We've hit the final stretch of the regular season of minor league baseball. Going into this weekend, the Iowa Cubs are still fighting for a playoff berth. The Daytona Cubs are trying to fight off elimination. The Tennessee Smokies are riding-high trying to stay smoking hot as they head into the postseason. The Peoria Chiefs are trying to finish the season above .500.

Jeff Samardzija was knocked around, the Iowa offense exploded for season highs, and September call-ups will hold off until the end of the Triple-A season. The Smokies swap catchers, AFL rosters are released, and four Cubs prospects receive post-season honors!

Plus, an updated version of the CCO's Top Prospect Watch ... All that and more in today's Down on the Farm Report.

Game One Hundred Thirty-Four - Cubs 5 Pirates 3
WP - Thomas Diamond (1-3) LP - James McDonald (2-5) Save - Carlos Marmol (25)

Q's crew did just enough on Wednesday afternoon to beat the Pirates for only the fifth time this season ... a 5-10 record against Pittsburgh is just one of the many reasons the Cubs have been below .500 all season.

The Cubs improved to 6-3 under Mike Quade and Thomas Diamond earned his first big league win after a comebacker knocked Tom Gorzelanny out of the game in the third inning. Gorzelanny was hit in the left hand on a rocket hit back up the middle by Jose Tabata. Gorzelanny appeared to put his left hand up to keep the ball from hitting him in the face. Gorzelanny left the game with two outs in the third and was taken to the hospital for X-Rays. X-Rays came back inconclusive but did show no displacement. Gorzelanny will have additional tests on Thursday after being hit for the second time this season.

Gorzelanny left with a one-run lead ... but it did not last long. Thomas Diamond served up a solo homer to Neil Walker that tied the game at one. Diamond settled down and completed 1 2/3 innings in relief of Gorzelanny and earned his first big league win. Diamond allowed two runs on two his with three strikeouts, a walk and a hit batsman.

Scott Maine and Andrew Cashner put up a pair of scoreless innings before Quade turned to the veterans. Sean Marshall was credited with an unearned run in the eighth. Starlin Castro's 22nd error of the year led to the free-run after Carlos Marmol walked Andrew McCutchen with the bases loaded.

Carlos Marmol was both light outs and infuriating once again. Marmol picked up his 25th save and struck out three in 1 1/3 innings but he also walked three ... including the first two batters he faced in the eighth.

Kosuke Fukudome hitting out of the three-hole of Mike Quade's lineup led the offense. Fukudome kept swinging his hot bat and notched a 3-for-3 afternoon with two doubles, a walk, a RBI and two runs scored. Fukudome broke up the one-one tie in the bottom of the third with a double that plated Starlin Castro.

Starlin Castro raised his batting average to .317 with a 2-for-4 performance that included a stolen base and two runs scored.

All five of the Cubs runs were scored on five different hits ... and driven in by five different players. Q's offense finished the afternoon a miserable 3-for-14 with RISP and left nine on base.

The Cubs improved to 57-77 on the year with Wednesday's win and series victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates ...

Game One Hundred Thirty-Four: Cubs (56-77) vs. Pirates (44-88)
Game Time - 1:20pm CDT
Coverage - WGN TV - Radio: 720 WGN, XM Radio Channel 184
Location - Wrigley Field, Chicago

Tom Gorzelanny (7-8, 3.98/1.46) vs. James McDonald (2-4, 5.65/1.47)

Weather permitting ... The Cubs will begin the final full month of the baseball calendar with the series and season finale against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Battlin' Bucs have owned the Cubs this year to the tune of a 4-10 record. Surely Q's crew will not allow the Mighty Pirates to beat them for the 11th time this season ...

Marlon Byrd was limping at the end of Tuesday night's game and Mike Quade said Byrd would receive today off. Byrd is expected back in the lineup for the opener against the Mets on Friday.

In Other News
According to a report from Cubs.com, the Cubs will add six or seven players from the minors once Iowa's season is over. Welington Castillo is in Chicago just in case the Cubs need to put Geovany Soto on the DL. Castillo can be activated on Thursday.

Justin Berg, Jeff Stevens, Mitch Atkins, Jeff Samardzija, Sam Fuld and Brad Snyder are among the players expected to be called up. In order to call-up Brad Snyder, the Cubs will have to create a spot on their 40-man roster.

