Multiple reports following Monday night's game against the Padres stated the Cubs "are poised to ink the lefty-hitting outfielder." Edmonds is likely to clear waivers on Wednesday according to the Tribune and while Jim Hendry did not comment on the rumors, the Tribune reported "sources in the Cubs organization insist he will jump at the chance to sign Edmonds if he's available."

For the first time this season Randy Wolf allowed a run in the 1st inning after a 1-out single by Ryan Theriot and a opposite field double by Derrek Lee. The Cubs loaded the bases but were not able to add to their lead. Wolf settled down, retired 9 of the next 10 batters he faced and found himself with a 2-1 lead to start the bottom of the 5th inning.

Carlos Zambrano turned in a very good outing but it was his bat that jump-started the offense. Zambrano led off the 5th with a double to right center and scored on Alfonso Soriano's 4th home run of the year. The Cubs offense scored 4 more runs in the 5th and 5 runs in the 6th while batting around in both innings. The Cubs continued to show a lot of patience at the plate, walked 9 times on the night to go along with 13 hits and tied a season high with 6 runs in the 5th. Five different Cubs recorded at least two hits on the night. The Cubs have scored at least 5 runs in an inning 13 different times this season....10 of those at Wrigley, tops in the big leagues. After 38 games, the Cubs have scored 223 runs, best in the Majors.

Carlos Zambrano allowed 3 runs on 6 hits in 7 innings with 5 strikeouts and 2 walks. Zambrano was very sharp early on and retired the Padres in order in the first two innings on just 19 pitches. Zambrano finished the night throwing only 96 pitches, a much-improved mark than in years past. Big Z also added hits from both sides of the plate.

With the win, Lou Piniella's crew improved to 8 games over .500 and took over sole position of first place in the Central by a full game over the Cardinals.

Carlos Zambrano (5-1, 1.80/1.11) vs. Randy Wolf (2-2, 4.14/1.26)

After an impressive weekend against the Diamondbacks, Lou Piniella's crew opens a 4-game series tonight with the San Diego Padres. The Cubs have not faired too well this season against teams with a losing record and must not give back to the Padres what they just earned against Arizona.

The Padres are a better team than their record indicates. After a rough week that included releasing Jim Edmonds, they won their last two games against the Rockies in San Diego over the weekend. The Padres will be playing in the third different time zone since finishing a series in Atlanta on Thursday. The Padres can throw the ball with the best of them....it is hitting it right now that is the challenge for Bud Black's team.

The Padres have been a thorn in the Cubs side for many years, and to this day the name Steve Garvey still raises the blood pressure of many of the Faithful. The Cubs must not take the Padres lightly and build on the momentum from the last 3 games.

The Tribune indicated Jon Lieber's turn in the rotation will be skipped and that Sean Gallagher is penciled in as the starter for the first game of the series against the Pirates on Friday.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

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.

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....

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....

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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 (4-0, 3.16/1.11) vs. Johnny Cueto (1-3, 5.40/1.09)

The Cubs open a 3-game series tonight in Cincinnati against a Reds' team that has lost 5 in row. Lou Piniella's crew has not won a series in almost two weeks and has lost 4 of their last 6....so something's gotta give tonight.

Lou Piniella will send his top two pitchers to the mound to begin the series with Jon Lieber taking the hill in the finale on Wednesday. As the old cliche goes, just one game at a time and tonight the offense will have the tall task of figuring out Johnny Cueto while Ryan Dempster attempts to win his first career game at Great American Ball Park.

Stay Classy tonight Cubs fans as Marty Brennaman tries to do the same....

Ron Santo said it all when he named Sean Gallagher the Chevrolet Player of the Game following the loss to the Cardinals on Sunday night. The Cubs could not find a rhythm either on the mound or at the plate and dropped their third straight series. Jason Marquis was once again very ineffective and could not find the strike zone on a consistent basis. Marquis walked the bases loaded in the 1st inning and a total of 5 on the night but the biggest was a 2-out walk to Adam Kennedy in the 4th inning. Albert Pujols followed with a 2-run double down the left field line just past the outstretched glove of Mark DeRosa that proved to be the difference in the game. Marquis gave up 5 runs on 7 hits in 5 1/3 innings of work.

Reed Johnson doubled in the Cubs' first run of the game but that was the only run scoring hit of the game for Lou Piniella's crew. The other two runs were scored off sacrifice flies....one in the 2nd by Alfonso Soriano and the other in 7th by Kosuke Fukudome. Derrek Lee had a rough night at the plate with a rare 0-for-5 performance.

The Cubs finished a very disappointing week against the Brewers and the Cardinals with a 2-4 record....but it's only May 4th and they are still 18-13 on the season.

Jason Marquis (1-1, 4.45/1.62) vs. Todd Wellemeyer (2-1, 4.14/1.19)

It's Sunday Night Baseball and it's the Cubs and Cardinals....despite what ESPN will say tonight, the best rivalry in all of baseball. The rubber game of the weekend series will feature two starting pitchers facing their former organization. Todd Wellemeyer could never match the expectations he set in his big league debut and Jason Marquis was tossed to the side by Tony La Russa and Dave Duncan....so both pitchers should be out to prove a point tonight.

In other News.... Jon Lieber will replace Rich Hill in the Cubs' rotation and should take the mound in Cincinnati for his first start of the year on Wednesday. With Lieber in the rotation, Sean Gallagher will likely be used as the long man out of the pen. Maybe those roles should have been reversed? Also, Juan Mateo declined his assignment to the Daytona Cubs and is now a free agent....best of luck Juan, too bad he was lost in the debacle of 2006.

Lou Piniella's crew will try to win back-to-back games for the first time since their season long 6-game winning streak from April 18th - April 23rd. Baseball fever....catch it!

