On a night when we learned that Carlos Zambrano will be returning to the starting rotation shortly, a different Carlos was able to steal the show by pitching six scoreless innings before allowing a two-run home run without recording an out in the seventh and being taken out.

After going 2-9 in an 11 game stretch, the Cubs have been able to pull off three strait wins after taking the finale against the division rival Pittsburgh Pirates and sweeping a two game series against the Colorado Rockies.

The Cubs were helped offensively by young shortstop Starlin Castro who put the Cubs up 2-0 on a fielders choice in the fourth to help give the Cubs some early insurance on the Rockies.

Then, in the eighth, he knocked in Tyler Colvin, who scored twice and stole his first career base, on an infield single to put the Cubs up 4-2. Later in the inning, the Castro scored on a Ryan Theriot single along with Geovany Soto to give the Cubs the final score of 6-2.

The bullpen, which has been an issue for the Cubs this season, pitched very well last night, allowing just one hit and one walk over the last three innings.

After Silva was pulled, Esmailin Caridad came in and walked Miguel Olivo. Caridad was immediately replaced by James Russell, who struck out two and finished the inning.

Sean Marshall pitched a scoreless eighth and Carlos Zambrano pitched a perfect ninth while striking out two and finally having a good outing in the bullpen.

Zambrano received more good news when he found out later that night that he would be returning to the rotation after a few long relief appearances.

With diminished velocity and poor performances, the bullpen experiment has been a complete failure. The only problem is, who will Zambrano replace?

The starting rotation has been the only positive for the Cubs and the only reasonable suggestion for the Cubs may be to move to a six man rotation. Although there is no definitive ace on the staff, there is also no weak spot in the rotation either.

Adding Zambrano, will likely give the Cubs one of those two things.

Zambrano’s velocity has been his mark in the past, but over the past two seasons his fastball has dropped from the mid 90’s to the high 80’s, reaching the around 90-91 on occasion. Without his fastball, he has lost his edge and hitters are taking advantage.

This season, Zambrano came in laid an egg in the season opener against the Atlanta Braves, getting pulled after just 1.1 innings and allowing eight runs.

That one start, however, was seemingly his only bad start. Over his next three starts before getting put in the bullpen he pitched 18 innings and allowed eight runs. That isn’t ace material, but it’s an ERA of 4.00 through three starts, which isn’t worthy of being put into the bullpen.

Since going to the bullpen, Zambrano has allowed six runs in 9.2 innings, but five of those runs came in two appearances while he has six scoreless appearances.

Zambrano was moved to the bullpen in hopes that he could find his velocity and give the Cubs a legitimate set-up man for Carlos Marmol. It appears that Marshall will be moving into that spot for the remainder of the season.

Although Zambrano is no ace, he will get a chance to prove that he should be a starter when he gets back into the rotation.

It was a great night for Cubs named Carlos, now it’s time to see if guys named Carlos can make a great season for the Cubs.

I’m Joe W.

Their corner-infielders have become stars in Chicago, and they have had lovable middle-infielders as well.

Here is a look at the expected starting line-up for the infield:

C: Geovany Soto
1B: Derek Lee
2B: Mike Fontenot
SS: Ryan Theriot
3B: Aramis Ramirez

This will likely be the strong point for the Cubs, as it has been for the past couple of years.

Lee and Ramirez had great offensive seasons last year, combining for 50 home runs and 176 RBI, despite Ramirez missing major time due to injury.

Both had averages over .300 and OBP’s near .400, and they will need to continue that success if the Cubs want to have any chance at winning the NL Central.

Theriot and Fontenot were both Cubbie favorites while they were splitting time at their respective positions, but once they were given the reigns, they somewhat disappointed.

Although Theriot was still average on offense for a shortstop…despite a slight drop off from his career stats, he wasn’t far below his career averages.

Theriot will likely be backed up by Andres Blanco, who isn’t as stellar offensively but has a lot to offer with his glove.

However, Fontenot was unable to capitalize on his Cubbie fame and batted a lowly .236 with an OBP of .301, not something you want from a guy who doesn’t have a lot of power.

Fontenot needs to be careful because the Cubs have a lot of young talent at second base, and if he doesn’t pick up the pace he could be replaced by Jeff Baker.

Baker came to the Cubs last season from the Colorado Rockies, and was solid when he was able to play. He hit .305 with four home runs in 69 games in a Cub uniform.

After a tantalizing rookie season, Soto had a bad case of the sophomore slump. He followed up his rookie campaign of batting .285 with 23 home runs and 86 RBI by batting .218 with 11 home runs and 47 RBI’s.