Starlin Castro will likely play in the Dominican Winter League for former Cub, Moises Alou.

Carlos Silva will suit up for the Peoria Chiefs once again tonight. Silva is expected to throw around 70 pitches in Kane County and if all goes well will rejoin the Cubs' rotation at some point next week.

Harry Carry's statue will be rededicated before this afternoon's game. Tom Ricketts and Dutchie Caray will be on hand. Caray's statue was moved to the corner of Waveland and Sheffield last week. Dutchie Caray will throw out the first pitch this afternoon as well.

The Cubs will unveil Billy Williams' statue on September 7. Williams' statue will be placed in the spot once occupied by Harry's statue.

Today it all begins with Tom Gorzelanny ...

Game One Hundred Thirty-Three - Cubs 7 Pirates 14
WP - Jeff Karstens (3-10) LP - Ryan Dempster (12-9) Save - None

Ryan Dempster simply did not have it Tuesday night ... and the worst road team in all of baseball pounded the Cubs once again. Dempster labored through the first two innings on a hot night at Wrigley. He allowed five runs on 51 pitches before six outs were recorded.

Dempster could not find a rhythm but it was his mistake that opened the floodgates. Dempster bobbled a tailor made double play ball off the bat of Garrett Jones that would have gotten him out of the first inning. But instead, Dempster was only able to get one ... and before he could record the third out, the Mighty Pirates took a commanding 4-0 lead.

Ryan Dempster had allowed only five earned runs in his last five starts combined ... and he allowed that many in just two innings Tuesday night. Dempster left after three innings, his shortest outing of the season, and seven earned runs ... a new season low. Dempster's line: seven runs on seven hits with three walks, four strikeouts and a hit batsman on 70 pitches, 43 for strikes.

Dempster came into Tuesday in search of career win 100 but instead he picked up his ninth loss of the season.

While Dempster was struggling with his command and finding a rhythm, the Cubs' pathetic offense was busy making Jeff Karstens look like a Cy Young candidate. Karstens retired the Cubs on just 10 pitches in the first inning ... and sat down six of the first seven batters he faced. The Cubs managed only two singles in the first four innings.

Jeff Karstens picked up his first road win of the season ... and just his third win of the year. The last time Karstens won a game, before Tuesday, was back on June 19. The Cubs quit once again Tuesday night. Karstens allowed two runs on four hits without a walk, again without a walk, and six strikeouts in six dominating innings.

The Cubs young pen provided the Mighty Pirates additional batting practice in relief of Ryan Dempster. Marcos Mateo was not good but Mike Quade said he's working on stuff with Larry Rothschild. Mateo gave up four runs on four hits, two long homers, without a walk and five strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings. An error by Starlin Castro gave the Pirates a fourth out in the seventh, and ran up the Cubs' unearned run total. James Russell could not pitch around Castro's mistake and allowed three more runs on three hits.

Sean Marshall and Carlos Marmol actually kept the Mighty Pirates off the board in the eighth and ninth.

The Cubs' lone highlight prior to the eighth inning was a two-run homer by Koyie Hill in the fifth. Hill's dinger was his first of the year ... the last time Hill hit a homer was May 29, 2009.

The Cubs scored five of their seven runs in the eighth off of Sean Gallagher and Chan Ho Park. Micah Hoffpauir doubled in a run. Starlin Castro singled in and scored a run ... and Darwin Barney singled and scored in the eighth as well.

Starlin Castro raised his average to .315 with a 2-for-4 night at the plate. Castro drove in the Cubs' fourth run in the eighth ... his 40th RBI of the year.

The Pirates ended their 14-game road losing streak Tuesday night and improved to 5-3 at Wrigley this season ... the Pirates last win outside of PNC Park came on July 28 at Coors Field. The Mighty Pirates continued their domination of the Cubs in Twenty-Ten and improved to 10-4 versus Chicago this season.

The Cubs finished August with a 10-19 record and with the latest embarrassment, slipped back to 21 under the mediocre mark on the year (56-77) ...

Game One Hundred Thirty-Three: Cubs (56-76) vs. Pirates (43-88)
Game Time - 7:05pm CDT
Coverage - Comcast SportsNet Plus - Radio: 720 WGN, XM Radio Channel 186
Location - Wrigley Field, Chicago

Ryan Dempster (12-8, 3.42/1.25) vs. Jeff Karstens (2-10, 4.98/1.44)

What a long month for the Chicago Cubs. Not only did the team struggle to a 10-18 record with one game remaining, but also they made countless changes in personnel.

