We have had 10 series against "good" teams and 15 series against "bad" teams. Yes we have holes, every good team does. "Bad" ones have more. Freaking out about something that you have 0 control over is.......

last year everyone was saying they'd stop...they were pissed...as was I...that's why I said that.....common emotion when you blow as many leads as we had last year...

as for my post, yet again, Trevor, you prove my point.....you missed the entire point because of your pre-conceived notion that I'm just "spouting" off, being negative as usual (as you probably see it).

There were many times earlier this year when we blew leads, and I didn't comment on it at all, because I knew we were playing with intensity....and while it still stung, I thought we'd be okay....Then, losses kept mounting against good teams, and I started to see a pattern.

If you can't see that....wow...I don't know what to see.

I'm not even alone in this. The funny thing is, you seem to ignore our own manager's comments, don't you? Piniella even said, "we'll see how we do on the road, and it'll give us an idea of where we're at"---they kept losing....then, "we'll see how we do against better teams....we've got to take care of business against the good teams"----guess that didn't happen either....

Don't believe me? Look up his quotes for yourself.

Agustin...yeah, I need a beer

Aaron yes you said we wouldn't get out of the first round of the playoffs last year. You also gave up on the team in about June if remember right, spouting off much of the same vitrol posted above. In fact you said you were done watching the Cubs. So yeah, you are going to occasionally be right on negative items if every time things go bad a little, you fly off the handle. And your little "sample conversation" is reeks of self importance. Get over yourself man, there are many readers on this site that know their baseball and just because they don't want to throw the team under the bus does not make them inferior to your knowledge.

Second point on that, if you know this crap so much better than anyone on the earth, couldn't you condense that argument into a readable length? Geesh.

Dorasaga: Extremely well said.

Aaron...I hope you got that off your chest! You need a beer bro!

Ideed there are weakneses and this should be a wake up call for JH. Maybe this is the best thing that could have happened...honestlty because GM's sometimes see that their team has a good record and get overconfident. We need that solid #2 or #1 pitcher and maybe Fuentes to fill in for Howry. This team has weakneses but far fewer than most of the contending teams and we are in great position to become great...it should be easy to fix. We depend on JH and I'm pulling for him to take care of the final touches. Have a good night.

BTW; you broke your own world record for the longest post in the history of the Internet!lol

i rest my case...exactly what I was saying above....

I mean, honestly, do some of you really not get it....? We are 7-11 against .500 or better teams!!!!!! that's NOT a good record, and especially when you play a max of about 8 .500 better teams when all is said and done, and you face nothing but .500+ teams in the playoffs...how does that work out in our favor if we not only suck royally on the road, but ALSO play bad against good teams? Okay, still don't get it? Against other divisions we play 6-7 games against each team. The 4 sub-.500 teams in the West we play 24 games against them. Same goes for the East. Here's the .500+ teams in the NL right now: Cubs, Cards, Brewers, D'Backs, Marlins, and Phillies, with the Mets and Braves about 2 games out from .500. That means that the .500 teams including the soon-to-be Mets and Braves---we'll have about 30 games this season against the non-Central teams above .500, with about 30 games against the Central's .500 teams.

Our current record against good teams does not inspire confidence at all. Again, on paper, you think we're good...but dig deeper.

After all, that's how scouts do it, the good GM's, etc. They go against the grain, and look at key things, and then make sound judgements...you're going off pure emotion, riding a high that we are 17 games above .500, and everything is hunky doorey, and nothing's wrong....when in fact, it IS

First losing streak of the year and people are ready to jump ship. Have any of you been Cubs fan long? Give me a break, the Rays are a good team. They have some nasty pitchers as well as soom really good young talent in their lineup. Maybe some of you should check the MLB standings. The Rays are a 1.5 behind the Red sox and have one of the best records in all of baseball. We lost to a good team. Guess what it will happen again. This is not a video game where you always get what you want.

I don't like how we have been playing on the road but we have been playing good ball up until the last three games. Some of you make me laugh.

I'm just pointing out obvious things, as I did last year when I told everyone we might make the playoffs, but not out of the first round...

I think the issue is a lot of people in Cubs Nation seem to have the constant "next year" mentality, and they can't believe the amount of success the team is having, so they have fan goggles on, and can't see it for what it really is----a team with quite a few holes.

