For the third game in a row the Cubs came from behind to pick up an impressive win....and in the process completed a 3-game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks for the first time since 2000. The marquee match-up of Carlos Zambrano against Randy Johnson was scratched because of bad weather. After a 58-minute rain delay, Sean Gallagher made his first big league start and turned in a solid outing. Gallagher pitched a lot better than his line indicates, 4 runs on 5 hits in 4 1/3 innings with 6 strikeouts and 3 walks. Chad Fox walked a pair with the bases loaded in the 5th to give the D'Backs the 4-2 lead.

Reed Johnson tied the game with an improbable 2-run homer in the bottom of the 7th off of Juan Cruz. Aramis Ramirez led off the 8th with a solid single to left. Ramirez stole 2nd, his first of the year, and advanced to 3rd on a perfectly placed bunt by Kosuke Fukudome. Geovany Soto tapped out in front of the plate for the second out but it was a productive out as Fukudome advanced to 2nd on the play.

Lou Piniella managed his bench to perfection. Daryle Ward was on deck when Soto was at the plate, but after Fukudome advanced to 2nd, Piniella substituted Alfonso Soriano for Ward. Bob Melvin intentionally walked Soriano to load the bases. Piniella then inserted Ward for Felix Pie. For the second day in a row, Daryle Ward delivered a clutch hit off the bench with a 2-run double to right center that gave the Cubs a 6-4 lead.

Kerry Wood faced the minimum in the 9th for the save after Augie Ojeda grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to end the game. This was a great weekend for a Cubs team that limped home after a disappointing road trip....and Lou Piniella's crew is now tied for the division lead with the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Sean Gallagher-Edgar Gonzalez was as advertised, a pitcher's duel? Both pitchers turned in good starts on short notice and Gonzalez was in line for the win until Cruz served up the home run to Reed Johnson.

Gallagher made his case to be in the Cubs' starting rotation. He struck out Augie Ojeda to start the game but gave up a 2-out walk to Chris Young that cost him a run. Conor Jackson followed with a wind-aided triple to center that gave the D'Backs an early 1-0 lead. Gallagher retired Justin Upton on a fly out to left to end the inning.

Gallagher struck out 2 of the 4 batters he faced in the 2nd....but another 2-out walk extended the inning and flipped the lineup. Gallagher retired the D'Backs in order in the 3rd and struck out a pair in the 4th. The 5th inning however was not as kind....

The Cubs had taken a 2-1 lead in the 3rd on Derrek Lee's 10th home run of the year, a solo shot to right center. Gallagher kept Arizona off the board since the 1st inning but gave up a lead off double to Miguel Montero in the 5th. Edgar Gonzalez sacrificed him to 3rd and with the infield in, Augie Ojeda delivered again with a base hit to right. Montero scored to tie the game at 2.

Eric Byrnes followed with a double to left. With runners on 2nd and 3rd and only 1 out, Gallagher intentionally walked Chris Young to load the bases. Lou Piniella made the slow walk and replaced Gallagher with Chad Fox.

Fox ended up walking Conor Jackson and Justin Upton to force in two runs before retiring Stephen Drew on a pop out to Ryan Theriot and Mark Reynolds on a fly out to right. The Diamondbacks scored 3 runs on 3 hits with 3 walks in the top of the 5th inning.

Fox faced the minimum in the 6th after walking Chris Burke with 1 out and then picking him off of 1st base. Michael Wuertz retired the heart of the Diamondbacks lineup in the 7th on just 4 pitches. After Johnson tied the game in the bottom of the 7th, Piniella called on Carlos Marmol to keep the game tied. Marmol delivered and pitched a perfect inning with 2 strikeouts.

Kerry Wood took the hill in the 9th and after retiring Miguel Montero on a ground out to Mike Fontenot, hit Jeff Salazar to bring the tying run to the plate....but Augie Ojeda grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning and the game.

The Cubs first run of the afternoon came in the 2nd inning. Mark DeRosa walked after a very close pitch that ran the count to 3-2. Felix Pie followed with a single to right and Sean Gallagher executed the first sacrifice bunt of his Major League career. With runners on 2nd and 3rd and 2 outs, Gonzalez uncorked a wild pitch with Reed Johnson at the plate. DeRosa scored the tying run and Johnson tapped back to the mound to end the inning.

Derrek Lee stepped in with 1-out in the 3rd and deposited Gonzalez' first pitch into the bleachers in right center that gave the Cubs a 2-1 lead until the 5th inning.

Juan Cruz replaced Edgar Gonzalez in the 6th inning and struck out two of the four batters he faced. After striking out Felix Pie to start the 7th, Cruz walked Mike Fontenot ahead of Johnson's home run. Fontenot turned in a very good at bat, fouled off pitches and found a way to get on base. Cruz fell behind Johnson 2-0 before throwing a strike. On a 2-1 pitch from Juan Cruz, Reed Johnson tied the game with one swing and elicited, "I can't believe it!" from Pat Hughes on the home run call.

The Cubs improved to 7 games over .500 on the year after a weekend that most predicted to go the other way.

Carlos Zambrano's start was pushed to Monday night and he will face Randy Wolf in the first of four against the Padres.

Carlos Zambrano (5-1, 1.80/1.11) vs. Randy Johnson (2-1, 5.06/1.42)

Updated - 12:47pm C.T. - With the Rain in the Chicago Area - Both Carlos Zambrano and Randy Johnson have been scratched from their starts. Sean Gallagher is scheduled to take Z's place and the Diamondbacks will go with Edgar Gonzalez.

Happy Mother's Day from everyone here at the CCO....

For those of you old enough to remember Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood from SNL, "Today's word boys and girls is 'big'". It is the 'Big Unit' versus 'Big Z' in a battle of a former ace and future Hall of Famer against a current ace in a big series finale. The Cubs and Diamondbacks have played two very close games, despite the final score on Saturday, and weather permitting, today's game should be more of the same.