Since July 31 ... Ted Lilly, Ryan Theriot, Mike Fontenot and Derrek Lee were traded. Lou Piniella stepped down, Mike Quade took over and Jim Hendry began his search for the next Cubs' skipper ... and that is not counting all of the big league debuts or the rest of the seemingly daily drama.

The Cubs have shown a little improvement under Mike Quade. Many of the players say they are more relaxed. Whether they are referring to being without Piniella or the fact that a team 20 games under .500 has little pressure is unknown.

The Cubs have not had a winning month all year and it would be good to see them finish the lost season out on a positive note. Several minor league players are expected to join the team once rosters expand on Wednesday. Jim Hendry mentioned a couple of players would be called up as early as September 1 while the remainder will come up after the post-season is over in the minors.

Geovany Soto woke up Monday with a sore knee and reported to the park with a limp. The Cubs sent him for a MRI, which came back negative. Soto's knee is structurally sound but there is some minor swelling. Soto is listed as day-to-day..

It all starts with Ryan Dempster ...

April is seven months and one day away. That is approximately 210 short days until the 2011 baseball season starts.

See, a bad baseball season can put a fan in a rut just like a bad job in the office, a bad relationship, a tough friendship, etc. Being in a rut has many causes, and it has many symptoms. One of these is thinking you know exactly what is going to happen. But the problem is that no one knows what is going to happen. Not even Miss Cleo.

Game One Hundred Thirty-Two - Cubs 14 Pirates 2
WP - Carlos Zambrano (6-6) LP - Paul Maholm (7-13) Save - None

On Andre Dawson Night in front of the smallest crowd at Wrigley since 2006, the Cubs took out a little early season frustration against the Pirates. The Cubs entered play Monday night 3-9 against the Mighty Pirates and only 2-4 at Wrigley Field ... but on the penultimate night in August, Q's crew beat the Pirates like they should have all season.

Mike Quade won his first game at Wrigley behind an offensive explosion and a decent outing by Carlos Zambrano. But it was a throw by Tyler Colvin in the top of the fourth that changed the game.

The Cubs were up 2-0 and missed a couple of opportunities against Paul Maholm. Garrett Jones lined Carlos Zambrano's first pitch of the inning off the vines in right. Tyler Colvin played the carom perfectly and threw a one-hop strike to Starlin Castro at second. Jones never had a chance ... a fitting play by a Cubs' right fielder on the night the Hawk was being honored.

Once Zambrano got out of the fourth, the offense turned it on against Paul Maholm and Sean Gallagher.

The Cubs scored seven runs in the fourth inning, the first time a Cubs team had scored seven or more runs in a single inning since September 9, 2009 ... against the Pirates.

Jeff Baker had a two-run double. Marlon Byrd added a RBI double on his 33rd birthday and Aramis Ramirez drove in a pair with a single. The Cubs batted around in the fourth, sent 11 to the plate and chased Paul Maholm from the game. The Cubs ended up beating Maholm for only the second time (7-2) in his career.

Carlos Zambrano hit his first homer of the season, a two-run shot that was the highlight of the Cubs' four-run fifth inning.

The Cubs pounded out 18 hits and scored 14 runs with just one ball leaving the park ... the homer by Zambrano in the fifth. Of the Cubs other 17 hits, nine were doubles. Starlin Castro (2), Alfonso Soriano, Jeff Baker, Marlon Byrd, Aramis Ramirez, Xavier Nady, Micah Hoffpauir and Darwin Barney. The first time since July of 2003 the Cubs totaled nine doubles in a single game. ... six of the Cubs first 11 hits went for two bases.

The top of the Cubs lineup (Baker, Byrd and Ramirez) drove in eight of the Cubs 14 runs.

Starlin Castro had a big night at the plate ... and is now qualified for the NL batting title. Castro came into Monday's game four plate appearances short of qualifying and he finished the game 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and three runs scored. The Cubs 20-year old shortstop ran his average up to .313.

Carlos Zambrano picked up his sixth win of the year with a decent outing. Zambrano allowed one unearned run on three hits in 5 1/3 innings. Zambrano struck out seven but walked four on 112 pitches, 63 for strikes.

