MLB highlights from June 15th

Brewers At Indians 6/15/09


Angels At Giants 6/15/09

MLB Highlights 4-30-09

Padres Vs Dodgers


Atletics vs Rangers


Angels Vs Yankees


Red Sox Vs Rays


Matt Garza talks about his fantastic outing.


Marlins Vs Cubs


Diamondbacks Vs Brewers


Cardinals Vs Nationals

MLB Highlights 4-21-09

Mets Vs Cardinals


Athletics Vs Yankees


White Sox Vs Orioles


Rangers Vs Blue Jays


Braves Vs Nationals


Marlins Vs Pirates


Rays Vs Mariners


Tigers Vs Angels


Padres Vs Giants


Royals Vs Indians


Dodgers Vs Astros


Rockies Vs Diamondbacks


Reds Vs Cubs


Brewers Vs Phillies

BBTN Minute: Cubs Change Closers

Baseball Tonight looks ahead to Cubs vs. Brewers on Sunday Night Baseball

Watch the game tonight on ESPN or listen to it tonight on ESPN Radio!

MLB Highlights 4-10-09

Here Are Your MLB Highlights from last night, April 10th!
Cubs vs Brewers 4-10-09


Diamondbacks Vs Dodgers 4-10-09


Mariners Vs Athletics 4-10-09


Giants vs Padres 4-10-09


Phillies Vs Rockies 4-10-09


Mets Vs Marlins 4-10-09


Nationals Vs Braves 4-10-09



Yankees Vs Royals 4-10-09


Blue Jays Vs Indians 4-10-09


Astros Vs Cardinals 4-10-09


Twins Vs White Sox 4-10-09


Rays Vs Orioles 4-10-09


Rangers Vs Tigers 4-10-09

MLB highlights 4-9-09

Here Are Your MLB Highlights from last night courtesy of ESPN Video!
Dodgers Vs Padres 4-9-09


Rays Vs Red Sox 4-9-09


New York Yankees Vs Orioles 4-9-09


Giants Vs Brewers 4-9-09


New York Mets Vs Reds 4-9-09


St. Louis Vs Pittsburgh 4-9-09


Cleveland Vs Texas 4-9-09


Royals vs White Sox 4-9-09


Mariners Vs Twins 4-9-09


Detroit vs Toronto

MLB Highlights 4-7-09

Here Are Your MLB Highlights from Last Night, April 7th!

Here are the highlights from two Opening Day Games That were played yesterday after being rained out Monday.

Rays Vs Red Sox 4-7-09 (rained out Monday)


Royals Vs White Sox 4-7-09 (snowed out Monday)


Here are the games that were actually supposed to be played last night!
Brewers Vs Giants 4-7-09


Detroit Vs Toronto 4-7-09


Colorado Vs Arizona 4-7-09


Oakland Vs Los Angeles Angels 4-7-09


Washington Vs Florida 4-7-09


Atlanta Vs Philadelphia 4-7-09


Cardinals vs Pirates 4-7-09


Seattle Vs Minnesota 4-7-09


Chicago Cubs Vs Houston 4-7-09


Los Angeles Dodgers Vs San Diego 4-7-09

C. C. Sabathia To Yankees A Done Deal?

C.C Sabathia is being courted by the New York Yankees.

The Yankees are, according to reports, offering Sabathia the richest contract for a pitcher ever, six years and slightly higher than the record $137.5 million deal lured Johan Santana to the New York Mets before last season.

The New York Yankees found themselves in unfamiliar territory last season (Not in The Playoffs) and they are going to throw money at their deficencies, just like the Yankees have always done.

The other part of this is that while this is astronomical salry for any pitcher, C.C. loves the National League because he gets a chance to swing the bat. It would be funny if C.C. put a provision in his Yankees contract saying something like "The New York Yankees will not use a Designated Hitter on Days C.C. is pitching." That way C.C would still get to bat.

This won't happen, though.

The Yankees need to regroup after missing the playoffs. C.C. Sabathia is a great first step.

Phillies Beat Brewers to Clinch Series

For the first time since 1993, the Phillies are in the National League Championship Series. The Eastern Division champs advanced with a 6-2 win over Milwaukee in Game Four of the divisional playoff.


So The Philladelphia Phillies will play the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.

The NLCS starts Thursday, October 9th On Fox.

The ALCS starts Friday, October 10th on TBS.

The MLB Postseason Is Here! I LIVE FOR THIS!

