Andy

Oblique strain for Soler. Bruce Levine saying Motte to the DL too (shoulder). La Stella in lineup today, so he's replacing Soler.

This has to be the first Week 1 in forever where all of the AP top 5 play away from home (although Alabama will essentially be the home team against Wisconsin).

Top 25 games ------------------------ (1) Ohio State at Virginia Tech (8 pm Monday, ESPN) (2) TCU at Minnesota (9 pm Thursday, ESPN) (3) Alabama vs (20) Wisconsin - in Arlington, TX (8 pm, ABC) (4) Baylor at SMU (7 pm Friday, ESPN) (5) Michigan State at Western Michigan (7 pm Friday, ESPNU) (6) Auburn vs Louisville – in Atlanta (3:30 pm, CBS) Eastern Washington at (7) Oregon (8 pm, Pac-12 Network) Arkansas State at (8) USC (11 pm, Pac-12 Network) UL Monroe at (9) Georgia (12 pm, SEC Network – Regional) Texas State at (10) Florida State (8 pm, ESPNEWS) Texas at (11) Notre Dame (7:30 pm, NBC) Wofford at (12) Clemson (12:30 pm, ACC Network/ESPN3) Virginia at (13) UCLA (3:30 pm, FOX) McNeese State at (14) LSU (7:30 pm, SEC Network – Regional) (15) Arizona State vs Texas A&M – in Houston (7 pm, ESPN) Alcorn State at (16) Georgia Tech (7:30 pm Thursday, FSN/ESPN3) UT Martin at (17) Ole Miss (12 pm, SEC Network – Regional) UTEP at (18) Arkansas (3:30 pm, ESPNU) Akron at (19) Oklahoma (7 pm) (21) Stanford at Northwestern (12 pm, ESPN) UTSA at (22) Arizona (10 pm Thursday, Pac-12 Network) Washington at (23) Boise State (10:15 pm Friday, ESPN) SE Missouri State at (24) Missouri (4 pm, SEC Network – Regional) Bowling Green vs (25) Tennessee – in Nashville (4 pm, SEC Network – Regional) Other nationally available games --------------------------------------- North Carolina vs South Carolina – in Charlotte (6 pm Thursday, ESPN) Florida International at UCF (6 pm Thursday, CBSSN) Elon at Wake Forest (7 pm Thursday, ESPN3) Stony Brook at Toledo (7 pm Thursday, ESPN3) VMI at Ball State (7 pm Thursday, ESPN3) Villanova at UConn (7:30 pm Thursday, ESPN3) Western Kentucky at Vanderbilt (8 pm Thursday, SEC Network) Michigan at Utah (8:30 pm Thursday, FS1) Duke at Tulane (9:30 pm Thursday, CBSSN) Colorado at Hawaii (1 am Friday, CBSSN) Charlotte at Georgia State (3:30 pm Friday, ESPNU) Fordham at Army (7 pm Friday, CBSSN) Rhode Island at Syracuse (7 pm Friday, ESPN3) Weber State at Oregon State (8 pm Friday, Pac-12 Network) Kent State at Illinois (9 pm Friday, BTN) Richmond at Maryland (12 pm, ESPNU) Illinois State at Iowa (12 pm, BTN) Norfolk State at Rutgers (12 pm, ESPNEWS) Colgate at Navy (12 pm, CBSSN) South Dakota State at Kansas (12 pm, FSN) Maine at Boston College (1 pm, ESPN3) Youngstown State at Pittsburgh (1 pm, ESPN3) Portland State at Washington State (2 pm, Pac-12 Network) Old Dominion at Eastern Michigan (3 pm, ESPN3) BYU at Nebraska (3:30 pm, ABC) Penn State at Temple (3:30 pm, ESPN) Florida Atlantic at Tulsa (3:30 pm, CBSSN) Albany at Buffalo (3:30 pm, ESPN3) Howard at Appalachian State (3:30 pm, ESPN3) Presbyterian at Miami (OH) (3:30 pm, ESPN3) Southern Illinois at Indiana (4 pm, ESPNEWS) Grambling at California (5 pm, Pac-12 Network) Bethune-Cookman at Miami (6 pm, ESPN3) Troy at NC State (6 pm, ESPN3) Towson at East Carolina (6 pm, ESPN3) UL Lafayette at Kentucky (7 pm, ESPNU) Missouri State at Memphis (7 pm, ESPN3) Florida A&M at South Florida (7 pm, ESPN3) Alabama A&M at Cincinnati (7 pm, ESPN3) New Mexico State at Florida (7:30 pm, SEC Network – Regional) UNLV at Northern Illinois (7:30 pm, CBSSN) Georgia Southern at West Virginia (7:30 pm, FSN) Tennessee Tech at Houston (8 pm, ESPN3) Mississippi State at Southern Miss (10 pm, FS1) Purdue at Marshall (3 pm Sunday, FS1)

Go Fathers go

Win again. And it'd be really cool if first half Hammel comes back

It took until August of the 3rd year of his contract, but I finally enjoyed an Edwin Jackson performance at Wrigley Field

Lol that Herrera out looked better hit than either of the homers

The least Edwin can do is give up a few dongs after all the ones he surrendered

That should be a homer. That fan is an idiot though

Right back in it. Super impressive!

I didn't necessarily expect it but you deserve what you get when you bring in an extreme fly ball pitcher, one who had been stupidly lucky to have his ERA where it is, to Wrigley.

Today is a great day for the 2007 AL All-Star team

Why the [expletive] are we letting Pierzynski kick our ass again?

No, he just sucks. We acquired a terrible pitcher because at least he'll eat some innings, and he can't even do that.

I'm sick of Haren giving up dongs.

Yeah, Len mentioned it when Motte got #7 too. I'm sure he thinks it's amusing.

Yep. They're considered two different rounds so teams can do whatever they like.

Fiers struck out the side in the 8th. 120 pitches but no no still alive.

That was a really dumb thing to tweet. When one division has the 2 best teams and 3 of the best 4 in it, you probably shouldn't be whining about what's "fair" as far as schedule sequence. Besides this is just the payback for that absurd stretch of teams we faced a couple months ago.

Coghlan has been a godsend this year. Best scrap-heap FA pickup we've had in a while.

That's correct.

As the schedule falls, we wouldn't necessarily need a 4th starter due to days off. Strop, Grimm, Rondon, Hunter, Wood and the 4th starter, whoever it is (Hammel is scaring me), would be a start for the bullpen. Probably throw a couple more arms in there (I hope Motte's not one of them and if Soriano is one I'm going for the heroin). Baez v. Herrera as defensive replacement/last-ditch pinch-hitter. Everything else probably falls the way it is now barring injury.

The latter story was told by Sutcliffe on Wednesday's ESPN broadcast.

I've posted before in this thread, but it's been so much fun watching him improve so rapidly.

16 of 20, 4 clear of the Giants.