Lou Piniella's crew has a chance at a sweep against a pitcher the Cubs' organization has never beaten. Carlos Zambrano has been looking forward to today's game since the match-up was announced and hopefully Z will match the performances of Ted Lilly and Ryan Dempster.

There is still a long way to go in the 162-game schedule but Carlos Zambrano's start has been one of the many bright spots in the first 37 games.

Carlos Zambrano is coming off an impressive outing against the Reds on a night he did not appear to have his best stuff. Zambrano struggled to start the game, ran up his pitch count and it appeared Zambrano would not turn in a quality start. However, Big Z turned his outing around, started throwing strikes and ended up completing 8 innings....his longest start of the year. Zambrano did not allow a run and surrendered just 3 hits to go along with 3 walks and 3 strikeouts.

Carlos Zambrano, like most Cubs' pitchers, has struggled in the past against the D'Backs. Zambrano is 1-2 in 4 career starts with a 4.88 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP. Today will be Z's first start in a regular season game against Arizona since Opening Day back in 2005.

• Chris Burke - 1-for-8
• Eric Byrnes - 0-for-3
• Randy Johnson - 1-for-4
• Jeff Salazar - 0-for-4

After spending most of the 2007 season on the DL, Randy Johnson made his first start on April 14th and has pitched rather well. The Big Unit received a no decision in his first start against the Giants but did not allow an earned run in 5 innings. Johnson has won 2 of his last 3 starts while giving up 10 earned runs in his last 2 outings on 15 hits in 10 innings. The Phillies scored 4 runs on 6 hits against Johnson on May 6th in a 6-4 Arizona win.

The Cubs have never beaten the Big Unit. He is 12-0 in 13 career starts with a miniscule 1.98 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP. Johnson has not faced the Cubs since 2004....he threw 7 shutout innings and allowed just 2 hits while striking out 10.

In 5 career starts at Wrigley, Johnson is 4-0 with a 1.00 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP....only 4 earned runs on 20 hits in 36 innings.

• Henry Blanco - 4-for-14 with a home run
• Mark DeRosa - 1-for-10
• Reed Johnson - 5-for-12 with a double
• Derrek Lee - 4-for-22 with 13 strikeouts
• Aramis Ramirez - 3-for-17 with a home run and 12 strikeouts
• Alfonso Soriano - 1-for-8
• Carlos Zambrano - 1-for-3

Let's Talk Cubs Baseball....

The top two scoring offenses in the National League played another close, low scoring game until the 7th inning. Max Scherzer held the Cubs offense to an unearned run on 5 hits through the first 6 innings of the game. Ryan Dempster matched him pitch for pitch until the top of the 6th when the Diamondbacks plated a pair of runs on a bases loaded walk by Justin Upton and a fielder's choice ground out with the bases loaded by Mark Reynolds.

Bob Melvin replaced Scherzer with Chad Qualls in the 7th inning. For the second day in a row Mark DeRosa started the Cubs rally with a base hit. After a sacrifice bunt by Reed Johnson put DeRosa in scoring position, Daryle Ward came through with his first pinch hit of the season (0-for-14). Ward's opposite field single scored DeRosa with the tying run. Alfonso Soriano doubled in pinch runner Jason Marquis with the eventual winning run....the second game in as many days Soriano drove in the winning run.

Ryan Theriot followed with a single to center, an obviously hindered Soriano scored on a close play at the plate. Derrek Lee was robbed of a single but advanced Theriot into scoring position. Aramis Ramirez drove in Theriot with a single to right center and Kosuke Fukudome hit his first home run since Opening Day to cap the scoring.

Alfonso Soriano scored two big runs with two close plays at the plate and finished the day 4-for-5 with the game winning RBI. The Cubs scored a season high 6 runs in the 7th inning and took over the lead in the National League with 205 runs scored.

Ryan Dempster pitched an excellent game but did not figure into the decision after allowing a pair of run in his last inning of work. Dempster tied a season-high with 7 strikeouts, walked 3 and gave up only the 2 runs on 3 hits. Scott Eyre picked up the win in his first appearance of the year. Bobby Howry was impressive in the 8th and Carlos Marmol recorded the 27th out to secure the win.

After struggling for the past two weeks, Lou Piniella's crew has won 3 of the last 4 games and their first series since sweeping the Mets back on April 22nd.

Alfonso Soriano blooped a single into right field with 2 outs in the 3rd inning. Ryan Theriot followed with a single to right. Justin Upton bobbled the ball before tossing it into Ojeda. Mike Quade held Soriano at 3rd but after Upton's bobble and indecision on what to do, Quade sent Soriano. The throw beat Soriano to the plate but Chris Snyder could not hold onto the ball, Soriano touched got his hand in and was safe with the Cubs' first run....it was one of those plays, and it turned out being a great call because Soriano scored.

Reed Johnson started the 5th by being hit by a pitch for the 7th time this season (Johnson was hit again in the 8th....number 8). Ryan Dempster sacrificed him to 2nd and Soriano blooped another single into right, Johnson could not score and the Cubs had runners on 1st and 3rd with 1 out. Scherzer hit Ryan Theriot to load the bases. Derrek Lee followed and swung at the first pitch. Lee flied out to Justin Upton in right....Upton threw a one-hop perfect strike to Chris Snyder and Johnson was out by a mile.

That appeared to be the turning point in the game.

Ryan Dempster cruised through the first two innings. He allowed just a 2-out walk to Chris Snyder but elevated his pitch count. Dempster hit Augie Ojeda with 1-out in the 3rd inning, pitched around the mistake and struck out Chris Young to end the inning.

