vance_the_cubs_fan

Sac fly by Dunn and the Reds lead the Beermakers 2-0.

3-run HR by Miles. Yes, Aaron freaking Miles. Cardinals lead 4-1. :x

A double by Duncan ties the game at 1 in Pittsburgh. Bases loaded and none out, and all the Reds get is one. Lead the Brewers 1-0.

Nice first inning from Dempster. Now it's time for the offense to work over Lincecum.

2 out RBI single by Nady gives the Pirates a 1-0 lead in the first.

Good choices there. I think the list shows that there should be a plethora of choices if the Cubs decide to add a reliever. No reason to overpay for one.

You mean Dempster and Wood? I don't want Lilly around longer than his contract. Yeah, I did. I have no idea why I typed Lilly. #-o

No score for the Cardinals in the top of the first.

12:30 St. Louis (Pinero) @ Pittsburgh (Snell) 1:05 Milwaukee (Sabathia) vs Dusty Baker's Reds (Bailey)

Jon, You got another mention on Cubsf/x. Link.

Ok, I'm done with the Futures Game. On to the Cardinals-Pirates until the Cubs game begins.

It would have been a better interview had he asked could he touch them.

I'd prefer he had the time off as well. That said, perhaps this will help his confidence, which appears to have been flagging of late. I'm of the camp that doesn't believe confidence is the problem.

Another base runner picked off. Brett Anderson has one hellova pick-off move.

Elvis Andrus walks and then is caught stealing. Also, LaPorta is now playing 1b. And with a two out single is Wilkin Ramirez.

I'm not liking this at all.

Not sure if anyone else is watching. I just flipped over. World leads 1-0 as the game heads into the third.

As we head into the break, I've been thinking about what could be done to make this team better. I'll begin by saying that I don't think we need to make any more moves. Getting Rich Harden answered the biggest issue this team had. On the other hand, if we could fit it all within the roster, I think our needs could be: 1. Another arm for the bullpen. 2. A RH power bat off the bench. 3. A more consistent bat that could back-up SS. Along with those, we could go for another SP, but I find it unlikely. As I look at those three needs, I think the bullpen arm could be the best possible avenue. I'm not sure there's a RH bat that fits our needs and could fit on our current roster. Getting another back-up SS could also be problematic since Cedeno is out of options. Replacing him on the roster would require letting him go. I don't think we're prepared to do that. So, focusing on bullpen, here are some options. 1. Mike Gonzalez (Atlanta Braves). If the Braves become sellers, Gonzalez could be an interesting option. He's a lefty, but also has experience as a closer. He's just returned from injury and has only pitched 9.7 innings thus far. In those nine innings, he's given up four hits, walked none, and allowed three runs. His ERA is 1.86, and he's K'ed 14. He's still under team control for next season, and the Braves may view him as the closer for 2009, so he might not be on the block. If he is, he would be a nice choice to slot into the back of the bullpen. 2. David Weathers (Reds). I'm not sure how I'd feel about this acquisition. Weathers does have experience being a late inning reliever and has even closed out games. His ERA is respectable at 3.55 this season, but his WHIP is a problematic 1.50. He's 38 years old and his contract is up at the end of the season. If the goal is to add another bullpen arm without giving up too much, then Weathers might be a good choice. I personally would prefer to aim higher or do nothing at all. 3. Arthur Rhodes (Mariners). Following the trend of old relievers who could be had cheaply, next up is Rhodes. Rhodes is a 38-yr-old lefty who has had his ups and downs. He sports a 3.12 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. Rhodes is simply a loogy at this point in his career. Lefties are batting 206 off of him while righties are hitting 310. If the Cubs feel another loogy is needed in place of Cotts or Eyre, then Rhodes could be an option. Getting him to do anything other than situational work is probably not a good idea. 4. Ron Mahay (Royals) Mahay is a lefty that has a 1.88 ERA and a 1.167 WHIP. While he's a lefty, he's equally good versus both left handed and right-handed hitters. He still has another year on his deal, so KC may not be willing to deal. But he's a very good left-handed bullpen arm that can be used against both lefties and righties. 5. Brian Fuentes. (Rockies) Fuentes has been discussed the most. He's a lefty and like Mike Gonzalez has experience as a closer. He can get out both lefties and righties and could be used as an eighth inning guy that gets us to Wood. Of the relievers on the market, he will probably be the most expensive to acquire. Of the listed above, my preference would be in this order: Gonzalez, Fuentes, Mahay, Weathers, and then Rhodes.

The best thing the Cubs can do to keep both Dempster and Lilly around is to offer them a deal now. I'm not sure that with the impending sale, Hendry has that authority, but signing them before the season is over might be the best approach.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/vance_the_cubs_fan/cubssweepsx1.jpg

Yeah. I also remember when he talked with Len and Bob on an interview, he mentioned that he wanted to pitch in the game and not to assume that because he pitched on Sunday that he would be unavailable. I think Dempster will get in.

Anyway to bring Ascanio up for this one?

As long as they don't replace him with anyone from the Cardinals or Brewers bullpens, the NL should be ok.

A day later, Oswalt's hip is still sore. It's possible it will cause Cecil Cooper to rearrange his rotation coming out of the break. Link.

Will Pie have to wait until September due to Edmonds hitting, or is there any chance he sees Chicago before then?