Prince Fielder,Derrek Lee, Ryan Howard, and David Ortiz are ready for the postseason.

The 2008 MLB Posteason Is Here! Here Is My Analysis of the Divisional Playoff Matchups:

ALDS: WHITE SOX VS RAYS
The White Sox had to battle to get to the postseason. They won that makeup game against the Twins to tie for the AL Central, and then they won that tiebreaker game against the Twins to advance to the ALDS to play the red hot Tampa Bay Rays.

Tampa Bay leads the season series against the White Sox 6-4. In these games, the Rays had a knack for waiting until late in the ballgame to strike, and when they struck late, it was for the win nearly every time.

I think this series has the most potential to go all five games. I'm going to go with the White Sox, especially if their bullpen is as strong as it has been in the last few days.
WHITE SOX IN FIVE


ALDS: RED SOX VS ANGELS

This series should be a lot of fun. There will be a lot of runs scored in this series, and I like the Angels. They have been the best team in the American League all season. As someone who saw the Angels play in person on September 19th,They have so many ways they can beat you. They can outhit you, outpitch you, and when Francisco Rodriguez on the mound in the ninth inning, those games are over, no question about it.

The Angels lead the season Series 8-1, and that was before the Red Sox unloaded Manny Ramirez.
ANGELS IN THREE


NLDS: PHILLIES VS BREWERS

This is another series that I think will be a lot of fun. I think both Prince Fielder and Ryan Howard will both be huge factors in their teams and how they do.

Starting Pitching wise, Milwaukee has the edge, especially with C.C Sabathia. The fact that he threw a complete game on Sunday on three days rest is incredible!

Bullpen wise, Philly has a huge advantage, especially when you consider Brad Lidge, the Phillies closer, has been PERFECT in his save opportunities! 41 for 41 in save chances!

Offense wise, Philly has a slight edge. Yes, Milwaukee has Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder, but Philly has Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Pedro Feliz, and Ryan Howard lead an offense that Is Scary Good.

Philly beat Milwaukee 5-1 in the season series.
PHILLIES IN FOUR



NLDS: DODGERS VS CUBS

This is the series I will be looking forward to. The thing that turned the season around for the Los Angeles Dodgers was the trade of Manny Ramirez. Why Is Manny Ramirez doing so well in Los Angeles? He no longer has a 37 foot high Green Monster out in left field taking away lots of shots that would-be homers at every other ballpark.

The Dodgers are more than just Manny Ramirez. They have Matt Kemp, Andre Eithier, and James Loney. This team has been able to fuse the young talent along with the veteran leadership, and as a result, the Dodgers are in the postseason.

Game One of this series should be a lot of fun. You have Ryan Dempster getting the ball for the Cubs. Dempster won 17 games for the Cubs this year, after he spent last season as the Cubs closer! Derek Lowe for the Dodgers is a classic sinkerballer, just like Brandon Webb. Hopefully the Cubbies plate discipline doesn't disappear when they head to the postseason.

This Cubs team is different than last season's team that went three and out in the National League Division Series. The Cubs have five players with at least 20 home runs, five with at least 74 RBIs, and Three pitchers that have at least 14 wins.

Another thing that the Cubs didn't have last year that should make the difference is Home Field Advantage. The Cubs have home field advantage throughout the playoffs. That 10th man, the crowd, makes all the difference.

In The Season series, the Cubs went 5-2 against the Dodgers this season. However, The Dodgers have become a much different team since then. Manny Ramirez really has made all the difference.

CUBS IN FOUR

Watch The MLB Postseason On TBS Or Listen To It On ESPN Radio!

Mets Hoping Johan Santana Will Revive Their Playoff Hopes

The New York Mets lost a heartbreaking game last night to the Florida Marlins 6-1 last night. That added to a Brewers victory over the Cubs last night means Milwaukee took a one game lead in the National League Wild Card.

Hoping that he can lead the Mets to victory today, Mets Manager Jerry Manuel will start Johan Santana on three days rest despite throwing a season high 125 pitches against the Cubs on Tuesday.

If the Mets do not win this game, they will not win the series, meaning they again will not make the playoffs for a second straight year.

Brewers Fire Ned Yost

In a very curious move, The Milwaukee Brewers have fired Ned Yost as manager.

What's curious is not that Ned was fired, it was the timing of the move.

The Brewers are tied in the NL Wild Card race! They should not lose hope despite the fact the Phillies swept them in a day-night doubleheader.