The Cubs defense played a big role in Dempster retiring the Diamondbacks in order in the 4th inning. Ryan Theriot made a solid play on a ball hit in the hole by Conor Jackson and a spectacular play on a ball hit toward the middle by Justin Upton. Aramis Ramirez stepped in front of Theriot to throw out Mark Reynolds to end the inning.

Dempster struck out the side in the 5th but struggled in the 6th.

Augie Ojeda led off the inning with the Diamondbacks second hit of the game....a solid single to left center. Stephen Drew followed with a single to left. Dempster retired Chris Young on an infield fly for the first out but issued his second walk of the game to Conor Jackson to load the bases.

Dempster received a generous call from home plate umpire Dana DeMuth on a 2-1 pitch to even the count but DeMuth called the next pitch a ball....it all evened itself out. Dempster ended up walking Upton to force in Ojeda to tie the game....it was the D'Backs first run since the 1st inning on Friday, 13 innings. Mark Reynolds grounded out to Theriot at short for the second out but Drew scored the go ahead run on the play. Dempster retired Chris Snyder on a tap back to the mound on the 32nd pitch of the inning.

Scott Eyre retired the first two batters he faced in the 7th before giving up a single to Augie Ojeda. Ojeda was responsible for 2 of the Diamondbacks' 4 hits and reached base three times. Stephen Drew lined out to left to end the inning. Eyre did his job and the Cubs' offense put the game away in the bottom of the inning.

The Cubs have played very good ball over the last two games and have a chance for a sweep of the best team in the National League, weather permitting, on Sunday.

Carlos Zambrano will face Randy Johnson in the series finale on Sunday. It's 'The Battle of Guys with the Word Big' in their nickname and an important game for the Cubs' ace.

Ryan Dempster (4-1, 2.72/1.07) vs. Max Scherzer (0-1, 5.40/1.20)

After winning the first game of a series for the first time since April 23rd, Lou Piniella's crew will try to take the second game against an impressive rookie. The Cubs will get their first look at Max Scherzer who turned a lot of heads in his big league debut out of the pen but struggled in his first start in the Majors. Ryan Dempster will try to pickup his 5th win of the year after getting tagged with an unearned loss his last time out.

The Cubs played an impressive game on Friday against the best team in the National League....now it's time to put together back-to-back wins.

Dempster is 4-0 at Wrigley this year with a 4.30 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP....and most importantly, his team is 5-2 in the 7 games he has started.

Today will be Dempster's 10th career start, 14th game, against the Diamondbacks. He is 1-4 with a save in his previous 13 games with a 6.04 ERA and a 1.73 WHIP.

• Chris Burke - 1-for-3
• Eric Byrnes - 0-for-1
• Stephen Drew - 1-for-1 with a double
• Chris Snyder - 1-for-3

Max Scherzer was the 1st round pick (11th overall) by the Diamondbacks in 2006. After only 20 minor league starts last season at 3 different levels (7-4 with a 2.88 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP), Scherzer made his big league debut on April 29th against the Astros in Arizona.

Scherzer retired all 13 batters he faced in 4 1/3 innings of relief with 7 strikeouts. Scherzer hit the high 90's consistently with his fastball and impressed Bob Melvin enough to be placed in the starting rotation. However, his first big league start did not meet expectations.

Scherzer was rocked by the Phillies and gave up 5 runs on 8 hits with 5 strikeouts and 2 walks in 4 innings.

While the Cubs offense will face Scherzer for the first time....the impressive rookie will also make his first big league appearance on the road. The Cubs must be patient and make him work. He showed a lot of command problems his last time out and Lou's crew should be able to use their new-found patience to their advantage.

Let's Talk Cubs Baseball....

Geovany Soto hit .341 in the first month of the season with a .424 OBP and a .635 SLG to go along with 8 doubles, a triple, 5 home runs and 20 RBI's with 54 total bases....and an impressive 1.060 OPS.

Chris Young picked up where he left off last October against Ted Lilly, with a home run, but this time Lilly reacted entirely different. Instead of slamming his glove to the turf, he shut the door on the explosive Diamondbacks' offense. Ted Lilly tossed a gem, without a doubt his best outing of the year. After serving up Young's dinger with 2 outs in the 1st inning, Lilly did not allow another run over his last 6 1/3 innings, surrendered only 2 more hits and struck out a season-high 10 batters.

Not only did Lilly give his skipper a solid outing on the mound, he also ended the Cubs' scoreless drought with a 2-out RBI single in the 5th inning. Mark DeRosa started the rally with a big 2-out double ahead of an intentional walk to Reed Johnson and the RBI single by Ted Lilly. Alfonso Soriano followed with a double down the left field line that drove in Johnson with the eventual winning run. Derrek Lee gave the Cubs a much-needed insurance run with his 9th home run of the year in the bottom of the 8th.

Carlos Marmol gave up a lead off single to Augie Ojeda in the 8th but an interference call on Eric Byrnes following a swinging strikeout changed the inning. Marmol ended up facing the minimum and Kerry Wood retired the side in the 9th on 9 pitches, all strikes, for the save.

Lou Piniella said after the game, "Not only did he do it with his left arm, but with the bat also. Just a big hit. This was a good win for us, a good win to start the homestand."

Lilly did not allow the Young home run to get under his skin this time. He retired Conor Jackson on a fly out to shallow right to end the 1st inning. Lilly worked around a 2-out single by Chris Snyder in the 2nd and a 2-out triple to center by Stephen Drew in the 3rd. Reed Johnson tried to make a diving catch but misjudged the ball and it rolled to the warning track before Kosuke Fukudome was able to track it down. Lilly struck out Chris Young to end the inning.