Soto is going to need to work on his swing and get back to the magic that made his rookie season or he might see more and more of his playing time going to Koyie Hill, who is a really good defensive catcher.

The Cubs have a solid infield this season, but there could be some changes throughout the season to shore up short stop and catcher.

I’m Joe W.

Derek Lee lead the Cubs with a career-high seven RBI’s on two home runs, going 2-4 on the day.

Ryan Dempster had a decent start, allowing just three earned runs in six and 2/3 innings, tying a season high with nine strikeouts.

The Cubs scored all of their runs on home runs, starting with Lee’s first home run, a three-run jack in the first inning which also drove in Sam Fuld and Ryan Theriot.

Two batters later, Jake Fox hit another home run, this one a solo shot that put the Cubs up 4-0 in the first inning.

The Brewers battled back in the second with a Mike Cameron home run that also knocked in Prince Fielder.

The Cubs again broke out in the fourth inning, starting off with a Geovany Soto solo home run with no outs.

Later inning, Lee stepped to the plate with one out and the bases loaded and drove the ball completely out of the park, also driving in Fuld, Theriot and Mike Fontenot.

The Brewers scored three more runs throughout the game, but were no match for the Cubs’ power and couldn’t pull off the comeback.

McClung only lasted three and 1/3 innings and allowed seven runs by the Cubs.

Alfonso Soriano was given his second strait game off, as the three time Silver Slugger Award winner hasn’t hit a home run since June 7 and has been batting just .179 over the last 35 games.

The nine runs were the most runs for the team since May 25 when the Cubs scored 10 runs against the Pirates. They had also been shut out twice in the four games heading into tonight.

Aramis Ramirez is slated to start his rehab tomorrow in Single A ball. Reed Johnson will start the next day, also in Single A.

Jeff Baker update

Jim Hendry had this to say about the new infielder, who will be backing up Ramirez when he makes his return.

“A different kind of player than Freel was. We thought now that he’s healthy again, he might have a little more bang … When you’re not going great and you’re not playing the way you’re capable of offensively, you just try to mix and match, get a little spark here like Sammy Fuld gave us [Wednesday] night.”

Baker had this to say.

“I’m beyond excited. Coming in here, this is one of the trips as a visitor you circle every year, and being on this side, obviously you’re excited.”

-Joe Willett

Still, I found Geo’s explanation that this was “an isolated incident” to be borderline ridiculous.

Look, the WBC is a big deal to Puerto Rico. And Geo knew, in advance, that he would be tested.

Recognizing that, I feel that someone really has to be a habitual pot smoker for him to not be willing (or able) to quit long enough to pass a drug test.

Thus, whether it was the guilt of knowing that the news was going to come out, or the fact that the drug made Geo hungry enough to eat half of Puerto Rico, it obviously has affected his season.

Geo came into the season fat and looking sluggish. Now, whether due to the weight of the impending announcement off his shoulders, or perhaps some new-found sobriety, Soto is starting to hit the ball with more authority. His performance is critical for the Cubs.

Dare I say he’s “smoking” hot?

Cubs Manager Lou Piniella Admits He Smoked Dope Too

Hey, the Cubs clubhouse must be a wild place following a victory, what with all the pot heads on this team! Seriously, however, Lou’s admission that he once tried marijuana is hilarious.

Lou said it did nothing for him, which, as smokers know, is often what happens the first couple times one tries pot.

But it is still a funny visual to think of the crazy Cubs manager high on dope, isn’t it?

Should we change his nickname from “Sweet Lou” to “Sweet Leaf Lou”?

Milton Bradley Told to Take His Glove and Go Home

Finally, Lou gets some guts and does what he admits he should have done before: stand up to this idiot and take charge of his clubhouse.

This was the Lou we all thought we were getting when he was hired to replace the sleepy dude, Dusty Baker.

Look, this should be no surprise to the Cubs. Didn’t Jim Hendry say that the team was lacking fire? Well, Bradley gets angry and does his best Big Z impression and he gets tossed while Lou chuckles at Zambrano?

Well, not so fast. Apparently there is more to this story than has been reported. According to sources on the Bleed Cubbie Blue website, Bradley had words with Carlos Zambrano, and has routinely been the last player to arrive to games.

The site goes on to quote unnamed sources as indicating that writers in the other cities where Milton has played have called him “a clubhouse cancer in the truest sense of the word”.

A former teammate called Bradley “the biggest a-hole he had ever had as a teammate.”