I remember what I wrote in my blog over a month ago in the Post "The Brewers Are Fighting Themselves:"

"The Brewers have "Willie Randolph Version 2.0" a soft spoken guy in Ned Yost who can't control his team.

Just like Willie, Ned may be fired, especially if Milwaukee misses the postseason again this year. "

I stand by my words about Nost being "Willie Randolph Version 2.0" I was not suprised by the news that Yost was fired, I had seen this coming, but the timing of the move was shocking.

We'll see if interim Manager and former Third-base coach Dale Sveum can right the ship.

Cubs-Astros games shifted to Milwaukee

The Cubs and Astros will Play Ball in Milwaukee.

Two games between the Chicago Cubs and Astros that were postponed this weekend in Houston due to Hurricane Ike will now be played in Milwaukee.

The Cubs and Astros will play at 7:05 p.m. CDT on Sunday and 1:05 p.m. on Monday at Miller Park, with Houston being the home team. If the third game of the series is needed, it will be Sept. 29 in Houston.

No Word on if Bernie Brewer will be in attendance for the Cubs-Astros Milwaukee series.

With Miller Park being 90 miles away from Chicago, Miller Park has earned the nickname "North Wrigley." Whenever the Brewers and Cubs play in Milwaukee, thousands of Cubs fans make the trip with them.

It will be no different this time.

The Brewers Are Fighting Themselves

Ned Yost, just like one year ago, has lost the handle on his team.

Brewers first Baseman Prince Fielder exchanged words with pitcher Manny Parra in the seventh inning. Parra and Fielder had a less than friendly conversation which resulted in Fielder shoving Parra twice before teammates got involved.

The Brewers lost 6-3 to the Reds. Their once slender lead in the wild card has now slimmed down to just 0.5 a game over their division rival St. Louis Cardinals.

The Brewers have "Willie Randolph Version 2.0" a soft spoken guy in Ned Yost who can't control his team.

Just like Willie, Ned may be fired, especially if Milwaukee misses the postseason again this year.

MLB Preview: NL Central

The Cubs hope that Kosuke Fukudome lives up to his Japanese Billing.

The National League Central was up in the air for almost the whole season. The Cubs ended up winning the division, but did squat in the playoffs, getting swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLDS. The Cubs will have a tough road if they want to repeat. The Race for the NL Central will be even tougher for the Cubs than Last Season. They start the season and end the season against Milwaukee. That final weekend of the regular season may be when we find out who will win the NL Central.

CHICAGO CUBS
The Cubs went on a $300 Million Shopping Spree in 2007 to improve what was the worst team in Major League Baseball Last Season. The team signed Alfonso Soriano to the richest contract in Cubs history, and he produced by hitting 33 homeruns, without hitting a single homerun in April. Expect Soriano to not get the "Big Contract Jitters" he may have had his first month.

Lou Piniella got to know his players in 2007, and once he knew what he had, he made changes. Out was Catcher Michael Barrett and Shortstop Caesar Izturis. In was Geovanny Soto and Ryan Theriot. The Cubs turned it on that final month, before becoming Ice Cold in the playoffs.

Expect Lou Piniella to figure out this team again. Ryan Dempster is competing with Jon Lieber (the Last Cubs Pitcher to win 20 games, Sean Marshall (Rumored to be heading to Baltimore, those rumors were later false) and Jason Marquis (The tale of Two Jasons. Good First Half. Bad Second Half.) If Marquis doesn't win the final rotation spot, he will get his wish to go elsewhere.

There is another battle for Ryan Dempster's old Job as Closer. Competing for the closers job is Bob Howry (he was the closer when Ryan Dempster was injured last season), Kerry Wood (He Struck out 20 Batters on April 12, 1998, holding the Astros to one hit) and Carlos Marmol (the best pure stuff in baseball, a Shut down reliever).

There is another battle for Center Field as Felix Pie is competing with Sam Fuld for that job. Cubs Hitting Coach Gerald Perry has spent time with Pie to try and make sure he isn't "Corey Patterson Version 2.0."

Alfonso Soriano is comfortable in Left Field and the Center Field Battle will work itself out, but out in Right Field is the Japanese Outfielder Kosuke Fukudome. Fukudome is a blend of the two most famous Japanese Outfielders, Ichiro Suzuki and Hideki Matsui. How will adjust to the Bleacher Bums out in Right Field mangling his last name for drunken humor effect? He will just ignore it.

Fukudome will get an instant chance to make an impact this season, as he will bat third in the lineup, moving Derrek Lee to the cleanup spot and Aramis Ramirez in the five spot.