After two disappointing losses, the Cubs avoided their first three game losing streak of the season with an impressive win against the Cardinals. The Cubs improved to 11-9 at new Busch Stadium in front of the largest crowd in the park's short three-year history. Ted Lilly did exactly what his team needed after Piniella emptied his bullpen on Friday night. Lilly turned in his third quality start in a row and held the Cardinals to 3 runs on 6 hits with 4 strikeouts and a walk in 7 innings. Lilly allowed only 1 hit in the first 3 innings and put together his best outing of the year. Two of the three runs the Cardinals scored off of Lilly were solo home runs by Yadier Molina and Albert Pujols. Lilly kept the ball down, found a rhythm and most importantly threw strikes. Carlos Marmol tossed two perfect innings, 24 pitches, in relief of Lilly with a strikeout.

The Cubs offense clicked on all cylinders after managing just 1 hit in the first 3 innings and sending only 9 to the plate against Kyle Lohse. Ryan Theriot started the 6-run 4th inning with a 1-out single. Kosuke Fukudome doubled in Theriot with the Cubs' first run. Geovany Soto doubled in a pair and the big hit in the 6th came from Mike Fontenot....a 3-run shot that capped the inning. Fontenot drove in 4 of the Cubs' 9 runs.

Kosuke Fukudome was 3-for-5 with 2 doubles, a run scored and 2 RBI's after going hitless on Friday night. Ted Lilly added his second career extra base hit to start the 3-run 7th inning as everyone Piniella sent to the dish, with the exception of Carlos Marmol, recorded at least one hit. Seven of the twelve Cubs' hits went for extra bases and they showed a lot of patience once again with 7 more walks on the afternoon.

Lou Piniella's crew put on a show and improved to 6 games over .500 with the win.

Ted Lilly (1-4, 6.46/1.50) vs. Kyle Lohse (3-0, 2.36/1.17)

Updated - 2:32pm C.T. - Hill Optioned and Gallagher Recalled

According to a report on Cubs.com, Rich Hill was optioned to Triple-A Iowa and Sean Gallagher was recalled to fill his roster spot. No official word on who will take Hill's spot in the rotation.

The Cubs will try to avoid their first three game losing streak of the season for the third time in the last 10 days. Lou Piniella's crew is coming off two tough losses and needs Ted Lilly to step up and deliver a victory....not only for his team but for his fellow pitchers in the bullpen. Piniella needs at least a quality start out of Lilly or he might have to "take one for the team."

A report in the Sun-Times on Saturday morning indicated that Aramis Ramirez did not suffer a broken wrist on Friday night but his wrist is swollen and he could miss today's game. The same report mentioned Scott Eyre could return from the DL in the next four or five days which would give the Cubs the possibility of starting Sean Marshall against the Reds on Wednesday.

It is only the third day of May, but every game counts....especially the ones against the Cardinals.

Every game counts just as much as the next but losing to the Cardinals always seems a little different....especially with the way Lou Piniella's crew dropped the first game of the series on Friday night. After striking out Brian Barton on three pitches to start the game, Rich Hill walked 4 of the next 5 batters he faced and left after throwing only 27 pitches. Lou Piniella saw enough and yanked Hill seemingly without any hesitation. Michael Wuertz came in and got his team out of the jam but the game felt over before it started.

Wuertz gave up a run in the 2nd but the Cubs bullpen turned in a tremendous performance, led by Jon Lieber. The Cardinals scored an unearned run in the 7th off of Bobby Howry after a Derrek Lee error and two badly misplayed balls by Alfonso Soriano. The much-maligned bullpen at one point retired 10 in a row and did not allow an earned run after the 2nd inning....until the 11th.

After being called up early in the day on Friday, Chad Fox made his first pitch in the big leagues since April 25, 2005. Fox retired the Cardinals in order in the 10th on 12 pitches but Piniella had to use him again in the 11th. Fox gave up a lead off single to pinch hitter Aaron Miles. After a wild pitch and a sacrifice bunt by Brendan Ryan, Skip Schumaker ended the game with a 2-run shot into the stands in right center.

Aramis Ramirez appeared to be hit on his wrist on a pitch by Adam Wainwright in the 6th inning. He was replaced at 3rd in the 7th inning by Mark DeRosa but watched the remainder of the game from the dugout. Alfonso Soriano tied the game in the top of the 9th with a 2-run homer off of Jason Isringhausen but the Cubs could not come up with the big hit in extra innings to turn a weird night into a big win.

Rich Hill (1-0, 3.79/1.42) vs. Adam Wainwright (3-1, 2.79/1.01)

The Cubs open a 6-game road trip tonight with the first of three against their archrival the St. Louis Cardinals. Tony La Russa has his team in first place in the central division, a half game ahead of the Cubs, after the first month of the season. The Cardinals were counted out by many before the year started....and many of the experts, despite setting a franchise record for wins in April, still feel the Cardinals will not be able to keep up the pace throughout the season.

The Cardinals are benefiting from great pitching and the Cubs offense will have the challenge this weekend of figuring out what other teams were not able to in the first month. While Tony La Russa will send the trio of Adam Wainwright, Kyle Lohse and Todd Wellemeyer to the mound, Lou Piniella will send three pitchers that need to step up for their team....Rich Hill, Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis. The Cardinals' trio posted a 8-2 record in April with a 3.11 ERA (38 earned in 110 innings) while the Cubs' trio sported a 3-5 record with a 5.08 ERA (44 earned in 78 innings).

Lou Piniella should have his team more than ready to play tonight after yesterday's meltdown but it will be interesting to see if Lou's lineup tinking continues tonight.

According to a report on Cubs.com, the Cubs have selected Chad Fox from Double-A Tennessee and added him to the 40-man roster. To make room on the active roster, Kevin Hart was optioned to Triple-A Iowa.

Fox will be available out of the pen Friday night for Lou Piniella in St. Louis.