After a leadoff walk to Conor Jackson in the 4th, Lilly retired the next three batters on strikeouts....all of the swinging variety. The first 1-2-3 inning for Lilly came in the 5th and he retired 8 in a row before issuing a 2-out walk to Jackson in the 6th. Lilly retired the D'Backs in order in the 7th.

Lilly threw 104 pitches on the afternoon, 67 were for strikes.

Carlos Marmol started his outing by giving up a leadoff single to Augie Ojeda. Kosuke Fukudome made a good play on the ball to hold Ojeda to a single and changed the course of the inning....and the game. Marmol fell behind Eric Byrnes, 2-0, before striking him out swinging on a 3-2 pitch. Ojeda was running with the pitch and appeared to steal 2nd base rather easily. Geovany Soto's throw was very high and to the 1st base side of the bag. Interference was called on Byrnes by home plate umpire Ted Barrett....Ojeda was called out and Marmol retired Stephen Drew on a pop out to shallow right.

Kerry Wood threw first pitch strikes to all three batters he faced....struck out Chris Young to start the inning on 3 pitches and retired Jackson and Justin Upton on groundouts to Ryan Theriot at short.

Dan Haren really handcuffed the Cubs offense. An infield single by Mark DeRosa in 3rd inning was all the Cubs offense could manage until DeRosa's 2-out double in the 5th. DeRosa's two bagger was the first 'clean' hit of the game for the Cubs. Reed Johnson was intentionally walked but Dan Haren could not retire Ted Lilly.

Lilly helped his own cause, as they say, with a solid single to center. DeRosa scored the tying run and Lilly now has a 2-game hitting streak. Alfonso Soriano followed with a solid double down the left field line on the first pitch from Haren. Johnson scored and that was all Lilly would need.

After Derrek Lee's solo home run to left center in the 8th. The Cubs loaded the bases after a walk to Aramis Ramirez, a single by Kosuke Fukudome and a 2-out walk by Mark DeRosa. Reed Johnson struck out swinging on a 3-2 pitch to end the inning.

Friday was a big win for Lou Piniella's crew.

Ryan Dempster is scheduled to face the D'Backs hot, young rookie Max Scherzer in game two of the series on Saturday afternoon.

Ted Lilly (2-4, 5.97/1.41) vs. Dan Haren (4-1, 3.12/0.99)

Updated - 11:41am C.T. - Scott Eyre Activated - Sean Marshall Optioned to Triple-A

The Cubs start their longest homestand of the year today with the first of three against the best team in the National League. After posting a 17-10 record in April, the Cubs have won only twice in seven games to start the new month. The last time the Diamondbacks were in Chicago they completed a 3-game sweep of Lou Piniella's crew that unceremoniously ended the 2007 campaign. While the Cubs have appeared flat and out of sync for the last two weeks, if they are not fired up for this weekend's series....Lou has more problems on his hands than anyone realizes.

Piniella will send his top three pitchers to the mound this weekend and the Cubs' offense will face a test today in Dan Haren. This is a big series for the Cubs, after the way they played against the Diamondbacks last year, both in the regular season and in the playoffs. Dave Kaplan called this weekend 'gut check' time for the Cubs....and if Lou's crew wants to be the best, they first have to beat the best.

The Cubs had a rough road trip and hopefully they let it all go on Thursday and will report to the park today ready to play.

The last time Ted Lilly faced the Diamondbacks there was that whole glove throwing incident and after a rough start to the season, Lilly has pitched the way he did before his little temper tantrum in the desert. Lilly has turned in 3 quality starts in a row and with Rich Hill pitching for Iowa, Lilly is the only southpaw in Piniella's rotation....at least for now.

Lilly picked up the win in the Cubs' only victory last weekend in St. Louis. Lilly gave up 3 runs, 2 on solo home runs, on 6 hits in 7 innings with 4 strikeouts and a walk.

Lilly has not posted a win in 4 career regular season games, 2 starts, against the Diamondbacks. Lilly is 0-2 with a 3.38 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP.

• Chris Burke - 3-for-9 with a double and a triple
• Eric Byrnes - 4-for-14 with a double and a home run
• Stephen Drew - 1-for-2
• Conor Jackson - 1-for-2 with a home run
• Justin Upton - 1-for-2
• Chris Young - 0-for-3

The Cubs will get their first look at Dan Haren in a Diamondbacks uniform. Haren has given Arizona the best number two pitcher in the league after coming over in a trade from the Oakland A's this past winter. He has been exactly what Bob Melvin was hoping for and the duo of Brandon Webb and Dan Haren have posted a combined 12-1 record in the first 35 games.

As good as Haren as been, his success has been mostly at home. Haren is 4-0 in 5 starts at Chase Field with a 1.93 ERA and a 0.83 WHIP....but on the road, he is 0-1 in 2 starts with a 6.75 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. While teams are hitting below the Mendoza Line against Haren in Arizona, .188, they are hitting a robust .302 when Haren is pitching on the road.

Haren will make his third career start against the Cubs' franchise. He faced the Cubs once in 2003 and once in 2004....both times at Wrigley. Haren has not fared too well at the Friendly Confines....0-1 in 2 starts with a 12.46 ERA, a 2.31 WHIP and the Cubs hit .410 against him.

• Mark DeRosa - 2-for-8
• Reed Johnson - 3-for-13 with a triple
• Derrek Lee - 1-for-4 with a double
• Aramis Ramirez - 2-for-4 with a double
• Alfonso Soriano - 5-for-13 with 2 doubles and 2 home runs

Update - According to a report on Cubs.com, the Cubs have activated Scott Eyre from the 15-day DL and optioned Sean Marshall to Triple-A Iowa. The Cubs are wanting to stretch out Marshall for a possible return to the rotation. In other news, Kevin Hart made his second start for the I-Cubs on Thursday night. The most important stat.....no walks and 6 strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings.