Starting Wise, Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly and Rich Hill are set at 1,2, and 3. The Final Two Spots will be won in the spring. Zambrano can be on his A-Game, but when he isn't you know from the get-go. Expect him to work on being more consistent this season.

Ted Lilly won 15 games for the Cubs in 2008, losing only eight. Lilly has great stuff. He has a nice Slider and an even better breaking ball.

Rich Hill is a solid number three. If he learns to mix more pitches in with his curveball, Watch out.

Who will win the final two spots? How will Felix Pie and Kosuke Fukudome do in the outfield? Will the new closer be able to keep the lead? Can Carlos Zambrano learn how to control his emotions on the mound? If so, expect these Cubs to do something not done since 1908, return to the postseason for two straight seasons.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS
The Milwaukee Brewers had a 8.5 Game lead by midseason before they let Chicago come roaring back to win the National Leagie Central. Prince Fielder joined Alex Rodriguez as the only players to hit 50+ homeruns in 2007. I don't think he'll hit as many homeruns, but he will still be a major force at the plate. Ryan Braun was a Callup in May and the "Hebrew Hammer" Hammered 34 homeruns in 2007, winning the National League Rookie Of the Year Award. Ryan Braun manned Third Base in 2007 before all of a sudden being switched to play Left Field. Bill Hall will play Third Base this season. Mike Cameron takes over in Center Field, but will serve a 25 game suspensions for Performance Enhnacing Drugs.

Ben Sheets was 12-5 in 2007 with a 3.82 ERA. If he didn't go down with an injury late in the season, Milwaukee may have won the NL Central and made their first Playoff Appearance since 1982, when they were in the American League.

Jeff Suppan proved his wasn't worth his big time contract, as he was 12-12 with a 4.62 ERA.

The Biggest loss to the Brewers Staff will be the loss of Francisco Cordero. Cordero went to division rival Cincinnatti.

Milwaukee and Chicago will battle for the NL Central Crown.

ST LOUIS CARDINALS
The Cardinals had much of the 2007 season without their workhorses of Mark Mulder and Chris Carpenter, and this will be the same for the early part of the 2007 season.

Albert Pujols hit 32 homeruns in 2007. Expect him to hit more homeruns this season.

The Cardinals traded a Third Baseman for a Third Baseman, as Troy Glaus was traded to the Cardinals for Scott Rolen. La Russa and Rolen were never BFF in St Louis, so Rolen is on the way out. Rolen gets to reunite with David Eckstein North Of The Border.

The Cardinals released another Third Baseman, as Scott Spiezio was released after recieving a warrant for his arrest. Hopefully he gets to work his life out.

Caesar Isturis will replace David Eckstein at Shortstop.

Colby Rasmus is aiming to replace Jim Edmonds in Center Field, and will get every opprutunity to win the job in camp.

St. Louis won't compete for the central this season, but there's hope for the future with this bunch.

CINCINNATTI REDS
The Reds in 2008 have new management, as Dusty Baker is out of the "Baseball Tonight" Studios and managing again. Reds fans are hoping he doesen't ruin young prosepect Homer Bailey, as many Cubs fans have blamed him for ruining the promising careers of both Mark Prior and Kerry Wood.

This may be the final season for both Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey Jr with the Reds.

We may finally get to see how good Joey Votto and Jay Bruce are.

Dusty Baker mismanagement has cost The Giants and Cubs a chance at a World Series. Expect the same from Cincinnatti, if they are ever able to compete in the Central.

HOUSTON ASTROS
The Houston Astros don't have Craig Biggio, the longtime face of their franchise anymore. The Astros signed Kazuo Matsui away from Colorado to take over second base.

The Astros traded away Brad Lidge to the Philladelphia, and the Phillies were daft enough to trade away Michael Bourn to get him.

The Astros also acquired Miguel Tejada, but he may face the same punishment as Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens for using performance enhancing deuga and then lying about it.

Pitching wise, This team will be looking to fill the rotation as Jason Jennings and Matt Albers are no longer with the team.

Watch out for Hunter Pence this season. He was lucky enough to be learning from Craig Biggio and he may be in the outfield this season.

Houston won't win the division this season, but Cecil Cooper has the tools to build a winning Astros team in the future.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES
The Pirates team of the future is built around Jason Bay and Zach Duke. Ronny Paulino will get better behind the plate, and Xavier Nady will continue to play well in right field.

John Russell will find out the best thing about the Pirates is the ballpark they play in.