While many of us suspected this was a marriage doomed to fail, few of us thought that Milton would struggle as badly on offense as he has.

I guess his antics are much more tolerable when the team is winning and he is hitting.

This is on you, Jim Hendry. I wish the Cubs would just release him. But that won’t happen, not with a guaranteed $30 million over three years.

Cubs Take Game One vs. White Sox

In the “my bad team is better than your bad team” series, the Cubs drew first blood. So much for momentum.

The Sox had just come off of winning a three-game series vs. the best team in baseball, while the Cubs had lost four in a row.

Yet the Cubbies walk into the Cell and edge the Sox. Yes, baseball is an unpredictable sport.

What to do with Jake Fox?

In many ways, this is a welcome problem to have. With no designated hitter in the NL, the Cubs seem to have cornered the market on players who can hit but don’t have a position.

While Fox has looked fine at third base so far, the reports are that he is brutal defensively. But we do know the man can hit AAA pitching.

We cannot get too carried away by his recent power surge because, as we learned from the hot starts of Kosuke Fukudome and the early impressions of Micah Hoffpauir, major league pitchers eventually learn to adjust.

But the early returns seem to indicate that Jake can rake. If so, I believe Lou will continue to find a spot for him, even if it’s behind the plate, where he started his career.

Mark DeRosa is Traded to the Cardinals

Sure, the trade that sent DeRosa to the Indians was awful. And sure, we’re all sorry that the Cubs couldn’t re-acquire him.

But the real salt-in-the-wound moment came when Cleveland traded the versatile DeRosa to the St. Louis Cardinals. I mean, come on, did it have to be the Cardinals?

Look, Mark isn’t an elite player, but he can play many positions, has some power (his 13 homers would be second on the current Cubs squad), and he is a stand up guy in the clubhouse.

Jim Hendry, your off-season just got worse, come to think of it.

-Bob Warja

Fontenot went 4-5 with two runs, one RBI and a home run.  Not a bad night for the birthday boy.

But Fontenot’s night was just a footnote on a night when the Cubs were finally able to break out of the funk that they have been in all season and pull out a 7-1 win over the down-trodden Astros.

The Cubs were finally able to capitalize on a strong pitching performance, giving Ted Lilly plenty of room to sit back and pitch without pressure, and he responded well to the run support.

Lilly allowed just three hits, two walks and no runs over six and 2/3 innings.  Lilly’s strong performance was yet another quality start for one of the most consistent pitchers in the Cubs starting lineup.

He also brought a no-hitter into the sixth inning, but had it broken up by Hunter Pence.

The Cubs put up three runs in the first inning, thanks to RBI’s by Kosuke Fukudome, Derek Lee and Geovany Soto to put the Cubs up before Lilly even had to step on the mound.

Ted Lilly led off the second inning hitting a triple, and helped his cause as he scored later that inning off of an Astro error.

Birthday boy Fontenot hit a solo home run the next inning to put the Cubs up 5-0, giving a sizeable lead to Lilly.

The Cubs shut the door on the Astros in the sixth when Andres Blanco hit a ground rule double to right with the bases loaded, bringing in Lee and Fontenot and giving the Cubs a 7-0 lead.

A Lance Berkman home run in the ninth was all the offense the Astros could muster, as they fell to the Cubs 7-1, dropping the first game in this series.

The Cubs were finally able to capatalize with runners in scoring position, a quality that they had been struggling with throughout the season.

Fukudome had two RBI’s and reached base four of six times (two hits, two walks).  Lee had one RBI, went 2-3, walked three times and scored two runs.  Geovany Soto broke out of his funk as he went 3-5 with an RBI.

Astros starting pitcher Brian Moehler pitched his shortest start since he sprained his knee against Pittsburgh.  Moehler pitched just three innings and allowed five runs on eight hits.

The Cubs are now tied for second place in the NL Central, 2.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Cubs play the Astros tomorrow at 7:05 p.m.

Rich Harden is slated to make his return on Saturday against the Minnesota Twins.

-Joe Willett

Photo from Associated Press

However, they have struggled mightily this season and they have been unable to live up to the high expectations that accompanied a seemingly unstoppable pitching rotation and batting order.

As of late, the Cubs have been even worse, as they have gone 3-5 in the month of May.  What the problem has been for the Cubs is an inability to be consistently strong.

When they have great offensive days, they have been accompanied with great pitching days, and bad offensive days have been accompied with dismal pitching.