The Cubs gave one to the Brewers on Thursday afternoon at the old ballpark, plain and simple. Carlos Zambrano was once again very effective on a day he did not have his best stuff. The Cubs' ace held the Brewers to just 1 run, a solo home run by Ryan Braun, on 7 hits with 2 walks and 3 strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings. Zambrano even put the first run of the game on the board for his team in the 3rd inning. Zambrano's opposite field home run was the 13th of his career and tied him with Ferguson Jenkins for the most round trippers by a Cubs' pitcher. Zambrano appeared to be on his way to his 5th win of the year after the Cubs plated 2 runs in the 6th and Carlos Marmol setup the save for Kerry Wood.

For the second time in two games against the Brewers, Wood hit Craig Counsell with his first offering to start the 9th. Gabe Kapler followed with a double over Alfonso Soriano's head on a 1-2 pitch. Soriano badly misplayed the ball and his fear of the wall was on full display. With the tying runs in scoring position, Jason Kendall singled up the middle but Ryan Theriot kept the ball in the infield and preserved the lead. Wood walked Rickie Weeks to load the bases with no outs. Mike Cameron struck out but Ryan Braun doubled to right center to give the Brewers the lead. Weeks was thrown out at the plate for the second out of the inning....but the damage was done and Felix Pie grounded into a 6-4-3 double play in the bottom of the inning to end the game.

Lou Piniella was not happy. After taking out his frustrations on what appeared to be a water cooler. Piniella was visibly upset in his post game press conference. When asked if he thought about moving Reed Johnson to left when Pie came into the game. Piniella replied with, "Your damn right I thought about it. Do you think I'm stupid or something? God darn it."

While it was just the first game in May....it was the toughest loss of the season for Lou Piniella's crew.

Carlos Zambrano (4-1, 2.21/1.13) vs. Yovani Gallardo (0-0, 0.64/1.07)

Updated - 12:10pm C.T. - Alfonso Soriano Activated - Matt Murton Optioned to Triple-A

As expected, the Cubs activated Alfonso Soriano from the 15-day DL on Thursday morning and optioned Matt Murton back to Triple-A Iowa according to a report on Cubs.com

It's a new day and a new month.... While the Cubs were 10-5 with Alfonso Soriano on the DL, Lou Piniella gets a very important piece of the puzzle back today. Soriano is expected to be activated from the 15-day disabled list and reportedly will return to the leadoff spot in the lineup. The Cubs need Soriano to comeback, fit in with their newfound patience at the plate and be the impact player he was a year ago. The Cubs are also expected to option Matt Murton to Triple-A to make room for Soriano on the active roster.

The Cubs offense scored 26 runs in the first two games and will have their hands full today with one of the best young pitchers in the league. Runs figure to come at a premium today with Carlos Zambrano and Yovani Gallardo on the mound....

Lou Piniella's crew completed the first month of the season by setting a new franchise record for wins in April with 17. The Cubs' skipper preached all winter about the importance of a fast start and Piniella can now check that off his list. The Cubs offense came out swinging against Jeff Suppan. They plated 6 runs in the 1st inning, 1 in the 3rd, 5 more in the 4th, 1 in the 6th and 6 more in the 8th.

Geovany Soto led the Cubs offense with two 3-run home runs and set a career high with 6 RBI's with the first multi home run game of his career. Soto became the first Cubs' catcher since Barry Foote in 1980 to record 2 home runs and 6 RBI's in one game.

Even in the lopsided win, the Cubs' newfound patience continued throughout the entire game. The Cubs walked another 9 times on the night to go along with the 17 hits and set a season high with 19 runs scored. The Cubs offense scored at least 5 runs in 3 different innings and the 19-run outburst was their highest single game total since they scored 20 back in 2001.

Ryan Dempster became the first Cubs' pitcher to start 4-0 at home in the month of April with another solid start. Dempster allowed 3 runs on 4 hits in 6 innings with a strikeout and 5 walks. Bobby Howry surrendered the other 2 runs on a home run by Mike Rivera in the 7th. Carlos Marmol retired the side in order in the 8th with 2 strikeouts and Michael Wuertz recorded the last out of the game.

The Cubs ended April with a bang....but as the cliche goes, the baseball season is a marathon and not a sprint. Time to keep winning games.

Ryan Dempster (3-0, 2.90/1.03) vs. Jeff Suppan (1-0, 3.48/1.26)

All in all it could be said the Cubs have had a good first month of the season. A 16-10 record and just a win shy of setting a new all-time mark is very good....but losing 4 of the last 6 cannot be sitting to well with their skipper. The Cubs will try to avoid their first 3-game losing streak of the year tonight behind Ryan Dempster. The offense must continue to be patient against Jeff Suppan, get into the Brewers bullpen and return the favor from last night.

For the first time this season the Cubs lost a game in which they scored at least 4 runs as they were out hit on a cold night at Wrigley. The Cubs offense scored 4 runs, 3 earned, off of Ben Sheets, the most the Brewers' ace has allowed this year, but it was not enough. Jason Marquis struggled with his command, left after just 5 innings and the middle relievers could not get the job done. Marquis was never the same after a 13-minute delay before the 3rd inning. Reports indicated home plate umpire Jerry Crawford left "feeling ill" and was taken to the hospital. Marquis surrendered 5 runs on 10 hits with a walk and 2 strikeouts. But the Cubs bullpen had another rough outing and could not keep the Brewers off the board.

Kevin Hart, Sean Marshall, Michael Wuertz and Jon Lieber gave up 5 runs on 7 hits with 2 walks and only 1 strikeout in the last 4 innings. The Brewers' 17 hits were the most allowed by Cubs' pitching this season.

Lou Piniella said after the game, "Gotta sure up the middle to get to the short people. That's been a problem for a while." Piniella did not sound to happy, to say the least, with his bullpen.

Ben Sheets set a career high in walks with 7 but only allowed 4 runs, 3 earned, on just 3 hits. Derrek Lee led off the 3rd with his 8th home run and in the process tied Sammy Sosa, Shane Andrews and Lee Walls for the most home runs in the month of April. Mike Fontenot doubled in three runs in the 7th....but in the end, the Brewers bullpen was the difference in the game.