That concludes this year's MLB Team Previews. In the final MLB Preview, we will do our best to determine who the Paper World Series Champions of 2008 will be. Will Detroit live up to their high expectations? Who will be Their League's MVP? Find out all this and more in the next MLB Preview.

Johnny Estrada Heading To Big Apple

Johnny Estrada was traded from the Brewers to the Mets in exchange for Gulliermo Mota.
The New York Mets acquired Johnny Estrada from Milwaukee for reliever Guillermo Mota on Tuesday, moving quickly to plug their hole at catcher after talks with Yorvit Torrealba collapsed.

Estrada batted .278 with 10 homers and 54 RBIs for the Brewers this year. He is eligible for arbitration this winter and can become a free agent after the 2008 season.

Mota served a 50-game steroids suspension at the beginning of the season and finished 2-2 with a 5.76 ERA in 52 appearances. Often booed at home, the 34-year-old right-hander struck out 47 and walked 18 in 59 1-3 innings.

The trade leaves Paul Lo Duca, New York's starting backstop the past two seasons, looking for a job elsewhere. Last week, the Mets re-signed Ramon Castro to be their backup catcher again, though he could get more playing time now than he did behind Lo Duca.

The 31-year-old Estrada had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Oct. 4 to repair a torn meniscus. He also had a bone spur removed from his right elbow. The operations were performed by Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala.

Estrada threw out only 11 of 84 basestealers (13 percent) in his lone season with the Brewers, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, and he also lacks discipline at the plate. He drew just 12 walks despite getting 442 at-bats, leaving him with a meager .296 on-base percentage.

Torrealba appeared set to become New York's No. 1 catcher when he and the Mets reached a preliminary agreement last week on a $14.4 million, three-year contract that was subject to a physical.

The Mets said Saturday they had ended negotiations with Torrealba, leading to speculation that a medical exam left them with concerns about his throwing shoulder. Torrealba, who helped Colorado reach the World Series this year, missed nearly three months in 2006 with a strained right shoulder.

To Replace Estrada, the Milwaukee Brewers signed Catcher Jason Kendall to a One Year Contract.

Omar Infante Sent To Friendly Confines For Jacque Jones

Omar Infante can now call Wrigley Field home.

The Chicago Cubs acquired infielder Omar Infante from the Tigers on Monday in exchange for outfielder Jacque Jones. Infante, 25, batted .271 with two home runs and 17 RBI in 66 games with Detroit last season. Versatile in the field, Infante played six positions last season, most often at second base (20 games). He also appeared at shortstop (14 games), third base (nine), center field (12), right field (six) and left field (one). The Venezuela native hit .281 off left-handed pitching and posted a .413 batting average with runners in scoring position in 2007.

The Tigers have a good lefty bat, while the Cubs have depth in the infield and outfield. The Cubs are trying to go after Kosuke Fukudome in the outfield and Hiroki Kuroda and Hitoki Iwase for pitching. If The Cubs want these guys, they had better be prepared to get the dough ready, as these three will command large sums of money.

Congratulations to Dustin Pedoria of the Boston Red Sox as he won the American League Rookie of the Year Award. Congratulations also to Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers as he just edged out Colorado Rockies Rookie Troy Tulowitski for the National League Rookie of the Year Award.

The Letter C in Cubs Baseball Stands For Chokers, Not Champions

The Bartman Ball from the 2003 NLCS.

The Cubs fans know all about their team's historic chokes. I do not want to do this, but I feel, to get the point across, here is the list of all of their legendary chokes:

1969
In 1969 the Cubs held a comfortable 8½-game lead in the National League East during the second week of August. They appeared on their way to the playoffs, but on September 9th, the curse visibly raised its head for the first time since 1945. The Cubs were playing the Mets in a key series. The Cubs lost that game, they lost the next day to the Phillies, and from there it was all down hill. They folded like a cheap suit and coughed up the lead; finishing an incredible 8 games in back of New York.

1973
In 1973, the Cubs were once again cruising along, with a large division lead in July. However, they proceeded to lose 49 of their last 76 games and wound up seven games under .500, but only five games out of first in a year when the Mets won the division with an 82-79 mark.

1984
On Friday the 13th of April, 1984, the Cubs decided to try something different and allowed Sam and his goat onto Wrigley Field. It appeared to reverse the curse as the Cubs won the division and took a 2-0 lead in the best of five League Championship Series against the Padres. The Cubs then lost three in a row to blow their chance at the Series. A ground ball that went through first baseman Leon Durham's legs sealed their fate, much to the horror of the Cub faithful.