In the Cubs three wins this month, they have scored 7, 10 and 11 runs in each game, but in their five losses, they scored 0, 1, 3, 2 and 2 runs.  Compare that to the 2, 3 and 3 runs allowed in the three wins and the 3, 7, 4, 8 and 7 runs in the losses.

The Cubs need to be able to put together more wins, and that starts with both sides of the ball being held responsible when both sides are dismal in the same game.

One of the main reasons for the Cubs woes so far this season is the awful offensive production by players who were looked at as people who needed to contribute for the Cubs to be strong.

Mark Bradley, who was brought in to give the Cubs a strong left handed bat, isn’t averaging a hit for every 10 at bats, and has hit just one home run in a Cubs uniform.

Derek Lee is hitting just .200 with only one home run so far this season, he also has just 10 RBI’s and hasn’t stolen a base this season.

Last year’s National League Rookie of the Year, Geovany Soto, is batting just .111 and hasn’t hit a home run.  This adds to the fact that he has missed five full games this season and has accounted for just five runs (2 RBI’s, 3 runs).

But their hitting isn’t the only problem for the Cubs this season, their pitching has been just as bad, if not worse, than the hitting.

More Cubs have an ERA over 6.00 than one under 3.00 (four to two).

And, the Cubs vaunted starting pitching, which was supposed to be one of the best starting fives in the MLB hasn’t lived up to the hype.

Every starter has an ERA over 3.00 and the Cubs top two pitchers are pitching the worst in the lineup.

Despite a quality start last night, Carlos Zambrano’s ERA is 4.64 and Ryan Dempster’s is 5.40.  This is the opposite of what you want from what was supposed to be one of the best starting lineups in all of baseball.

The two “quality pitchers” in the Cubs bullpen, who were in the heated closing competition all spring, are both having dismal seasons.

Carlos Mamol’s ERA is 6.75, and Kevin Gregg’s is 6.23.  Who knew that Neal Cotts would be having a better season than both of these two.

The only pitcher with over 10 innings pitched and an ERA under three is Aaron Heilman, who has a 0.82 ERA in 11 innings of work.  He also has as many wins as Zambrano, Rich Harden and Ted Lilly, and more wins than Ryan Dempster.

The Cubs need to finally get their stuff together, and they need to start playing up to their full potential.  The Cubs are a team that needs a lot of production out their power spots in the lineup, and they just haven’t gotten that this year.

Without the pitching to make up for it, the Cubs may be in line for a mediocre season without much winning.

Then again, there are 142 games left for the Cubs, and anything can happen.

-Joe Willett

So when Soto removed himself from Tuesday’s night’s game against the Astros due to what has been termed as “shoulder soreness,” the red flags and alarms shot up like fireworks on the Fourth of July.

To recap, Soto felt discomfort in his right shoulder while attempting to throw out Astros second baseman Kaz Matsui, who was trying to steal second base. After that, Cubs backup catcher Koyie Hill came on to replace him, temporarily befuddling Cubs announcers Len Kasper and Bob Brenly.

For his part, Soto said all the right things, using nebulous terms like “fatigue” instead of saying that it felt like someone was carving their initials into his shoulder.

“I kind of over-exposed my shoulder a little bit,” Soto said. “There was a little discomfort in my shoulder. I felt some weakness in it, and I felt I didn’t have a shot if somebody else [tried to steal].”

Look, “over-exposed” and “weakness” sound like terms used when agents, GMs, and other people advise players on how not to create panic. It’s a lot like when pitchers say they have “tightness in their forearm,” which really means their elbow hurts like hell.

I’m not trying to be an alarmist, perhaps this isn’t such a big deal. But one thing that Soto mentioned made me give pause: he said he needs to keep up on his “exercises”.

“I just have to stay on top of my exercises, and I’ll be all right in a couple days. As long as I stay in good shape and do my exercises, it won’t happen again all year.”

Was he talking about normal exercises they teach catchers to do to prevent injury?

Or, was he given exercises as a result of some previous injury?

After all, Soto did say he experienced the same problem during spring training. A casualty of the WBC perhaps?

Koyie Hill did a nice job replacing Soto and will start tonight in Houston. But let’s face it, we need Geo if we’re going to win the division again this year. He’s a force offensively and behind the plate. He’s no Johnny Bench or Pudge, but pitchers like throwing to him and he blocks balls in the dirt well.

Well, one thing is for certain—we sure can’t afford to have anything happen to Hill tonight.

Consider this: When asked who the emergency third catcher is, Lou Piniella said: “Me.”

I don’t believe that the 65-year old manager would have a lot of mobility, come to think of it.