Let's Talk Cubs Baseball....

Gillette announced a partnership with Major League Baseball to award the top performing rookies from both the American and National League. The CCO received an email and were asked to past the link along so the Faithful can place their vote for either Kosuke or Geovany. This is an officially sanctioned MLB award and is decided on by the fans. Click here to go place your vote....www.mlb.com/Gillette

Also, the CCO was sent the latest videos from MLB Roundup and DoublePlayTV that includes info on the next hot commodity from Japan as well as their Rookie of the Year and other awards after the first month of the season....

Enjoy the videos as you wait for the first pitch against the D'Backs.

And finally, is it possible Felix Pie could be replaced on the Cubs' roster by Andres Torres? According to a report by Paul Sullivan in the Tribune....it is.

Talkin' will post around 11:00am C.T.

Here is the latest news from the North Side, Micah Hoffpauir's return to Iowa, the addition of Hector Carrasco to the Triple-A staff and a few rumors from the mill....

• According to a report in the Tribune, Lou Piniella "will start playing the players who are producing, no matter who has to sit. That could mean more time for Ronny Cedeno, perhaps at the expense of the struggling Mark DeRosa."
• Jim Hendry supports Lou Piniella's decision to leave Alfonso Soriano at the top of the Cubs' lineup the Chicago Tribune reported. Could Soriano be a better fit lower in the lineup, possibly 6th?
• Reports earlier in the week mentioned Scott Eyre would be activated on Friday. But after Wednesday's game, reports surfaced that Eyre would be back with the Cubs possibly on Saturday depending on his outing on Wednesday. Eyre did not pitch in the I-Cubs win on Wednesday night.
• The Cubs will not carry 13 pitchers once (and if) Eyre is activated according to a report in the Tribune. And the speculation is that another reliever will be sent down when Eyre is ready to return.

News from the Farm

• Micah Hoffpauir turned a lot of heads in Spring Training and the young left hander returned to the I-Cubs lineup on Wednesday night. Hoffpauir was sidelined with a strained oblique on April 1st. Hoffpauir was 1-for-3 with a run scored and a strikeout in his first game of the season. To make room for Hoffpauir on the I-Cubs roster, Jake Fox was demoted to Double-A Tennessee after hitting .222 in 29 games with 6 home runs and 26 RBI's.
• The Cubs signed Hector Carrasco and assigned him to Triple-A Iowa. Carrasco took Geoff Jones place on the I-Cubs roster after Jones announced his retirement. Carrasco was in Pirates camp this past spring and pitched in 29 games for the Angels last season. He was 2-1 with a 6.57 ERA and a 1.75 WHIP. Carrasco's page from the Baseball Cube.
• Rich Hill took the loss on Tuesday night for the Iowa Cubs. Hill allowed 2 runs on 7 hits in 5 innings with a walk and 5 strikeouts. The big hit....a solo home run in the 1st inning with 2 outs by Jeremy Reed.
• Mark Holliman was sent back to Double-A Tennessee on Monday to make room for Rich Hill on the I-Cubs roster. Holliman was 1-1 with a 5.16 ERA in 5 starts.
• Corey Coles was released after the Cubs activated Eric Patterson from the DL. Coles was acquired from the Mets along with Ryan Meyers for Angel Pagan on January 5th.

From the Mill

Peter Gammons reported on Baseball Tonight and on his blog Monday that the Cubs would like to add a left-handed hitting outfielder to hit 5th in the lineup behind Aramis Ramirez. Lou Piniella would like to move Kosuke Fukudome up to 2nd in the lineup after Alfonso Soriano and ahead of Derrek Lee according to Gammons.

Gammons stated there "are few outfield bats available that fit that description" and mentioned the name Milton Bradley. But stated the Rangers are "unlikely to move him." Gammon brought up Ken Griffey Jr.'s name but added that the Cubs would not pick up Griffey's option for 2010....and that Griffey "is unlikely to agree to a deal without that option being guaranteed."

Gammons also reported Sean Gallagher could be inserted into the Cubs' rotation....and this was before Jon Lieber served up 4 long balls on Wednesday afternoon.

Enjoy the off day....

The Cubs 6-game road trip did not end the way Lou Piniella had envisioned. The Reds offense woke up, a day after being shutout, and a new Cub killer was born in the lopsided loss. Joey Votto led the Reds attack with 3 of their 7 home runs, each coming off a different pitcher. Four of Votto's 7 round trippers this season have come off of Cubs' pitching and of his 11 career home runs, 6 have come against the Cubs.

Jon Lieber left after giving up 4 of the Reds' 7 home runs in the 2nd inning. Lieber became the second pitcher in the history of the franchise to allow 4 home runs in a single inning.... the other, Phil Norton. Sean Marshall surrendered 2 more blasts in his 2 innings of relief and Sean Gallagher gave up Votto's last dinger in the 6th.

The Cubs offense was shutout for the second time this season, managing just 6 hits in 9 innings and only 4 against Edinson Volquez. Volquez dominated the Cubs and tied a season high with 10 strikeouts....to go along with 6 walks.

Lou Piniella's crew is struggling. Right now they are not pitching, hitting or catching the ball....a formula for losing 6 of the last 9.

Teams around the league give the Cubs their best effort. The Reds are a prime example. They are 3-3 against the Cubs this year and have managed only 11 wins against the rest of the league in 29 other contests. Players step up against the Cubs, it is time for Lou's players to step up and perform on a daily basis.

There will be peeks and valleys during a season but it is limiting those valleys that is the difference between a division championship and third place.

The Cubs are off on Thursday and moves are expected before Friday's first pitch against the Diamondbacks. Ted Lilly is scheduled to face Dan Haren.

