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In other words, one season's worth of Jay Payton. If the Cubs didn't exist, the Orioles would be the worst franchise in MLB. There simply isn't that much risk for the Orioles though. They get a pick that is basically comparable to Wieters next year-there is no reason for them to cave in to his demands if he is asking for too large of a deal.

Patterson had 7 plate appearances and 1 start while he was up.

I'm not worried about the Cardinals either. First off because of what you said. Second off, I cannot see too many scenarios where the Cardinals finish 1st and the Cubs finish 2nd. If the Cardinals finish 1st, the Cubs probably didn't end up passing Milwaukee anyway.

As I said earlier in the thread, my guess is that Fox will start tomorrow night (they aren't going to start 2 of Jacque/Pie/Ward against a left-hander), and be the biggest right-handed pinch-hit bat on the bench the other days until Floyd gets back.

Is it even possible to cut payroll without trading off players? From right now? The only big loss would be letting Zambrano go (12.5 million). At the start of the season though, remember that the team had Izturis at over 4 million, Barrett at 4.5 million, Rusch at 3 million, Wade Miller at 1.5 million, Wood at 1.5 million, Floyd at 3 million. Even with the raises to some of the other players, the team could definitely cut payroll without making trades.

Fox is almost certainly being brought up to add a right-handed pinch hitting bat to the bench and a right fielder against left-handers (it will probably be Murton/Pie/Jones against right-handers and Murton/Jones/Fox against left-handers until Floyd gets back, and when Floyd gets back he'll probably push Pie out of the lineup). So that means we'll almost certainly see Fox get his first career ML start tomorrow night.

Agreed. I think they should go back to the original plan of batting him 2nd. I wouldn't be opposed to that, but I don't really see much of a point either. The OBP at the top of the lineup really hasn't been a problem for the Cubs this year. It hasn't been a great success, but it hasn't been a problem (especially the 2 spot-where the Cubs have put up a .359 OBP). Jones is doing fine there right now, and Theriot will probably slide back there in 3 weeks. If the Cubs decide they need to make a change from Jones, Kendall is just as good of an option as Murton to put in that spot. Again, I have no problem putting Murton there and sliding Jones down, but right now it seems like making a change just to make a change.

He also has the Cubs going 3-5 against the Cardinals the last 8 games in the series. I'd expect better than that, so that sort of evens out the sweeps thing.

The Cubs are not going to win a WS until Pie becomes a valuable everyday player. That will happen with playing time in the major leagues. So I would contend the Cubs cannot afford to not let him play. i'm all for pie getting his PT, but thats a bit far fetched to say that we can't win WITHOUT him. My point is that the Cubs are not an elite team. Since the Cubs are probably not going to be able to add a free agent CFer this offseason, one way the Cubs can improve and become an elite team is for players like Pie, Soto and Murton to become quality everday players. Probably the only way that is going to happen at this point is to just let them play. Yes it may cost the team a playoff spot this year but may really improve them in the future. I would be much more in favor of taking that risk than hoping we can have a fluke playoff run like the Cardinals did last year. Who is elite in the NL though? If the Cubs sneak into the playoffs, are they even going to be underdogs in the first round? The Cardinals at least had to beat a really good team in the Mets last year. This year, everybody in the NL side of the playoffs are going to be about the same. I'd rather take that risk then have the added advantage of a month and half of playing time for 3 players, of which 1 of those 3 is probably going to get a lot of PT anyway. BTW, I'm still all for Murton to get most all of the playing time in the OF and Soto to get all the time at backup C. Pie can get a decent amount of PT until Soriano comes back, and I'd still like Pie to be on the playoff roster if the Cubs get there.