Jason Marquis (1-0, 3.47/1.50) vs. Ben Sheets (3-0, 0.96/0.64)

Lou Piniella's crew returns to the field tonight for the first of three games against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cubs stumbled into Monday's off day after losing 3 of the previous 4 games. The Cubs must get back on track tonight and that will be easier said than done against Ben Sheets.

The Cubs posted a solid 9-4 record over the last two weeks. The upcoming stretch of games against the Brewers, Cardinals and Reds will be a big test for the first place club.

The CCO Radio returns for the latest edition on a much needed off day for the Cubs. Brian and Shaun, along with a special guest, discuss the latest from Carlos Zambrano's great start to Ronny Cedeno to Ryan Theriot as well as the return of Alfonso Soriano. There is even a mention of Brian Roberts and discussion about Lou Piniella's use of his bench over the weekend. Plus a couple of well-timed impersonations, the reminder to 'Fear the Blanco' and after the first month....believe it or not, they are still excited.

After you are done listening, read on for twenty-five thoughts on the 25-man roster after 25 games....

A day after recording their first shutout of the season, the Nationals returned the favor and shutout the Cubs for the first time this year. Ted Lilly turned in the Cubs fourth quality start in a row with an impressive 6 inning performance....he was just out pitched. John Lannan handled the Cubs offense with pinpoint control and did not allow a hit until the 5th inning. The Cubs loaded the bases for the sixth time in the 3-game series in the 5th with 1-out but came away empty. They also left the tying runs in scoring position in the 6th....again with 1-out. On the day the Cubs left 8 on base and appeared out of gas for most of the afternoon.

Ted Lilly took the loss but for the first time this season he pitched the way he did a year ago. Lilly gave up both runs in the 2nd inning, surrendered only 4 hits in 6 innings, struck out a season high 7 batters and walked only 2.

The Cubs finished the road trip with a disappointing 2-3 record but have still won 9 of 13 since their last day off.

Ted Lilly (1-3, 7.30/1.62) vs. John Lannan (1-2, 3.42/1.44)

Lou Piniella's crew will complete their second road trip of the year with the rubber game of the series, and the trip, against the Nationals. The Cubs have won 2 of the first 4 and with a win today they would finish a 13-game stretch with a 10-3 record before their first day off on Monday since April 14th.

The Cubs will face the third left-handed pitcher of the series today and possibly the most talented of the group. John Lannan's record and ERA does not indicate how well he has pitched this year. It will be up to Ted Lilly to keep the Nationals off the scoreboard and give the offense time to score a few runs. The Cubs need their own southpaw to pick up where he left off against the Mets and earn his second victory of the season.

Lou Piniella's crew ended their 2-game losing streak with an impressive shutout win over the Nationals, the first of the year for the Cubs' pitching staff. Carlos Zambrano struggled with his command at times but was able to get the big out when he needed it. Zambrano surrendered only 5 hits in 7 innings, struck out 5, walked 4 and hit a batter. The 4 wins by Zambrano in April is a new career high.

The Cubs offense broke out of their brief 2-game slump. Reed Johnson, Ryan Theriot and Derrek Lee were 6-for-6 with 5 runs scored in the first two innings. Derrek Lee drove in 3 with a double, a single and 2 walks. Mark DeRosa came through with a bases loaded, 2-run single in the 1st inning. Aramis Ramirez drove in a pair in the 8th with a 2-out double....all 7 of the Cubs' runs were driven in by Lee, Ramirez and DeRosa. Ronny Cedeno added 3 hits, including 2 doubles in 5 at bats.

With the win, the Cubs tied the All-Time mark for victories in April with 16 set back in 1969.

Carlos Zambrano (3-1, 2.67/1.10) vs. Matt Chico (0-4, 6.04/1.55)

For most of the sports world today's focus is on the NFL draft, but Lou Piniella's team is in the District of Columbia and will try to avoid their first 3-game losing streak of the year. After putting run after run after run on the board during the 6-game winning streak, the Cubs have scored only 5 times in the past 18 innings. The magic number for the Cubs this season is 4. When Lou's crew scores at least 4 runs they are undefeated.

There is one big positive to come out of the consecutive losses, both Jason Marquis and Ryan Dempster pitched effectively into and past the 7th inning. The Cubs need a similar performance today from Carlos Zambrano.

Finally, Kosuke Fukudome turns 31 today. Read on for the rest of the game preview and a quick weekend update that includes moves from the farm system and more from the Cubstory book....

For the first time in almost two weeks the Cubs lost back-to-back games after a lackluster performance on Friday night. Lou Piniella's crew had plenty of chances to put runs on the board but left the bases loaded in the 8th and left a total of 10 on in 9 innings. A ground rule double by Kosuke Fukudome erased a run in the 5th inning and the Cubs third run of the game came after a bases loaded walk to Matt Murton in the 8th.

With the game tied at 3 in the bottom of the 9th, Bobby Howry took the mound and gave up a leadoff single to Austin Kearns. Howry struck out Willie Harris for the first out. On a 0-2 pitch, Wil Nieves hit his first career home run to end the game. Nieves took an outside pitch over the right field wall and the Nationals celebrated the walk off win as the Cubs looked stunned at the final outcome.

Ryan Dempster was incredibly wild at the start of the game. He appeared rushed and could not find a rhythm in the first 3 innings. Dempster settled down and turned in a strong 7-inning outing and allowed 3 runs, 2 earned, on 4 hits with 3 walks and 5 strikeouts.

Reed Johnson made an incredible catch in left center to end the bottom of the 5th. Johnson robbed Felipe Lopez of an extra base hit as he dove diagonally into the base of the wall. Ron Santo described Johnson's catch as one of the best plays he'd ever seen.

Ryan Dempster (3-0, 3.00/1.04) vs. Odalis Perez (0-3, 3.38/1.54)

Lou Piniella's crew opens their first series tonight behind Ryan Dempster at new Nationals Park. The Cubs are coming off their worst offensive game in a week and must get the bats going tonight against Odalis Perez. The Nationals own the worst record in the National League after starting the season 3-0....but the Cubs must not take this team lightly. Piniella's top 3 pitchers are scheduled to start the weekend series and a 4-1 road trip would be a great way to spend Monday's off day.