2003
The Cubs won the division, beat the Braves in the first round of the playoffs, and held a 3-0 lead on the Marlins in the sixth game of the League Championship Series that they had a 3-2 games lead in. Five outs away from the World Series, disaster struck in the form of one of their own fans, Steve Bartman. As a lazy foul ball off the bat of Luis Castillo looked to be coming down in the outstretched glove of Cubs' left fielder Moises Alou, Steve Bartman (who was just doing what any other fan would have done if they were in his shoes)appeared to deflect it enough to get it ot of Alou's Reach. Angered fans were ready to pounce on Bartman; they were ready to lynch him after the Cubs fell apart and allowed the Marlins eight runs before the inning ended. Bartman had to be escorted out under protective custody as the Cubs lost Game Six. He became a lightning rod of anger when the Cubs were beaten in the seventh game.

2004
In 2004 when the Cubs held a couple of games lead in the wild card chase over the Astros late in the season. Naturally, they lost seven of their last nine and failed to reach the post-season. In one vital game they held a 3-0 lead with two outs in the bottom of the ninth over, whom else, the Mets, but lost when rookie Victor Diaz hit a three run homer to force extra innings, before a solo Mets' homer beat Chicago in the eleventh to eliminate them from the playofs.

2007
As I see The Cubs get swept by the Marlins, I cannot help but shake the feeling that The Cubs are in a repeat of 1969, 1984, 2003, and 2004. The Cubs are choking away their division lead, and depending on teams like St. Louis and San Diego for help. it's ironic how the Cubs are asking for help from the Padres when these two teams may meet up in the NLDS in October, if the Cubs stay alive.

The Cubs had better turn the page and start anew against Cincinnatti, or this Cubs team will go down with the '69 and 2004 Cubs as choking up the division lead and missing the playoffs.

Both The Cubs and Milwaukee determine their own destiny entering the final weekend of baseball season.

Right Now, Wrigley Field will be open for October Baseball, but will it stay that way?

Rich Hill Pitches Cubs into A Tie For First Place

The Cubs' luck may have finally changed.

Ryan Dempster survived a nail-biting ninth and Cliff Floyd homered to back Rich Hill to boost the Cubs to a 3-2 victory over the Houston Astros Wednesday night. Chicago is back in a tie for first place with the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central.

Rich Hill, who ranks last in the Majors in run support, got just enough. The left-hander struck out seven, walked three, and gave up three hits, including Mark Loretta's leadoff homer in the seventh, to post his 16th quality start of the season.

With the Cubs leading, 3-1, Mark Loretta singled to lead off the Astros ninth, but instead of a routine two, three-hopper to first baseman Derrek Lee, the ball deflected off the first-base bag into shallow right.

Pinch-hitter Mike Lamb then dropped an RBI triple into the gap in right-center to close to 3-2. One out later, Dempster walked pinch-hitter Orlando Palmeiro, prompting a visit from Piniella. Eric Munson was up, and Piniella's only message was that he was a perfect double play candidate.

Munson bounced the ball to Lee, who got off the bag quickly and made a perfect feed to shortstop Ryan Theriot, who then fired to Dempster covering at first.

The Cubs take on Houston in the finale of this series. Steve Tracsel is on the mound for the Cubbies, while Woody Williams is on the mound for the Houston Astros.

If the Cubs win tonight, they will have sole possession of first place in the National League Central, since the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers do not play tonight.

Cubs Bring Back Steve Trachsel in Trade With Orioles

Steve Trachsel helped the Cubs in the middle of a division chase in 1998 when the Cubs won the National League Wild Card. Here in 2007, Trachsel is in position to do the same thing again, only this time, the Cubs are in First Place.


Trachsel was acquired by the Cubs today for reliever Rocky Cherry and Minor League Third Baseman Scott Moore. Trachsel will give the Cubs the much needed extra arm in the stretch run of the season, Late August, Early September.

Hey Cubs fans, if the Name Steve Trachsel sounds familiar to you, consider this: Trachsel was on the mound in 1998 when "Big Mac", the now disgraced Mark McGwire hit his (at the time) record breaking 62nd homerun. The record has been broken since then, but Steve will always be known as the guy who gave up Number 62 to Mark McGwire.

Pitching used to be the Cubs weak point. Now they have plenty of it, but will it be enough to hold off the Cardinals and the Brewers for the Division? I think so.