Jon Lieber (2-1, 1.86/1.19) vs. Edinson Volquez (4-1, 1.27/1.19)

After a very disappointing start to the road trip, the Cubs have a chance to win their first series since a 2-game sweep of the Mets back on April 21st and 22nd....but in order for that to happen they will have to play mistake free ball today and plate runs against the Reds' very impressive young right hander.

Lou Piniella has been vocal of late about the way his team has played. This quote from the Chicago Tribune speaks volumes....

"We don't have a powerhouse here. I don't care what people say. I've seen this team play daily. It's a good team, but it's a team that has to execute and take advantage of opportunities, has to pitch and has to do all the things teams do to win baseball games. We haven't executed well in some areas, and we have to get better. If we don't, it's going to be a struggle. I'm not disappointed or irritated or anything. It's just fact."

Jon Lieber will make his first start in a Cub uniform since August 1, 2002 when he faced the Padres at Wrigley....and the veteran right-hander will have the task of putting his team in position to win back-to-back games since April 23rd.

Lieber has allowed only 4 earned runs on 21 hits in 19 1/3 innings this year with 9 strikeouts and 2 walks. Lieber always works fast and will give up his fair share of hits and it is up to the Cubs defense to make plays behind him.

Lieber is 11-8 in 28 career games, 26 starts, against the Reds with a 4.04 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. Lieber faced the Reds in the lopsided loss back on April 17th at Wrigley. Lieber allowed 3 runs, 2 earned, on 3 hits in an inning of work....the big hit was a 3-run homer by Ken Griffey, Jr.

Lieber is 1-0 in 2 career starts at Great American with a 0.00 ERA and a 0.28 WHIP....no earned runs on 3 hits with 11 strikeouts and a walk in 14 1/3 innings.

• Paul Bako - 4-for-20 with a home run
• Adam Dunn - 9-for-27 with 3 doubles and 2 home runs
• Edwin Encarnacion - 3-for-9 with a double and 2 home runs
• Ken Griffey, Jr. - 6-for-21 with a double and a home run
• Scott Hatteberg - 4-for-14 with a home run
• Corey Patterson - 1-for-2 with a home run
• Brandon Phillips - 0-for-8

The Cubs will be the first team to face Edinson Volquez for the second time this season....hopefully they took plenty of notes. Dusty Baker's young right-hander dominated the Cubs back on April 17th at Wrigley. He held the Cubs to only 1 run on 4 hits with 7 strikeouts and 4 walks in 5 innings of work.

Volquez has not allowed more than one earned run in any of his first 6 starts for the Reds but is coming off his first loss of the year. Like Aaron Harang, the Reds gave him no run support for the second time this season. Volquez allowed only 2 runs, 1 earned, on 4 hits with 9 strikeouts and 2 walks to the Braves in a 2-0 loss.

Volquez has a very impressive strikeout to walk ratio. In 35 1/3 innings this year. Volquez has recorded 42 strikeouts to just 18 walks....in his last 2 starts, 13 innings, a remarkable 19 strikeouts and only 5 walks.

Reed Johnson was 2-for-2 against Volquez and the other 2 hits came from Aramis Ramirez and Ryan Theriot....all singles.

The Cubs must be patient today and make Volquez work.

Let's Talk Cubs Baseball....

Carlos Zambrano and Kerry Wood combined on a 4-hit shutout, the Cubs second of the season. Zambrano threw a gem after a rough start, allowed only 3 hits in 8 innings....his longest outing of the year. Zambrano pitched around two more errors by the Cubs defense and was helped out by the overly aggressive Reds offense. Zambrano finished the night throwing only 113 pitches after tossing 74 in the first 4 innings.

Kerry Wood picked up his 5th save after striking out the last two batters he faced on the anniversary of his masterpiece a decade ago.

Aramis Ramirez made an immediate impact in his first at bat in three games. Ramirez drove in Ryan Theriot with a 2-out single in the 1st inning. Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez walked to start the 4th inning and Ronny Cedeno came through once again with an impressive 2-out single to right. Cedeno has 18 RBI's in limited playing time over the first 33 games. All 3 runs the Cubs scored came with 2 outs and for the first time in 17 games they did not load the bases. Alfonso Soriano recorded his first 2-hit game since April 10th with a single and a double.

Lou Piniella's crew needed the win, Zambrano stepped up on a night he did not have his best stuff and beat Aaron Harang for the first time in his career.

Zambrano ran up his pitch count in the early innings with a lot of 3-ball counts. The turning point in the game came in the 2nd inning when Zambrano picked Joey Votto off of 2nd base. Votto had walked to start the inning after a 9-pitch at bat. Edwin Encarnacion popped out on the first pitch. Adam Dunn then worked a walk and the Reds had runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out....ball 4 to Dunn was Zambrano's 29th pitch.

Zambrano quickly fell behind Jeff Keppinger, 2-0 and after evening the count at 2-2, Ronny Cedeno got in behind Votto and received a perfect strike from Zambrano, blocked the bag nicely and tagged out Votto for the second out of the inning. Keppinger grounded out to 2nd to end the inning.

Zambrano did not give up his second hit until 2 outs in the 5th. Aaron Harang blooped a single into left.

Big Z pitched out of a big jam in the 6th with his team up 3-0. Ken Griffey, Jr. led off the inning with a line drive single to right. Brandon Phillips hit what appeared to be a tailor made double play, but Ronny Cedeno's throw pulled Ryan Theriot off the bag....both runners were safe. Joey Votto flied out to left center on a 1-1 pitch from Zambrano for the first out. Edwin Encarnacion followed and on a 1-2 pitch, grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.

Zambrano retired the Reds in order for the first time in the 7th and retired the last 6 batters he faced on 14 pitches. Zambrano's ERA for the season after his 5th win....1.80.