As someone even pointed out (besides me)----we have NOT won against good teams this year...We've beaten up on the sub-.500 teams, but that's it. In both leagues, there's 8 teams that make the playoffs. 11 teams in each league will not make the playoffs. In the playoffs, besides yourself, you have to contend with 3 teams (depending on how the chips fall). Those teams are above .500, obviously. Including your team, that's 4 teams for sure above .500. If you consider that in each division, you usually have one or two others above .500, and you can add 4-5 more teams on average every year, then you have about 9 teams in each league above .500, and only about 12 teams under .500.

Therefore, with that concrete evidence in mind, you have 6 teams under .500. Presently, 4 of those teams reside in the NL West-Dodgers, Rockies, Padres, and Giants. Couple them with the proverbial cellar-dwellars (Pirates and Nationals), and you see where I'm going with this....We might beat up on cellar dwellars, but we are presently 7-11 against teams with winning records....

I mean, c'mon...I know many think I'm just being negative, but don't be naiive....furthermore, don't disregard fact when it's presented before you.

Here's a sample conversation to illustrate my point:

you: the Cubs are fine, are 17 games above .500, and almost 4 games ahead in the Central

me: what's our record against winning teams?

you: ummmm...I don't know, but we're 17 games up...we'll be just fine

me: Fine as in...even though we got swept by a team with a similar record to ours, only they're friggin' 2nd!!!!!! in their own division. So am I to believe that we can actually win against good teams?

you: we still have many games to play...we're still 17 games over .500

me: stop with the f$*%ng 17 games already, dammit! I couldn't give a flying F$%ck. Wanna guess how many games we were over .500 in 1969 when we collapsed?

you: ummmmm...I don't know....

me: that's what I thought

you: it couldn't have been more than 17

me: actually, it was 24 games...What does that tell you?

you: ummmmmmmmm...again, not sure

me: what that SHOULD tell you is that it doesn't matter how much you're over .500 at any given time. All that matters is your own damn division...and even that doesn't matter, because when you get to the playoffs, it's all about how well you do against the best teams. For crying out loud, Tampa Bay, who just swept us, has the third best record in all of baseball---and they're second to Boston in their own damn division.

GEEEZEEE....I feel like all of this is falling on deaf ears, and people are only enablers....

Anyone watch Dana Carvey's latest stand-up "Squatting Monkeys Tell No Lies"? One of his greatest lines was making fun of parents nowadays and our school systems....how now, when young students fail a test, or grade for that matter, they're now calling it "deferred success", rather than an 'F', just like when most of us were in school. What do you learn from that?

Well, what you learn...or I get from that anyhow, is that you call things for what they are....We have the worst best team in baseball. In other words, it's like another school reference....Ever heard, "wow, that's the smartest dumb kid I've ever met." What people are referring to when they say that is that the person is sooooooooo book smart, but incredibly dumb when it comes to common sense. That's EXACTLY what we have going on here. The Cubs are the dumbest smart kid on the block. On paper, they're on top of their game...First in BA, first in OBP, blah, blah, blah, 17 games above .500, best record in baseball, etc., etc. "common sense" though....-not so good. 7-11. That's a 63% GPA...a failing grade....what YOU (most of you anyway), might call "deferred success", or "17 games above .500", or "still a lot of season left", or "almost 4 games up in the division"

NEWSFLASH EVERYONE....if you are 4 games up in your division, that's one series sweep away (kind of like what just happened) from being in second place.

Kind of puts things into perspective, doesn't it?

but, hey, maybe I'll just be labeled "negative", or "not book smart"....I can tell you this though....I'd rather be common sense smart, than book smart....

I see holes. I see weaknesses. I call it like it is. I offer suggestions, and some don't want to hear it, because they don't want to face reality. Will you be saying everything's alright like last year after we got swept in the playoffs?!?! I once heard a ridiculous comment on here last year that said something like, "even if we get swept in the playoffs, at least we got there"....WOW! talk about "deferred success", huh....like 100 years more to go, right? In the words of a very "common sense"-like Herm Edwards, "YOU PLAY TO WIN!!!!!!" You DON'T play to get to the playoffs and then lose.

What that means is you have to fill holes with the best available. That means going out at getting a power hitter for RF, shifting Fukodome to CF, and getting a front line starter and an arm or two for the pen. That's what guys like Epstein, Jocketty, and Cashman have done in the past, and it's worked

The END!