Thomas Diamond was impressive out of the pen. Diamond struck out three of the five batters he faced on 31 pitches.

The Cubs handed the Pirates their 14th straight road loss. With the win, the Cubs improved to 5-2 under Mike Quade ... 56-76 in the lost season, still 20 games under .500.

Game One Hundred Thirty-Two: Cubs (55-76) vs. Pirates (43-87)
Game Time - 7:05pm CDT
Coverage - Comcast SportsNet - Radio: 720 WGN, XM Radio Channel 186
Location - Wrigley Field, Chicago

Carlos Zambrano (5-6, 4.64/1.68) vs. Paul Maholm (7-12, 4.82/1.55)

Mike Quade will manage his first game at Wrigley tonight as the skipper of the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs open a nine-game, 10-day homestand with the first of three against the Pirates.

After posting a 4-2 record over the first four games under Quade, the Cubs will try to beat the Mighty Pittsburgh Pirates tonight. The Pirates have owned the Cubs this season to the tune of a 9-3 record. The Pirates enter play with a 43-87 mark on the year, take away their dominance over the Cubs, and the Bucs are just 34-84 against the rest of the league ... 40 games under .500.

The Cubs will honor Andre Dawson in pre-game ceremonies. There was talk the Cubs might retire the Hawk's number, but when he was enshrined as a Montreal Expo, those rumors went away.

Tonight it all starts with Carlos Zambrano ...

The 2010 Arizona Fall League schedule has been released. The Iowa Cubs are battling the Memphis Grizzlies for the PCL American North crown. The Daytona pitching staff is brilliant but the bats go cold at the wrong time. Tennessee's Bill Dancy earns managerial win number 1,600. The Smokies clinch the second half division title. Walk-off hits are the big story as several Cub affiliates pull out late inning wins.

All that and more in today's Down on the Farm Report!

Game One Hundred Thirty-One - Cubs 5 Reds 7
WP - Logan Ondrusek (4-0) LP - Sean Marshall (6-5) Save - Francisco Cordero (35)

The Chicago Cubs gave another game away Sunday afternoon. From physical errors to mental mistakes to horrible fundamentals, the Cubs showed once again how bad a baseball team they actually are this season. The Cubs committed two more errors and ran their Major League worst unearned run total to 84. The Cubs have been credited with 106 errors, worst in the bigs. But those that have watched the games realize the Cubs defense is actually worse than it's been given credit.

The Cubs had plenty of chances early on and while the Reds capitalized on their opportunities, the Cubs could not get the job done. Jim Hendry's poorly constructed roster finished the season series against the Reds with a 4-12 record.

The Cubs battled back and tied the game in the eighth on a two-run homer by Kosuke Fukudome ... a rarity this season, just his second longball off a lefty. Fukudome set a Major League high in homers with his 12th of the year on Sunday but it was his throwing error that allowed the Reds to take the lead in the bottom of the eighth.

Kosuke Fukudome tried to throw out the speedy Chris Heisey as he went from first to third on a single by Ramon Hernandez. Fukudome's throw ended up in the Cubs' dugout and the Reds took a 6-5 lead. Aramis Ramirez could not handle a grounder off the bat of Jonny Gomes that plated pinch runner Brandon Phillips with the Reds' seventh run.

While the Cubs' defense, or lack thereof, ended up being the story once again. It was the offense that failed to produce with runners on base early in the game.

The Cubs let Travis Wood off the hook in the first and set the tone for the afternoon. Q's crew loaded the bases with one out but Xavier Nady struck out and Alfonso Soriano flied out to the track in left center on a 3-2 pitch. Nady and Soriano combined on a 3-for-9 afternoon with a run scored and a RBI ... but they left seven on base.

Six of the first 11 Cubs reached on five hits and a walk but managed only one run against Travis Wood. The Cubs were 2-for-5 with RISP and left seven on base in the first four innings. The Cubs put the leadoff man on in four of the first five innings and recorded their 10th hit before there were two outs in the fifth.

Alfonso Soriano and Geovany Soto tied the game in the fifth with a double and a fielder's choice ... but they should have scored more off of Travis Wood.

The Cubs' offense finished the game 5-for-12 with RISP and left seven on base. Every position player in Mike Quade's lineup reached base.