The Cubs offense, as mentioned, did just enough against Aaron Harang. Ryan Theriot singled to right with 1-out in the 1st inning. With Aramis Ramirez at the plate, Theriot stole 2nd on a 2-2 pitch. Ramirez took ball 3 and then lined a single past Harang into center....Theriot scored and that turned out to be all Zambrano would need.

Harang retired the Cubs on just 7 pitches in the 2nd and retired the next 6 batters he faced....until the 4th. Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez walked to start the inning. Kosuke Fukudome dropped a perfect bunt toward 3rd, Encarnacion made a fine defensive play to barely throw out Kosuke at 1st....both Lee and Ramirez advanced on the very smart play by Fukudome. Harang struck out Geovany Soto for the second out of the inning.

With 2 outs and runners on 2nd and 3rd, Ronny Cedeno stepped in. Cedeno took a great pitch on the outside part of the plate into right field that scored both Lee and Ramirez ahead of the throw from Griffey.

Remember every game and every win counts....even on May 6th.

The Cubs finish the road trip on Wednesday morning with a chance to return to Chicago with a split of the 6 games. Jon Lieber will make his first start of the season against Edinson Volquez.

Carlos Zambrano (4-1, 2.11/1.17) vs. Aaron Harang (1-4, 2.98/1.08)

The Cubs are in need of a win tonight, plain and simple. Lou Piniella's crew has lost 5 of the last 7 games against division rivals and they are close to erasing the positive start to the season. After the first four games against Dusty Baker's new team, the Cubs are 2-2.

The Cubs will try to avoid their first 3-game losing streak of the season. Aramis Ramirez status is unknown as of this writing. Reports mentioned Ramirez was still hurting on Monday and said he could not go after taking just four swings in the cage.

Lou Piniella is contemplating going with a 13-man pitching staff over the weekend against the Diamondbacks. Jason Marquis' spot in the rotation will be skipped and Piniella wants Sean Marshall stretched out for when Scott Eyre returns, possibly by Friday. Reports indicated Felix Pie could be the odd man out if the Cubs add a pitcher into the mix.

Zambrano's team needs him tonight to step up and continue pitching the way he has over the first six weeks. The Cubs need a boost and hopefully Zambrano will keep the Reds offense off the board while his offense tries to figure out Aaron Harang.

Big Z will face a Reds' team he has struggled with in the past but dominated earlier in the year. Zambrano gave up only 2 runs in 8 hits in 7 innings on April 16th to the Reds at Wrigley and earned his second win of the year.

Zambrano is 11-9 in 24 career starts, 28 games, against the Reds with a 3.35 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP....at Great American, Zambrano is 6-2 in 10 starts with a 3.22 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP.

• Adam Dunn - 12-for-51 with a double, 6 home runs and 14 walks
• Edwin Encarnacion - 10-for-31 with 2 home runs
• Ken Griffey, Jr. - 12-for-33 with 5 doubles and 2 home runs
• Aaron Harang - 0-for-7
• Jeff Keppinger - 5-for-15 with a double
• Corey Patterson - 0-for-4
• Brandon Phillips - 8-for-27 with 3 doubles and a home run
• Joey Votto - 4-for-9 with 2 doubles

Aaron Harang has pitched much better than his record indicates. Harang has allowed 3 earned runs or less in each of his last 3 starts and lost his last 2 games by a combined 8-3 score. Reports indicated after his loss to the Cubs on April 15th at Wrigley that Harang was ill, the Cubs scored 5 runs on 8 hits in 6 innings....his worst outing of the year.

Harang is 8-4 in 16 career start against the Cubs with a 4.62 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP....at home this year, Harang is 0-1 in 3 starts with a 2.14 ERA and a remarkably low 0.86 WHIP.

• Ronny Cedeno - 2-for-13 with a home run
• Mark DeRosa - 4-for-12 with a home run
• Kosuke Fukudome - 2-for-3
• Derrek Lee - 13-for-38 with 2 doubles and 5 home runs
• Felix Pie - 2-for-7
• Aramis Ramirez - 8-for-33 with 3 home runs
• Alfonso Soriano - 3-for-15 with a double
• Geovany Soto - 4-for-6 with 2 doubles
• Ryan Theriot - 5-for-18 with a double
• Carlos Zambrano - 2-for-10 with a double and a home run

Let's Talk Cubs Baseball....on the Anniversary of the 20 K's

In what can be argued as the most dominant game ever pitched, Kerry Wood went from a promising young arm to a legend. But, in some ways, was this a curse? Could he ever really live up to the heightened scrutiny and unrealistic expectations?

But with the exception of the 2003 season and the heart-wrenching playoffs that followed, he has never found the magic he took to the mound on May 6, 1998.

So how will Kerry Wood be remembered? How will he write the last few chapters of his legacy? In 25 years, will people look back on talent wasted? Or will he be remembered as a man who, against all odds, overcame an injury-riddled career to take his rightful place in Cubs history?

Weeks from a possible retirement in 2007, something strange happened; something that was the opposite of what had hamstrung him time and again. The pain was gone, he started feeling better, and soon he was pitching at Wrigley Field once again.

He entered 2008 in a different fashion than he entered most of the seasons in his career. He came in healthy .... and as a closer. Cubs' fans know this has not gone as planned through the first five weeks of the season.

This year he has blown three saves with the 'help' of his defense. He looks untouchable for a few batters and then Jason Bay goes yard on him. He plunks a batter and gets out of his rhythm.

He is still searching for his place. He is still searching for his stuff. He can be a closer in this game. But is he hearing the footsteps of the next legendary Cubs closer? Or is he, indeed, the next legendary Cubs closer?

It never appears as if he doubts his 'stuff.' It never appears as if he has a confidence problem. But, in what is shaping up to be a competitive division, how long can Lou keep Kerry in the closer position?