17 games over .500 and the season is over? Cubs are 12-8 over the last 20?

Aaron, whatever medication you're missing, please renew your prescription. Either that or get off the bottle. Hendry has made some stellar moves. Reed Johnson? Edmonds (thought it kills me to say that), Fuke? OBP doesn't lie.

It's June 19th and we are in first place. The Cards didn't gain a game during the losing streak so what's the big deal? I think it is a good thing to lose a few every now and then. As somebody said, a little humble pie to make folks continue to work hard is a good thing.

stats do and don't lie...if that makes sense....

Yes, we have the top BA and OBP....However, the D'Backs made it all the way to the NLCS and gave up more runs than they produced, and happened to have a terrible team BA.....However, it's all about clutch.....timely hitting, and timely pitching.....

Even one of our best relievers---Wood, blew some crucial games early on....We all know that Wuertz, Cotts, and Lieber have good ERA's....Yet, why are they considered our worst relievers amongst many on here?!? It's because they allow inherited runners to score....It either goes to the starter's ERA, or amongst each other...which is why they all have similar ERA's if you look at it. Wuertz, Eyre, Lieber, Marmol, and Wood are all hovering around the high 2's, and low 3's....Cotts and Howry are above, usually because they give up runs right away....If they inherit runners, they give them up, and in Howry's case, Piniella has a longer leash for him, and lets him give up his own runs....

To top it all off, you state that we are a patient team....Yet, as we all know, it is all about what have you done lately. Isn't it? We have struck out an ASTRONIMICAL number the last two weeks, which is a great indication of impatience, and an even greater indication of where the team is headed. If you think having Soriano back is going to change that, then you're sorely mistaken...it'll only get worse.

Fukodome has struck out at an alarming rate the last few games, DeRosa and Soto are regularly striking out 2-3 times per game, couple that with Cedeno and Fontenot when they start, and you get the picture....it's NOT a good lineup right now....Here's why:

1) Fukodome is now leading off, but surprisingly, is striking out...so you immediately have an out

2) Theriot bats second, and hits ground balls more frequently than maybe anyone else in MLB, besides mabye Eckstein, which, if Fukodome even happens to get on base, he's probably going to GIDP, or end up as a force out

3) Lee is about as streaky as Soriano, but with less power the last few years...and he strikes out about as much as Soriano...not exactly a ringing endorsement

4) Let's face it, ARAM can't get it going this year in the power department....not a good projection for the rest of the year

5) Soto hits behind ARAM now.....He might have extra base power---more so than anyone else is showing lately...much less all season...but he also strikes out a TON, so even if ARAM or Lee happen to get on, lately he hasn't brought them in like he did earlier this year.

6) Hoffpauir...he's the only bright spot we have hitting-wise...yet, hasn't really proved clutch....especially last night. Can we really rely on an unproven LF that is only filling in for an injured Soriano? So, when Soriano comes back, we replace one bright spot with another bright spot---and we don't even know if Soriano will return with effectiveness. How does this help the team exactly?

7) DeRosa, as we know, is another anamolly when it comes to stats....His BA is relatively high, but can you tell me the last big hit he had. I mean, most of his hits come with nobody on base, or the game is already out of reach and it doesn't matter. Do I even need the mention the GIDP's...He's like a slower version of Theriot in some stretches.

8) We don't even have a CF right now...DeRosa made a key error yesterday in RF, and we know about his hitting (see above). Fukodome has been subbing in CF...So, I'm just going to insert Fontenot and Cedeno here...which is a joke...because both are playing as such lately anyhow

I can't see this team going far right now...They've done nothing in the last 21 games to show me that. Even their wins of late have been close. What does that tell you about the offense? And I'm not talking 8-7 games either...I'm talking 3-2, 4-3, 5-3, etc....not exactly scoring the runs lately, and this does NOT bode well. Edmonds, who was actually coming on for us of late is injured, and can we really rely on a CF who had previous attitude issues and an injury history? Who do we call up if he's injured...Patterson? Pie? Wow, that's a recipe for long term success right there, isn't it? (sighs) Who do we trade for a bat? We can't!! Especially when we need all the bait we can get for a front line starter....What really sucks is that we already needed a front line starter even before Z might be headed to the DL, so essentially, the guy we get (if at all) would only be replacing him........argggggggggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhh

Again, this is why Hendry is a loser in my book...He's more re-active than pro-active. Last year, it was giving up the chance to have Hamilton when we desperately needed another OF'er, and this year, it was giving up the chance to land Ponson, or someone else in ST when we knew Marquis would suck... He never could've called Hill's collapse, and neither could any of us, so you can't blame him for that...Perhaps, we'd be a lot better off if he was more effective this year, and it'd be a less glaring weakness...but still, signing Lieber was a good long man option in the pen and nothing more....which is why we needed to trade Marquis and add another starter, keeping Marshall in the wings for back-up...But now, Marshall will essentially be replacing our ACE for the time being.....very puzzling isn't it?

I think the Cubs spent too much time at the beach and Carlos maybe stayed up too late last night and shakey Eyre knew he was in over his head. The Hall of Fame trip and bad flying weather, Zambrano, Edmonds and Johnson problems, a young eager good Tampa squad, a great schedule from the league (no rest on Monday late arrival Thursday for early game Saturday against cross town rival), pathetic showings from your "scary three and four hitters" all contributed to the loss. That being said if Zambrano (or future top players) do not lose major time, this team will win the division or at least a wild card. I did not see hte game but it sounds like Gallagher pitched pretty good again.

**Chipper had something like 768 SLG, but the detail doesn't matter, cuz it can go really up or low but rebounds quickly in a few games...

*actually, I wasn't clear, but SLG goes up to 4.000 if you knock homeruns every plate appearance. OBP can only goes up to 1.000

Chipper Jones, for example, before he got hurt two weeks ago had a SLG of .700, and this was perhaps the best any batters could get in a long stretch, and so much less would a team get.

Aaron you truly amaze me. We have one of the best records in baseball, we're in first place, then all a sudden, we lose 3 in a row for the first time ALL year, and now all of a sudden it is the end of the world and the season is over. Have a little faith man, Judas Priest! We are all up set we got swept (probably casue we aren't used to it this year), but like Cory said we were going to go all year without losing three in a row. Let's take it out on the Sux at home tomorrow.

One last thing. You watch the games, even if you don't know how to distinguish "stuffs," "control," "gameplan," and a wise manager who switch pitchers when he finds fit, and if you only realized that we win in more extra-inning games than others throughout the league, you know we have one of the strongest bullpens.

Aaron,

Stats don't lie, but you are reading the wrong line of stats.

ERA fluctuates and can't compare because a lot of noise is in it, and we usually compares apples to oranges without looking at stuffs if only take ERA as something even important (blown saves? wins?).

BA is funny, because it's been around so long, and people forgot that it was deviced before we got computers (and even 2 World Wars). It only correlates slightly above 0.6 with run production. OBP is a close to 0.9 (VERY CLOSE) indicator of run production. OPS (combining OBP and slugging percentage) gives you a close to 1.0, which means perfect, match with run production.

Here's what we have:

Out of 198 qualified leaders of NL relievers, Marmol lists 2nd in WPA (Win Probability Added).

Wood and Eyre, ranked 29th and 26th, (0.72 and 0.66 WPA) the three combined gives us the second best in NL, slightly behind the DBacks, which in my humble opinion after following them since NLDS last season and comparing stats, is the best pitching team in NL.

Our team BA, which you disgusted, is actually BEST of Major League (including AL). Our team OBP (0.360) is FIRST among MLB as well, 5 points above Boston that comes second and 7 points above Texas.

Our team SLG (.440), that measures our power with noises of 2-base or other ground rule type of long hits, and which you disgusted too, is FIFTH among MLB--That is with Soriano out half of the season so far. And we are behind Texas (think Hamilton and Bradley), the Red Sox, Phillies (wow, what a slugging team they have), and Marlins by 8 to 20 points (460-448).

20 points is nothing because SLG can go up to 700 points total.

No matter how I look at our team, this is a winning team that deserves winning. It can get better, because it's a big market team with a national and loyal fanbase that most other teams don't have the luxury to have.

GM Hendry has all the resources to obtain a 3rd man down the rotation, and I still believe he should.

First team to lose three in a row after 72 games into the season. Some of you need to relax.

Someone actually said, this could mean the end to our season???? REALLY, the end to our season??? We got swept by a very good team, that is young with some great young pitching. Is it the end of the Cardinals season because they got swept by an awful KC team? No.

