innings, there's not much to be but happy. Even though Zambrano pitched 8 spectacular innings, I'm almost glad to see that he didn't get the win and the Cubs had to do it without him, scoring in the 10th and having Wuertz and Dempster shut things down.

Speaking of Dempster, can the closer situation be labeled as solved yet? He's saved 6 in a row after blowing a save in his first appearance, and despite getting into Hawkins-like trouble last night, he hunkered down and induced some weak grounders to end the game. One could question Dempster's value in the closer role, given that John "Some Dude" Koronka is starting today because the Cubs are short of starters, and I would tend to agree that a good starter is more valuable than a good closer. However, on a team where there's no good closer, Dempster's value as closer escalates past what it would be as a 4th or 5th starter: I don't think it's a coincidence that the Cubs' recent success has coincided with 6 consecutive converted saves.

Another late game tonight (9:10 CST), one where we'll see an MLB newbie take on Derek Lowe, the pitcher tailor-made for Dodger Stadium (at least, according to Dodgers GM Paul DePodesta). Lowe's career groundball/flyball ratio is 3.28, which matches well with a park that loves to give up the long ball and takes away almost any chance of a triple. Here are Lowe's stats at Dodger Stadium so far this year:

ERA  W  L GS CG IP   H  ER HR BB SO  BAA
2.52 4  1 5  1  35.2 31 10 2  4  26 .230

While I'd love to see the Cubs pull off another win, it wouldn't surprise me in the least to see them lose tonight. The Cubs rely on the long ball so much that Lowe will need to hang quite a few for the Cubs to get enough run support for their rookie pitcher. With a bit of luck finally coming the Cubs' way, though, a win wouldn't suprise me much either.

- posted by Mike J. @ 9:07 AM
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