Jose Ascanio picked up first win in Iowa Cubs' 3-2 win over the Memphis Redbirds on Thursday after blowing the save. Koyie Hill drove in Casey McGehee with the winning run in the bottom of the 9th. The Smokies lost to the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx 2-1 on Thursday. Justin Berg gave up a run on 5 hits with 4 walks and 3 strikeouts but Greg Reinhard took the loss after giving up a run in the 9th. The Daytona Cubs beat the St. Lucie Mets 7-2 on Thursday. Chad Fox made his second start and pitched 2 good innings. Scott Eyre made the start on Wednesday in his first rehab appearance. Eyre gave up a hit, struck out a batter and walked a batter.

The Peoria Chiefs were off on Thursday. Here is the rest from down on the farm....

The Cubs lost their first game in a week on Thursday afternoon in Denver as the 6-game winning streak came to an end. Aaron Cook shut down the Cubs offense as they managed only 2 runs on 4 hits on getaway day. But Jason Marquis was just as effective and the difference in the game was an error by Ryan Theriot in the bottom of the 8th.

Aaron Cook did not allow a base runner after the 2nd inning until the 8th when the Cubs tied the game on a fielder's choice off the bat of Mike Fontenot. Kevin Hart took the mound in the bottom of the inning, gave up a lead off double to Matt Holliday and after an intentional walk with 1-out to Brad Hawpe it appeared Hart had gotten out of the inning. Troy Tulowitzki hit a grounder to Ronny Cedeno, he flipped to Theriot to start the double play....but Theriot dropped the ball, Holliday scored and the Rockies added a 2-out insurance run later in the inning.

Jason Marquis (1-0, 3.86/1.53) vs. Aaron Cook (2-1, 3.12/1.08)

The Cubs will complete their 2-game series this afternoon against the Rockies in their only trip of the year to Denver. The Cubs will face the Rockies again at Wrigley for 4 games at the end of May but today, Jason Marquis will try to win his second game in a row.

The Chicago Cubs won their 10,000 game in dramatic, come from behind fashion. Lou Piniella's crew took a 3-0 lead into the 6th inning behind a very good performance by Rich Hill. The Rockies scored 5 runs in the bottom of the inning with 3 of the runs coming off the first home run of the season by Troy Tulowitzki. Derrek Lee cut the Rockies lead to 5-4 in the 7th and Aramis Ramirez gave the Cubs the lead in the 9th with his 6th home run of the season....a 2-run shot to left.

Kerry Wood struck out the first two batters he faced in the bottom of the 9th but Scott Podsednik reached on a pinch-hit single to left center. Ryan Spilborghs tripled him home to tie the game. Geovany Soto singled to lead off the 10th, Mike Fontenot pinch ran for him and with 2 outs, Ryan Theriot came through with the game winner....a single to right. Carlos Marmol retired the side in order in the 10th for the save.

The Cubs improved to 4-1 in extra inning games, won their 6th in a row and handed Lou Piniella his 100th win as a Cubs manager. In a twist of fate, Kerry Wood was credited with the win....but most importantly, the Cubs improved to 9 games over .500.

Rich Hill (1-0, 3.86/1.43) vs. Franklin Morales (1-1, 6.60/1.67)

The Cubs are off to their best start since 1975 and as a report in the Tribune mentioned, that Cubs' team "was 28-21 and in first place on June 5th, but went 47-66 the rest of the way to finish in a tie for fifth place in the NL East." So as Lou Piniella keeps reminding everyone, there are still a lot of games left to play this season.

Lou Piniella's crew opens a 2-game series tonight in Denver against the Rockies and another explosive offense. The Cubs have outscored their opponents 44-11 in the last 6 games and with the thin air in Coors Field....the Cubs might have to beat the Rockies at their own game.

Lou Piniella's crew swept the 2-game series against the Mets on Tuesday afternoon and finished one of the best homestands in recent memory with an improbable 7-1 record. The Cubs played solid fundamental baseball over the 8 games and took advantage of every opportunity they were given. Tuesday afternoon turned into 'The Ronny Cedeno Show' as the Cubs backup infielder drove in 5 runs and hit his first career grand slam in the 8th inning. Reed Johnson came through once again with a big 2-run RBI single in the 4th. Kosuke Fukudome had a perfect day at the plate....3-for-3 with 2 walks and 2 runs scored. The Cubs scored all 8 runs with 2 outs.

Ted Lilly turned in a solid performance to earn his first win of the year but his hustle in the 4th inning changed the game. Ronny Cedeno doubled in Kosuke Fukudome with the game's first run. Willie Randolph intentionally walked Henry Blanco and Lilly hit what appeared to be a routine ground out to 2nd base. Carlos Delgado tried to make a play on the ball, ended up out of position and Nelson Figueroa was late covering 1st....Lilly was safe with an infield single. Reed Johnson followed with his 2-RBI single to left.

Lilly made it through his 4th inning struggles and allowed only 1 run on 4 hits in 6 innings of work. The Cubs pitching staff surrendered only 2 runs to the Mets and neither of the runs was scored on a hit.

The first place Chicago Cubs are 8 games over .500 and after starting the season 0-2 they have won 14 of the last 18.

Ted Lilly (0-3, 9.16/1.71) vs. Nelson Figueroa (1-0, 3.60/0.80)

Lou Piniella's crew will look to finish the 8-game homestand today with a 7-1 record after an impressive win on Monday night. Ted Lilly's horrible start to the season has been well documented and unfortunately for the Cubs' southpaw....his biggest test of the season will come this afternoon against the Mets.

Ted Lilly showed improvement in his last start and today would be a good time to show results. The Cubs are 1-3 in games Lilly has started and that is the most important record that must improve.