Good teams bounce back, lets see how we do this weekend.

silver lining is....we didn't lose a game to the Cards, Pirates, Reds, or Astros....HOWEVER, the Brewers have been putting on a show of late....While they lack pitching, IMO, to remain in it...How, exactly, are they different from us? Here's the funny thing....we have a slight edge in SP than they do...and I mean, slight...pen, we're about even, except for closer, but hitting-wise....WOW....81 home runs for us vs 92 for the Brewers....that's significant, because when you're down, as we've been lately, you have to have the power...We have had a few more extra base hits than them, but the gap is largely due to Zambrano's presence in the lineup when he pitches and pinch hits...otherwise we're even in that regard.

This game was terrible....Mark my words, if we don't take at least 2 of 3 against the Sox....it's all over for us

As pissed off as I am about this road trip i'm not jumping off the bridge. We weren't gonna go the whole year not loosing 3 in a row. Tampa is REALLY tough at home...and worse than we are on the road...we sucked, there's no denying that, but at least it's June 19th and not August 19th. We really do need to play better on the road and against quality teams until then I believe the jury is out.

Lee and Aram need to start earning their money!

Well time to turn it around against the white Sux tomorrow at home.

Burn the film of this series. Check the guys for sand chiggers or something worse and make sure all of the engines are firing on the plane. And go home to a new series. Somebody said after the first two losses, "Cheer up, things could be worse!" So the guys cheered up, and sure enough things got worse.

Did anybody see Edmonds throwing seeds at Dempster in the dugout during the 9th. That pisses me off. You're getting you butt kicked and about the get swept and he's messing around in the dugout. Not good to see.

Long walks with the dogs tonight...Neil-Abby...

We will fight back, In nights like this I think of Soriano who has no fear and just the fact that he can be a one man show.

Believe...it will get better but we need to straight things now.

Dorasaga,

Could you explain to me how our pen is our greatest strength?

this really brings back painful memories of years past....Remember the times we'd have great starting pitching, and a terrible bullpen, or the team couldn't hit....then, we'd have a terrible rotation, and excellent hitting, and a great pen....it was never consistent.....this year, I thought we might possibly have it all together...HOWEVER, we ONLY had TWO reliable guys in the pen----Marmol and Wood....one very young pitcher that was wild, but effective, and one oft-injured former starter-turned closer....You gotta be out of your mind if you think that's a recipe for success....THEN, your next pitcher in line---Howry, has a .330 BA against him and a 4-5.00 ERA...throw in Cotts, who walks everyone, and Wuertz who is his RH counterpart, and how does that pen scare anybody?!?

You also mention hitting...How exactly have we been a good hitting team the last few weeks? We've completely thrown out the patience that was present in April and May....When Soriano came back, patience went down slightly, then back up....when we lost Soriano, our patience went completely out the window....Don't believe me? Stats don't lie...just look at the stats the last 21 days

I see that STL just got swept by the Royals. It's a f'n shame that we couldn't even gain another game lead in the central.

And Aaron, certain areas of our bullpen have been strong thus far...Marmol, Howry, Eyre(up until tonight), but the rest have sucked it up...Cotts(why he is still in the majors puzzles me), Wuertz, Lieber. The only reason their ERA's are low is b/c the give up all of the inherited runs.

All is not lost....

but the offensive stats of our team are extremely misleading.... 2/3rds of the lineup hits .250 or worse on the road....

Aaron,

Our bullpen is our strength. What really hampers their performance would be a rotation with a hole, and even two. From the very start of the preseason, I was hoping we go after a third man, but it never happened, and we relied solely on Hill and Marquis to do their job. It's just now a AAA guy (Sean) and some other call-up (whoever, I hope not Lieber).

Even without power, we still get on-base, which is fine. There's a different style but the same effective ballgame if Lou plays like this.

I think the only, the biggest, and the urgent problem is our rotation to solve.

Aaron, I know this sucks right now, but in no way is this the "Potential End of the Season". This will be the first time we have lost three in a row all year. Not to mention we will be the last team in baseball to loose 3 in a row.

I just gotta add, that when a predominantly veteran team (which we have) gets beat by an young, up-and-coming team....psychologically, it has a damning effect on the team....(see Mets last year)

It's clear our guys needed specific instructions tonight. One of us should have called for one of Neil's shutdown innings. As we used to say on the farm, the pen has been an udder failure tonight. It's just damned disgusting.