=D> Quite a change from "I'm gonna go gangbusters to make a waiver deal!!" from a couple days ago, isn't it. Ahh the shifting winds of the mind of Jim Hendry. Next time Jim, just tell the truth: the team is being sold, nobody's going to let us spend a ton of cash. It's very simple, it's the truth, and it avoids making everyone look like fools down the road. When did he say that he was desperately trying to make a deal? He said he's put in lots of claims, but I've never heard him say that he wanted to make a deal for anything but the right price.

more so than a bat? really? rapada and piggy haven't been up here this year have they? cherry and petrick aren't exactly trash i think the pen is the least of our troubles right now They've all been up. The bullpen is at worst out #2 biggest issue. #1 as far as I'm concerned. You are on crack. nice personal attack who is piggy omaphelos? hang on... Carmen Pignatiello The answer to your question is that Pignatiello has not been up. Rapada has and pitched to a total of 1 major league batter, and he got him out. sweet, thank you, when was rapada up here? edited it too late..June 14th was when he pitched.

more so than a bat? really? rapada and piggy haven't been up here this year have they? cherry and petrick aren't exactly trash i think the pen is the least of our troubles right now They've all been up. The bullpen is at worst out #2 biggest issue. #1 as far as I'm concerned. You are on crack. nice personal attack who is piggy omaphelos? hang on... Carmen Pignatiello The answer to your question is that Pignatiello has not been up. Rapada has and pitched to a total of 1 major league batter, and he got him out. That was on June 14th against Seattle.

It's supposed to be Harang-Zambrano on Tuesday.

That is the exact same thing you said last night in the first inning. :D

52 pitches now for Suppan through 2. It looks like the Milwaukee bullpen will have another longer than average night tonight.

Lou's quote about Ward not being activated the other day: I think Floyd will start playing again when we leave Colorado at the expense of Pie.

Same lineup as the last two days: Theriot Jones Lee Murton DeRosa Fontenot Kendall Pie R. Hill For the Rockies: Matsui Tulowitski Holliday Atkins Spilborghs Hawpe Torrealba Stewart Fogg

Actually there is. It's the player who bats first and leads off the game. Is he ideal? No. But he can't hit down in the order because he can't hit curveballs. This is proven. Accept it. Check your stats. He has 18 SB and has been only caught 5 times. That's 78%. Not many teams sign guys to big contracts who hit dingers in BP. Murton is a strong guy, but he has not shown that he can hit homeruns consistently in the big leagues. Go ahead, add some loft and see how many times you pop put. DLee said he thought of adding loft, but he knew better. I never said anything about range. Both guys have had trouble catching the ball once they get there. Soriano has a much better arm. I think Soriano has better range because he is faster. But even if I leave that out, Soriano is a better OF because he can throw people out. I think Murton has one career putout when he doubled that guy off of first early last year. I am not bashing Murton. He is a decent bench player and utility OF. But that is all he will ever be. Just pointing out before somebody else does that Murton just threw somebody out at second base Thursday night.

There's only 4 hours before the waiver claim expires, so at least right now it looks like nothing will come of this (which is good unless the Cubs gave up nothing).

I doubt he'll use him that often. He's only done it 3 times this year-2 were in extra innings, and the other day was because he had a very short bench. Definitely when it comes to September and the playoffs (when there are more players on the bench) I doubt he ever pinch hits.

34-17. He pinch-hit on Wednesday and the Cubs lost.

All the more reason to just let him go after the season is over (Or whenever he comes off the DL) For all the reasons to let Pagan go, that's not one of them. Most of Pagan's starts are against left-handers, and the Cubs have simply been bad offensively against left-handers.

Techinically, Marquis is still a decent to good number 3 so far. He probably won't remain that way by the end of September, but he is that way right now. He has a chance to remain a decent number 3 by the end of the year-as long as he remains about a 4.5 ERA, he could be there. (right now he's around a 4.2 and has hung around that number for the last 3 starts). NL average as starter: 4.51 AL average as starter: 4.66 I think the Cubs signed him to be a #4 anyway. The rotation was Z/Lilly/Hill/Marquis/???? at the beginning of the year. They only switched Marquis and Hill in the rotation order in order to get a R/L/R thing going. Remember that if Prior had been healthy the Cubs were going to make him the #3 starter in the order and Marquis would have been #5.

Hendry should fire the idiot that gave Ohman that contract. Oh, wait .... That was a very reasonable deal for Ohman at the time that deal was given.

why, wait, what? He has to pay taxes on a ball? Apparently it's an asset. well, that is some deal. what if you are like me and collect this type stuff? I would just have to sell it or take out a mortgage on my house? unreal. Yup. The IRS is treating it as a gift tax. Somebody quoted to me that the guy who caught the ball owes $210,000 dollars in taxes for it.