He is the consummate pro. He is the consummate teammate. But how will he react? If he comes in to close a game this week, will he come through?

The 'slurve' was the key to the 20 strikeouts. It was the key to his 13-6 record his rookie year. Unfortunately, it was also the key to his Tommy John surgery. He rebounded with the others weapons in his arsenal to pitch effectively and successfully, that is, until he got injured again .... and again .... and, well, I could go on forever.

On the tenth anniversary of his greatest professional accomplishment; his future is still up in the air. What seemed as the stepping stone to greatness ten years ago, now lingers as a distant memory.

So how will his baseball biography end? What will we say ten years from now? Kerry Wood will never be hated by Cubs' fans. But will he ever provide them what seemed to be a given that overcast Monday afternoon in 1998?

Cubs' fans will always have 1998 and 2003 when it comes to 'Kid K,' but will they ever have anything else? Only Kerry Wood can decide that.

And for me, well, I would not have it any other way.

Feel free to contact me at brian@chicagocubsonline.com and until next time ....

Stay Classy Kerry.

It's not too often a pitcher loses a game without giving up an earned run but that is exactly what happened to Ryan Dempster on Monday night. Dempster was the victim of two errors....one by Mike Fontenot in the 1st inning that led to 3 runs and the other by Mark DeRosa in the 3rd inning that led to an Adam Dunn 2-run homer, the difference in the game. Dempster pitched a good game but was not able to get out of the trouble the miscues put him in. Despite pitching a very good game, Dempster is still winless at Great American Ball Park.

The Cubs defense actually turned in two very good plays on the night. A tremendous catch by Felix Pie in the 5th robbed Ken Griffey, Jr. of home run #598. Ryan Theriot also made a fine stab on a ball in the 6th off the bat of Edwin Encarnacion.

The Cubs offense struggled once again and could not reach their magic number. Geovany Soto hit his 6th home run of the year to put the Cubs on the board in the 2nd inning. Soto continued swinging a hot bat and recorded 3 of the Cubs 9 hits and reached base in all 4 trips to the plate. Ryan Theriot and Derrek Lee came through with 2-out RBI's in the 5th. Lou Piniella's crew loaded the bases for the 16th game in a row in the 9th on two different occasions but came away empty. Mike Fontenot was thrown out at the plate trying to score on a wild pitch for the 2nd out and Derrek Lee grounded out to Joey Votto at 1st on a bang-bang play to end the game.

The Cubs dropped another disappointing game to a division rival after Lou Piniella stated in his pre-game show that his team must learn how to win low scoring ballgames....

Ryan Dempster struck out Ryan Freel to start the game on 3 pitches but gave up back-to-back infield singles to Ken Griffey, Jr. and a swinging bunt to Brandon Phillips. Dempster appeared to get out of the inning but Mike Fontenot booted the tailor made double play ball....the Reds loaded the bases with only 1 out.

Dempster walked Edwin Encarnacion to force in Griffey with the game's first run. Adam Dunn stepped in with the bases loaded and Dempster struck him out looking on a 3-2 pitch....but Jeff Keppinger came through with a broken bat, bloop single to center that plated the Reds other two runs.

Dempster struck out the side in the 2nd but Edwin Encarnacion reached on a 2-out error in the 3rd by Mark DeRosa. Adam Dunn followed with a monster 2-run shot to right field.

All 5 runs the Reds scored against Ryan Dempster were unearned. Dempster gave up only 4 hits, struck out 7 and walked 1 in 6 innings...one of his better outings of the season.

Sean Marshall gave up a couple of hits in his 2/3 of an inning but Chad Fox struck out Brandon Phillips to end the 7th. Kerry Wood pitched a perfect 8th with a strikeout.

Johnny Cueto was as advertised....a very good, young pitcher and he kept the Cubs off balance the first time through the lineup, with the exception of Geovany Soto. Soto hit a solo blast off of Cueto in the 2nd inning to left.

The Cubs' offense faired a little better the next time through the lineup. Griffey took a home run away from Alfonso Soriano in the 3rd....and Felix Pie would repay the favor later in the game. Ryan Theriot singled with the Cubs second hit but Derrek Lee grounded out to end the inning.

Felix Pie led off the 5th with a walk. Ryan Dempster followed and attempted to sacrifice him to 2nd but Dempster bunted the ball back to Cueto....the Reds defense erased the walk with a 1-6-3 double play. Dempster failing to lay down the bunt ended up being a big play in the game.

Alfonso Soriano followed with a single to center. Ryan Theriot doubled down the left field line on a 3-2 pitch. Soriano scored and Derrek Lee drove in Theriot with a single to left. Kosuke Fukudome flied out to center to end the inning.

The Cubs made the game very interesting in the 9th.

Mike Fontenot led off the inning with a single to left. Felix Pie followed with another single to left off of Francisco Cordero. Daryle Ward lined out to Corey Patterson in right center and Alfonso Soriano walked to load the bases after starting the at bat with a 0-2 count. Ryan Theriot stepped in and on the second pitch of the at bat, Cordero uncorked a wild pitch. Mike Fontenot tried to score from 3rd. The ball beat him to the plate, he was called out but he appeared to get his foot in under the tag. Fontenot got a late break to the plate....and simply made a bad decision.

Ryan Theriot walked to reload the bases. Derrek Lee hit a grounder to Joey Votto toward the hole but Cordero did not break for the bag....Votto barely beat Lee to the bag to end the game.

The difference on Monday night was the three extra outs the Cubs defense gave the Reds.

Lou Piniella stated before the game they are working on improvements....so they are coming. And the Cubs are still 4 games above .500 with as bad as they have played over the past two weeks.

It will not get any easier for the Cubs offense on Tuesday night. Carlos Zambrano is scheduled to take the mound against Aaron Harang.