-Bob Warja

Despite not pitching deep into the games, both Jason Marquis (5.1 IP) and Rich Harden (five IP) pitched effectively and got the win.

The game one hitting stars were Jim Edmonds and Geo Soto, while Fosuke Fukudome and Aramis Ramirez were the best in game two.

Which brings me to a question: didn’t Lou cause a stir the other day when he suggested that Kosuke would be hitting the pine more often due to his anemic hitting? So what does Sweet Lou do?

He starts Foo Man Choo in both games of the DH. Normally, even players going well get one of the games off. But no, not this time.

And it’s a good thing this happened, for Kosuke got two hits and drove in two runs in the second game.

Like Max Madsen, Lou may be mad and bad, but he’s not crazy…

With the wins, the Cubs moved ever closer to the Holy Grail of .500 on the road, improving to 28-30.

They go for the series sweep on Thursday, my birthday, with veteran lefties, Ted Lilly and Tom Glavine scheduled to start.

A win on my b-day is the only present I need, come to think of it.

-Bob Warja

They send three players who will start, three pitchers, and one reserve.

So what is the scouting report on each player that is reppen Cubbie blue?

Gevoany Soto

Soto has been a great addition for the Cubs and has helped get the taste of Michael Barrett out of our mouthes.

He is batting .291 with 14 home runs and 51 RBI’s, outstanding numbers for any player, especially a catcher who spends the game destroying their knees.

It’s not his first All-Star game, he has been to two minor league All-Star games.

Kosuke Fukudome

Fukudome has been a big addition from the Cubs in his first season from Japan. He has helped the Cubs be a more patient team, and his stats aren’t half bad either.

He has a .285 batting average with seven home runs, 35 RBI’s, eight stolen bases, and a .391 OBP.

He’s not only an offensive player, he is a great defensive player as well, shown by his many diving catches this season as well as winning a Gold Glove in Japan.

Alfonso Soriano

Soriano may have spent a lot of time on the DL, but he has been good when he has played.

Despite being a streaky player who has missed time, he still has 15 home runs, 40 RBI’s, and seven stolen bases with a .283 batting average.

Soriano has also been voted in for his defense, which has been stellar throughout his career.

Ryan Dempster

Dempster has been a big surprise for the Cubs ever since moving back from the closer spot.

This season, he has a 3.24 ERA, a 9-3 record, and 91 strikeouts, and emerged as a solid number two on the Cubs.

Carlos Zambrano

Zambrano has been stellar like always for the Cubs, which has earned him yet another All-Star selection.

Zambrano has been pitching especially well this season, however, currently at 9-3 with a 2.96 ERA and 73 strike outs.

Kerry Wood

Wood has been another big surprise for the Cubs. He was expected to be a good middle relief pitcher at best, but he has stepped into the closer role perfectly.

He has 22 saves so far this season, second in the NL, as well as a 2.91 ERA, which means he is only going to give up a run once every 3 games.

Aramis Ramirez

Ramirez has been just as good as always, bringing power to the middle of the lineup. He has also been a good defensive player despite his lack of quickness.

He has 15 home runs on the season, which puts him on pace for yet another season with over 30 homers. He is also batting .280 with 57 RBI’s.

So there you have it, the Cubs All-Stars.

Hope you all enjoyed your 4th of July’s, and enjoy todays game against the Cards.

What’s even better is that the Cubs were able to pull off the win 2-1, which is different than the way they outscored teams earlier this season.

Zambrano allowed zero runs, four hits, two walks, and five strikeouts in six innings of work.

The only run for the Cardinals came on a two-out eighth inning home run by Albert Pujols, his 18th on the year.

The Cubs scored on a first inning home run by Kosuke Fukudome and a fourth inning home run by Geovany Soto.

Wood came in for the save in the ninth, his 22nd on the year, allowing just one runner to reach first base.

Soto was the Cubs Player of the Night, going three for three with a home run and an RBI.

The Hard Luck Player of the Night was Branden Looper of the Cardinals. Despite pitching seven innings and allowing just two runs, he still received the loss and struck out on both plate appearances.

The Cubs seem to be back on track with the return of Aramis Ramirez, Reed Johnson, and Carlos Zambrano.

Their lead in the NL Central opened up to 3.5 games, and they still have the second best record in baseball.

It seems like the slump is over, and I hope I am right. Tomorrow’s game is going to be pivotal, because winning the series against the Cards is going to be very important.

Hope everybody enjoyed their 4th of July, not to much drinking.

For me, it’s 1:30 in the morning and I am tired, good night.