Maybe this will turn out to be one of those humble pie nights that gets everyone focussed on their job. Carlos is still an all star, but I worry a lot that Eyre and Howry don't have much left.

This may be a reality check....that we aren't as good as we think and we need the chip knocked off our shoulder. Hopefully this is a wakeup call and things turn around against the Sox.

WTF !!!!!

They look like $h!t

Now, I must say that Eyre was completely overmatched. With Crawfold and Upton, who are very talented power hitters with speed, there's understanding of the pitcher's mistakes. But with the fifth and the six like Floyd hitting like that, it's unexcusable.

The whole meltdown is not a good sign, for we are not only in a losing streak, we have a hurt leadoff slugger and an ace plus a CF possibly heading to DL.

And then, without 7-8 quality innings from our rotation, how will our bullpen rest?

looks like the Rays just exposed our weakness in this series.....and why we won't even make it to the playoffs at this rate....C'mon guys, you can't argue that.....getting swept by the Rays is a VERY bad omen....having your manager actually state that if Z is gone, we're in big trouble. (wow, what does that tell your team?), not to mention, Lee and ARAM can't hit in the clutch to save their lives....add a depleted rotation, a bullpen that looks like a deer in headlights, and we're FINISHED....I'm not even kidding, or over-reacting either.....I've said all year our pen is our BIGGEST weakness, second would be the rotation, and third, lack of power....it looks like we're lacking all three now

Wow, wow, wow. I can't wait to get out of tampa.

Aaron,

But then again, whom would you trust if there's no arm you can trust? You got to let the liability stay there. Marmol had problems like this before: walked a batter or even two but comes back and struck the side. He hit 2 batters, yes, and those were lead-off, but with the first HBP, no manager could tell if it was an one-time accident or a sign of losing control (in his case, breaking ball).

I think this series has put Cubbie swagger in complete check. Not a good feeling.

I gotta say now, this could mean the end of our season...getting swept by the Rays, awful managing, worse relief pitching, NO clutch hitting...For crying out loud....1 out, 2nd and 3rd, and our two "best" hitters are EASILY retired.....it doesn't get any worse than that.....

I almost chucked my laptop on the floor...this is ludicrous, embarassing....as I said....potential end of our season, especially with Sori hurt and Z down....it sucks

This is not good, especially heading into the series with the Sox.

What in the hell is Eyre doing? 3 batters faced, 4 runs given up. Brutal! These guys are putting on a real sh!t show.

Another SB, way to pay attention Eyre. For Christ sake, pull him already!

i gotta say...we don't say it much, thankfully....but Lou really lost this game for us....for crying out loud, he'd never let Lieber, Wuertz, Howry, or Cotts get away with walking two in a row, and barely throwing strikes...and much less hitting a batter....

Lou left him in too long because he relies too much on him

... and that was unbelievable... a slam against our third best reliever for this time of the season...and then a 3-base...

wow...that was fast

I see that Carlos got his fastball in control. It's really his devastating sliders which went wrong. He probably didn't cock his wrist right. I fear injury or fatigue that builds to it, but it's too early to tell.

I hope he'll have his breaking pitches back the next game. If not...

Judas Preist!

Hit two batters....

Wow, Marmol is all over the place

with the way this young Rays offense is going and now the bases loaded, this could very well get rid of the lead quite quickly...and potentially the game.

I am happy with the crooked number put up by the Cubs, but with Lee and Ramirez coming up we should have seen a knock out blow. With Soriano out, they really needed Ramirez to step it up. Is it me or has it been over a week since he has hit a ball hard, let alone come through?

*and I meant "get to NLDS"

3 good pitchers are enough for the short 5 game series

I hope the Cubs have a place for smelly cobs. Those rascals paid attention and gave us the score, score, score. OK pen, bring us the victory!

By the way, even with all the discussions posted before... will any other GM seriously consider trading his ace to us? I don't think this Cubbie farm demonstrates any shining star except a few single A guys.

Teams like the A's and the Southside are competing, and they are the buyer, so it's hardly possible that they offer anything. The Padres? maybe, but Kevin Towers is no fool to take.