Jon Heyman from SI.com then mentioned Lofton and the Cubs in a report on Monday...so are the Cubs really interested in Kenny Lofton?

It is always a great day when the Cubs beat the Mets, just ask Ron Santo. The first place Chicago Cubs and the New York Mets played an ole fashion nailbiter at Wrigley on Monday night that was much closer than the final score indicates. Carlos Zambrano turned in a gem and held the Mets to only 1 run on 5 hits in 7 innings....and the Cubs infield defense turned four double plays that helped Zambrano keep the Mets off the board.

Aramis Ramirez gave the Cubs a 2-run the lead in the 4th inning with his 5th home run of the season off of John Maine. The Mets cut the Cubs lead to 2-1 in the 6th and Lou Piniella's offense was unable to add to their lead until the 8th inning.

Derrek Lee reached on an error by Jose Reyes to start the 8th. Aaron Heilman then plunked Aramis Ramiez on the elbow to put runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs. On the 10th pitch of the at bat, Kosuke Fukudome singled to left to load the bases. Heilman settled down and struck out an overly anxious Mark DeRosa and retired Geovany Soto on a pop out to 2nd base. Ronny Cedeno turned in another great at bat and on the 7th pitch singled to left center. Lee and Ramirez scored those all-important tack-on runs.

Felix Pie was inserted as a defensive replacement in the top of the inning and came through at the plate. Pie took a 2-0 offering from Jorge Sosa into the bleachers in right field and circled the bases pumping his fist. All 5 runs in the 8th came with 2 outs.

Many of the experts questioned how good Lou Piniella's crew was following the sweep of the Pirates....and for one night they silenced those critics with a solid game against one of the elite teams in the National League.

Carlos Zambrano (2-1, 3.04/1.12) vs. John Maine (1-1, 3.78/1.80)

Lou Piniella's crew opens a 2-game series tonight against one of the best teams in the National League....the New York Mets. Ron Santo's favorite team is coming off a big series in Philadelphia where they took 2 of 3 from the Phillies.

The Cubs offense has been clicking on all cylinders....26 runs in the past 2 games, but will face a big test tonight against one of the NL's elite teams....

WGN reminded us all why we have followed the Cubs so intently year after year after year with a beautiful tribute to the most perfect marriage in all of professional sports....the Chicago Cubs and Channel 9, WGN.

The first place Chicago Cubs won their 9th straight against the Pirates and in the process improved to a season high 6 games above .500. The final score does not indicate how close the game was after the top of the 5th. After jumping out to a 5-0 lead, Ryan Dempster allowed 3 runs in the 5th. The Pirates loaded the bases with 2 outs but Ryan Dempster struck out Adam LaRoche to end the inning and the Pirates threat. The Cubs offense responded with 5 runs in the bottom of the inning to put the game away.

Reed Johnson and Ryan Theriot combined to score 6 of the Cubs 13 runs. Johnson was 2-for-5 with a double, hit by a pitch and scored 3 runs while Theriot was 4-for-5 with a double, a walk, 2 RBI's, a stolen base and 3 runs scored. Aramis Ramirez hit his 4th home run of the year, a 2-run shot in the 5th, finished the day 4-for-5 with 4 RBI's and was just a triple short of the cycle. A day after leaving with a stiff neck in the 6th inning, the red hot Derrek Lee was quietly 2-for-4 with a walk, 2 runs scored and 2 RBI's. Geovany Soto reached in all 4 trips to the plate with 2 singles and 2 walks. All of the starting eight recorded at least one hit.

Ryan Dempster put together another solid outing. After giving up a couple of hits in the 1st inning, Dempster retired 11 in a row. Dempster had pinpoint command once again....until the 5th inning. Dempster could not find the strike zone and gave up 3 runs on 3 hits with 2 walks and a hit batsman....but threw the pitch he needed to get out of trouble.

The Cubs outscored the Pirates 29-9 in the 3-game series and showed excellent patience at the plate.

Ryan Dempster (2-0, 2.37/0.95) vs. Zach Duke (0-0, 2.89/1.61)

After an inconsistent start to the season, the Cubs enter play today 5 games above .500 and just a half game back of the St. Louis Cardinals in the division. While it is too early to be looking at the standings, it is good to see the Cubs putting wins on the board....and that is all that really matters, right?

The Cubs will shoot for their second sweep of the year today behind Ryan Dempster in a rematch from the game on April 9th in Pittsburgh that the Cubs won 6-4 in 15 innings. The win on Saturday gave the Cubs their fourth series win of the young season but with games against the Mets, Rockies, Nationals, Brewers and Cardinals on the horizon, a victory today would be a good way to finish the third week of the year.

For the second time in the last 7 days, the Cubs set a new season high in runs scored as they moved to 5 games over .500 for the first time on the young season. The Cubs offense clicked on all cylinders and Jason Marquis turned in his best performance since last May. Derrek Lee put the Cubs on the board with his 7th home run of the year, a 2-run shot in the 1st inning and the Cubs plated runs in 5 of the 8 innings. Daryle Ward recorded his first hit of the season, a 2-run homer in the 7th that capped the Cubs scoring.

Lou Piniella's offense also set a season high in walks with 10 as they actually scored more runs than they recorded hits. Ryan Theriot had a big day with a 2-for-4 performance with 3 runs scored and a walk. Kosuke Fukudome reached base in 3 of his 5 trips to the plate with 2 runs scored and a stolen base. Ronny Cedeno turned in an excellent 12-pitch at bat in the Cubs' 4-run 3rd inning that helped add two runs. The patience at the plate the offense displayed on Saturday afternoon reflected in the final score.

Jason Marquis looked comfortable on the mound and showed very good command in his 6 innings of work. Marquis threw first pitch strikes to a majority of the batters he faced, kept the ball down and allowed only 1 run on 6 hits with 7 strikeouts and 1 walk. Lou Piniella needed production from the backend of his rotation and on consecutive days he received it.