Drew Stubbs and Chris Heisey were the difference for the Reds. Stubbs continued swinging a hot bat against Cubs' pitching. Stubbs was 3-for-5 with a double, two stolen bases and three runs scored while Heisey finished the game 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored ... Heisey ended up scoring the game winner in the eighth on Fukudome's throwing error.

Casey Coleman made his third big league start with mixed results. Coleman did not miss many bats but completed six innings of work. Coleman allowed four runs on eight hits without a walk and two strikeouts. The Reds scored single runs in the first three innings.

The Cubs finished the road trip with a 4-2 record, and could have easily won five of the six. With the loss, the Cubs slipped back to 21 games under .500 with a 55-76 mark in Twenty-Ten ...

Game One Hundred Thirty-One: Cubs (55-75) vs. Reds (74-55)
Game Time - 12:10pm CDT
Coverage - WGN TV - Radio: 720 WGN, XM Radio Channel 187
Location - Great American Ballpark, Cincinnati

Casey Coleman (1-1, 5.68/1.53) vs. Travis Wood (4-2, 3.38/0.98)

One week ago today Lou Piniella stepped down and the keys to the lemon were handed over to Mike Quade. The Cubs have won four of his first five games ... and have a chance to win a series against the Reds.

Look for Jeff Baker at third base this afternoon. Aramis Ramirez is 0-for-the-series and appeared to be out of gas Saturday night. With the lefty on the hill, it would be a good time to get Baker a few at bats. Geovany Soto is expected back in the starting lineup and Darwin Barney should be in as well.

Edison Volquez was scheduled to start this afternoon's game. But the Reds have decided to send Volquez to the pen and have Travis Wood start today's finale against the Cubs.

Today is the last meeting of the year between the Cubs and Reds. Cincinnati has dominated the season series winning 11 of 15 (Cubs are 3-5 at Great American Ball Park). Back on May 9, two days after Starlin Castro's electric debut, Lou Piniella's crew entered play with a 14-17 record while the Reds owned a 15-15 mark. Lou left Ryan Dempster in one pitch too long on Mother's Day and the Reds haven't looked back since. Just one of the many what ifs of the Twenty Ten season.

It all starts with Casey Coleman ...

Game One Hundred Thirty - Cubs 3 Reds 2
WP - Randy Wells (6-12) LP - Bronson Arroyo (14-8) Save - Carlos Marmol (24)

Randy Wells celebrated his 28th birthday Saturday at Great American Ball Park ... and picked up his first win July 23. Wells labored through the early innings before settling down and turning in a quality start.

Wells pitched from behind in the count and ran up his high pitch count (70 pitches after four innings) but he allowed only two runs on six hits in six innings. Wells walked two and struck out four on 100 pitches, 61 for strikes.

The Cubs young pen was the difference Saturday night. James Russell gave up the only hit, a two-out bloop single, over the final three innings. Russell struck out the side and Andrew Cashner retired the Reds in order on just eight pitches, seven for strikes, in the eighth.

Carlos Marmol had an uneventful ninth. Marmol struck out Paul Janish for the second out and retired the side to end the game on 10 pitches.

Xavier Nady gave the Cubs the lead in the second inning with their first run of the season against Bronson Arroyo. Nady's solo shot was his fifth of the year and first since June 10 in Milwaukee ... and ended a string of 15 consecutive scoreless innings against Bronson Arroyo.

Jay Bruce robbed Kosuke Fukudome of a homer in the second inning ... so Fukudome hit the ball further in the fifth. Fukudome ripped his 11th of the year, a two-run shot that gave the Cubs a two-run lead ... Fukudome's 11 home runs ties his Major League career high.

Bronson Arroyo lost to the Chicago Cubs for the first time since September 28, 2007. Arroyo allowed three runs on five hits without a walk and five strikeouts. Arroyo was very good, especially against the top of the Cubs' lineup, but the two homers he allowed ended up being the difference in the game.

Joey Votto hit his 17th career homer off Cubs' pitching in just 48 career games. Votto's solo blast tied the game at one in the bottom of the fourth.

The Cubs improved to 4-1 under Mike Quade and won a one-run game for only the 17th time this season (17-30). With the win, the Cubs are back to 20 under the mediocre mark with a 55-75 record ...