Yet, imagine this rotation:

1-Dempster

2-Lilly

3-Gallagher

4-Marquis

5-Lieber

We can't even get through NLDS with this...

I'm more realistic now. Maybe Randy Wolf will suffice for the time being (as an insurance). We'll see how the MRI tells us about Z.

Worst of worst, GM Hendry will need to deplete his farm for the one from the seller.

DLee needs to get rolling or Lou needs to get him outta the 3 hole...my God he's been frustrating. I know that sounds stupid with his 3 hits tonight but DAMN!

Nice Job Theriot, come on Lee

I love this idea of Fuk batting first. It's a blooper, sure, but he's the kind we'll hit opposite side for the past half of the season.

This will be Sean's winning inning.

Kosuke with the bloop!

Nice Job Fontenot! Sure wish Blanco would have gotten the bunt down.

and good old Fonte knocked Shield off the mound. Way to go, Cubbies!

WAY TO GO FONTENOT!!! Bad break on the ground rule double...

Blanco bunted a way-inside high fastball to embarrassment. But at least he worked Shield's count to a 100...

Make that 6 innings for Gallagher. Way to go Micah. Keep it going Cubs!!

It looks like our hitters and the Cards hitters are taking a week off. That's especially bad when Soriano and Pujols are hurt. The Cards had 2 hits against Grieneke (sp) tonight in their third straight loss to the Royals. If we lose tonight, we will be 2 and 4 in our last 6.

Gallagher has been pitching well, and we really need to score a couple of runs for him tonight. Obviously when your pitcher goes 7 and gives up 1 unearned run you ought to win. Let's get the cobs out Cubs and score, score, score!!!

Shields went from 10 pitches to Fukudome in the 1st AB of the game, to 74 pitches in 5 innings... That is an average of 13 pitches per inning from that point on....

i think we may get shutout tonight.. we look terrible.. they are just guessing at what he is gonna throw

looks like its gonna be another close one.. We have to be patient and get his pitch count up he has his stuff tonight!

boy, Gallagher is battling hard... now if this freakin offense can just get 1 damn run

With Cy Young going for they Rays, I am surprised the Cubs didn't just forfeit.

Kapler was on our local sports talk show and he said Hendry told him that the reason they're waiting until friday to have the MRI on Zambrano was that no matter the result...even if it's nothing...they will skip his turn in the rotation maybe even twice. So they'll just wait till they get home.

Once again, if you take the 1st 4 innings of each game in this series... a total of 12 innings...

The Cubs have scored 2 runs in those....

I agree with all of your comments guys....

Rob, I think it might have to do with the dome....I saw somewhere some stats, and they weren't good for domes/artificial surfaces. The Trop has historically been a difficult place for opposing teams to play with the ceiling and all---it throws guys off.

Neil, I'm super concerned about this MRI deal, and why they held off taking it today......hmmmmm...kind of puzzling. Also, I've seen the rumors about Marshall taking a start or two, and I'm not thrilled. I'd be thrilled if it were in place of Marquis, but NOT our ace. I think you need someone that can shut the other team down, like, say a Veal---at least he has the potential to do so. I'd also have to think that Samardzija, given that he's on the 40 man, will at least be given consideration at the very least.

Johnson and Edmond's injuries concern me.....we're already struggling to score, and those guys put the ball in play recently for us and gave us a chance to win.

just a side comment....when Fukodome got caught stealing...it was probably better that way...Theriot would've had a GIDP anyway

is it me or does it seem like the Cubs just haven't looked comfortable at all in this series or played with as much confidence?

Yes, Fukudome struck out, but a 10 pitch lead-off at bat to start the game, is everything you could ever want from your lead-off hitter. I hope Lou really sticks with this decision, even when Soriano gets back.

The best part about Fukudome is that even though he struck out he made Shields throw 10 pitches and set himself up for the next time he faces him. If more batters had Fukudome's capability to waste pitches, you'd see a lot more relief appearances.

i like the lineup today except for the fact that fontenot is in it.. he is terrible

Tonight's lineup:

Fukudome - CF

Theriot - SS

Lee - 1B

Ramirez - 3B

Soto - DH

Hoffpauir - LF

DeRosa - RF

Blanco - C

Fontenot - 2B

The Sun-Times update on Zambrano - MRI scheduled for Friday. Saw team doctors on Thursday, no diagnosis yet.

Lets win this one!

Card's lost today