Jason Marquis (0-0, 5.23/1.74) vs. Tom Gorzelanny (1-1, 6.75/1.84)

Updated - 10:25am C.T. - Matt Murton Recalled - Eric Patterson Optioned

The Cubs will try to make it two in a row today against the Pirates. Jason Marquis is still looking for his first win of the year but the Cubs are 2-0 in games he has started. The Cubs offense will have their hands full today with southpaw Tom Gorzelanny.

According to a report from the Chicago Tribune on Friday night, Reed Johnson will be at the top of Lou Piniella's lineup today....

Lou Piniella's crew won another close game against the Pirates on Friday afternoon at the old ballpark. The Cubs' offense had plenty of opportunities to put up runs early in the game but could not come through with the big hit. The offense totaled 9 hits on the afternoon, 4 were for extra bases....2 doubles and 2 triples.

The Cubs scored all 3 of their runs in the 4th inning after Kosuke Fukudome led off with his first career triple. Mark DeRosa followed with a single to right center to tie the game. After a double by Geovany Soto put runners on 2nd and 3rd, Reed Johnson reached on an infield single that scored DeRosa with the go ahead run. Eric Patterson drove in the third run of the inning on a fielder's choice.

Rich Hill pitched just good enough to pick up his first win of the year. He threw almost as many strikes as balls, but surrendered only 1 run on 3 hits with 3 walks and 4 strikeouts. Lou Piniella turned the game over to the pen after Hill qualified for the win. Carlos Marmol struck out 5 of the 9 batters he faced but did give up a solo home run to Nate McLouth in his 2 innings of work. Kerry Wood retired the side on 6 pitches in the 9th for the save.

Rich Hill (0-0, 5.00/1.56) vs. Ian Snell (2-0, 3.93/1.31)

The Cubs open a 3-game series today against those troublesome Pittsburgh Pirates. Lou Piniella's crew spoiled the first series of the year at PNC Park with a hard fought 3-game sweep of the Bucs....with the first two games totaling 27 innings. The Pirates will look to return the favor this weekend at Wrigley. After being swept by the Cubs, Pittsburgh took 3 from the Reds and then lost 2 of 3 to the Dodgers in Los Angeles.

Today is a big start for Rich Hill. Lou Piniella must find a way to get one of his southpaws on track. Look for 'Lou's Lineup Tinkering' to continue today as well after the less than spectacular offensive output on Thursday.

Here is the latest from down on the farm....

Lou Piniella's crew could not complete the 3-game sweep of the Reds and lost for the first time to their former manager on Thursday afternoon. The Cubs offense had plenty of chances against Edinson Volquez but could not string together any hits. Mark DeRosa and Reed Johnson supplied most of the Cubs offense. DeRosa reached in all 4 trips to the plate while Johnson was a perfect 4-for-4 with the Cubs' lone extra base hit, a double in the 6th. Henry Blanco drove in one of the Cubs runs but left a total of 7 runners on base. Blanco misunderstood a signal in the 4th inning and eventually struck out on a bunt attempt. Mike Fontenot did not fair much better. He was robbed twice by Joey Votto but finished the day 0-for-5 and left the same 7 runners on base.

Ted Lilly dropped his third game of the season after a very good start. Lilly hit the proverbial wall in the 4th inning again and left after 6 innings. He allowed 5 runs on 6 hits with 6 strikeouts and 3 walks. Joey Votto drove in all 5 runs off of Lilly with a 3-run double in the 4th and a 2-run homer in the 6th.

The Cubs are now 1-3 in games started by Ted Lilly. In those losses, the Cubs have been outscored 24-5....in their other 3 losses, the Cubs have been outscored only 17-9. Even with the loss, the Cubs won their third series of the season.

Ted Lilly (0-2, 9.95/1.82) vs. Edinson Volquez (1-0, 0.87/1.26)

The Cubs will try for the 3-game sweep this afternoon at the Friendly Confines behind Ted Lilly. Lou Piniella's second starter in his rotation is off to a bad start but will be facing a Reds' team that struggles against southpaws....something's going to give today. The Cubs offense will get a big test in the series finale, facing Edinson Volquez for the first time, after scoring 21 runs in the first two games.

Soriano repeatedly denied the injury was caused by, what he calls his "jump".

Lou Piniella's crew improved to a season-high four games over .500 with a decisive win on Wednesday night against the Reds. The Cubs offense exploded for 12 runs, another season-high, on 13 hits with only one home run. Kosuke Fukudome hit the first of 5 doubles on the night in the 1st inning that gave the Cubs a 2-run lead they would not relinquish. Mark DeRosa followed Fukudome with a 2-run double of his own and the Cubs scored 10 of their 12 runs in the first three innings. Derrek Lee hit his 6th home run of the year to lead off the 6-run 3rd inning. Lee added another 3-hit night and reached base in four out of five trips to the plate. Kosuke Fukudome was 2-for-3 with a double, 2 RBI's, 2 runs scored and 2 more walks.

Carlos Zambrano pitched a very good game after he was staked an early lead. Zambrano was efficient and threw only 102 pitches in 7 strong innings. He allowed 2 runs on 8 hits with a walk and 5 strikeouts. Zambrano also tied a career high with three hits....two singles, a double, a run scored and a RBI. Kevin Hart gave up a solo home run to Adam Dunn in the 8th that accounted for the Reds third run.

The Cubs have quietly won 8 of their last 10 games.

Carlos Zambrano (1-1, 3.20/1.07) vs. Josh Fogg (1-1, 7.00/1.33)

Update - Early Wednesday afternoon the Cubs placed Alfonso Soriano on the 15-day DL with a right calf strain and recalled Eric Patterson from Triple-A Iowa.

Lou Piniella's crew will try to make it two in a row against the Reds tonight behind their ace, Carlos Zambrano. The Cubs must continue what they started on Tuesday night....score early and often and keep the pressure on a very good lineup. The Reds will be desperate for a win after dropping four in a row. Hopefully, the 'good' Zambrano will show up with the same stuff he had in his first two starts of the year.

Updated - 4:07pm C.T. - It is Official.... Alfonso Soriano was placed on the 15-day DL on Wednesday with a right calf strain according to a report on Cubs.com and Eric Patterson was recalled.

Lou Piniella's crew handed the Reds their fourth loss in a row with a solid come from behind win. The Reds scored in the 2nd inning on a single by Edwin Encarnacion but Mark DeRosa gave the Cubs a brief 2-1 lead with his second home run in as many games in the bottom of the 2nd. Ken Griffey, Jr. hit the 595th home run of his Hall of Fame career in the 3rd to put the Reds back on top, 3-2.

Ryan Dempster settled down and turned in another quality start while Derrek Lee and the Cubs offense put runs on the board in three of the last four innings. Lee gave the Cubs the lead for good with a 3-run homer in the 5th after a Mike Fontenot double and a Ryan Theriot walk. Aramis Ramirez doubled home Lee in the 7th and DeRosa added his third RBI of the night on a deep single to center. Ryan Theriot hit his first home run of the year, a 2-run shot that put the game out of reach in the 8th.

The Cubs handed Aaron Harang his first career loss at Wrigley Field and held Corey Patterson hitless in four trips to the plate. The Cubs offense picked a good time to pound out 9 runs on 14 hits but it was their defense that once again played a big role in the win.

Piniella did not speculate how long he would be out and said he hopes it will be only a couple of days but added, "He might be out for a while." A report on Cubs.com has Soriano's status listed as day to day.

Ryan Dempster (1-0, 0.69/0.62) vs. Aaron Harang (1-1, 2.14/0.90)

Lou Piniella's crew opens an 8-game homestand tonight against a familiar face in Dusty Baker....as well as a list of several former Cubs that includes Corey Patterson, Paul Bako, Chris Speier, David Weathers and Kent Mercker. The Reds send their ace, Aaron Harang, to the mound in the first night game of the new season at Wrigley Field. Tonight's game figures to be filled with a tremendous amount of determination by the Reds to beat the Cubs for their new manager....and at the same time, end their 3-game losing streak.

In the end it was the Cubs defense that ended up being the difference in the finale against the Phillies. Derrek Lee made a game saving play to force extra innings after Kerry Wood and Ryan Theriot turned in a gem for the first out in the 9th. Then in the 10th, Ronny Cedeno made a solid play on a grounder off the bat of So Taguchi to end the game with the tying and winning runs on base.

Jason Marquis did exactly what a number five pitcher in any rotation is supposed to do....he kept his team in the game and gave them a chance to win. Marquis was not sharp but he was effective. He pitched his way in and out of trouble in the early innings and it was actually the Phillies' overly aggressive hitters that kept them from adding to their lead. Marquis gave up 2 runs on 4 hits with 5 walks and 2 strikeouts in 5 innings.

Michael Wuertz blew the save and surrendered 3 runs on 4 hits in the 6th without recording an out. Sean Marshall allowed an inherited runner to score but otherwise he did his job. Carlos Marmol struck out Pedro Feliz to end the 6th and retired the Phillies in order in the 7th. Kerry Wood gave up a hit, a walk and hit a batter in his 2 innings of relief but did not allow a run and picked up his first win of the season. Bobby Howry surrendered a 2-out double in the 10th to Chase Utley and after an intentional walk to Ryan Howard, retired Taguchi on the ground ball to Cedeno for his first save of the year.

For all the deficiencies that have surfaced over the first two weeks of the season for the Cubs to be 7-5 and to finish a 6-game road trip with a 4-2 record is an accomplishment all in its own.

Jason Marquis (0-0, 6.75/1.69) vs. Jamie Moyer (1-0, 4.66/1.76)

Lou Piniella's crew will try to salvage the finale of the 3-game series today against Jamie Moyer. A win today would give the Cubs a 4-2 record on the 6-game road trip and would make Monday's off day that much more enjoyable....especially with Dusty Baker's Cincinnati Reds opening a 3-game series on Tuesday at Wrigley.

Jason Marquis was scheduled to start the first game of the series on Friday but a case of strep throat pushed his start until today. The Cubs need a solid outing from Marquis....but more than anything they are in search of a victory to finish the trip on a winning note.

After winning the first three games of the road trip, the Cubs dropped their second in row and were dominated once again by Cole Hamels. Lou Piniella's offense managed only 1 hit and 2 walks in the first 7 innings against Hamels and his tremendous straight changeup. When they did make contact, several Cubs hit the ball hard, but only a double by Derrek Lee in the 4th inning found green. Ryan Theriot reached on a fielder's choice in the 8th and scored on a single to right by Alfonso Soriano that accounted for the Cubs only run. The Cubs offense totaled 6 base runners, 3 hits and 3 walks in 9 innings.

For the third time in as many starts Ted Lilly could not complete 5 innings. Lilly once again struggled with his command, threw a lot of pitches and gave up 5 runs on 7 hits in 4 1/3 innings. Lilly surrendered two more home runs, one to Pedro Feliz in the 2nd inning and the other was a 2-run bomb to right center by Ryan Howard in the 5th that ended his night.

Ted Lilly (0-1, 9.72/1.68) vs. Cole Hamels (1-1, 1.20/1.00)

A sixteenth of the 2008 season is complete. The Cubs are 6-4 and have shown glimpses of how good the team is capable of playing....but they have also shown the opposite. Lou Piniella's crew must work on building consistency, getting on base and most importantly cut down on all of the extra opportunities they are giving to the other teams on a daily basis. Today is a big game for the Cubs, not in terms of the standings or record, but for Ted Lilly.

Read on for more on tonight's match-up, the latest from the newsroom and a little speculation from the CCO....

The Cubs' 5-game winning streak came to an end on Friday night in Philadelphia at the hands of Brett Myers. Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez hit back-to-back home runs in the 1st inning but the Cubs offense managed only 6 hits on the night against the Phillies' top pitcher. Alfonso Soriano