Tough first half of the season. 11 games below .500…9.5 back of the division lead. This isn’t the ‘Way of Life’ Tom Ricketts is talking about, right? Besdies Zambrano’s fit-throwing, did any Cubs fans anticipated this… an offense that doesn’t score, and a soon-to-be fire sale in mid-July? Whoever thought Carlos Silva would be this [...]

Two of the top Chicago Cubs prospects strutted their stuff on the big stage in the Major League Baseball Futures Game. The Southern League All-Star Game will take place tonight. The Smokies finished up on a high note before the break. In Iowa, Austin Bibens-Dirkx has stepped his game up with his promotion to Triple-A. The Boise Hawks are in first place, the D-Cubs are rolling, and the I-Cubs are fighting. All that and more in today's Down on the Farm Report.

Game Eighty-Nine - Cubs 0 Dodgers 7 WP - Vicente Padilla (4-2) LP - Carlos Silva (9-3) Save - None All of the issues that led to the Cubs horrible first half were on full display Sunday night. Poor defense and fundamentals, little to no offense, over aggressiveness at the plate, no runs in the first inning ... the list could go on and on. The Cubs' pathetic offense managed just four hits and two of those came in the ninth inning. Only six runners reac...

To begin: it is never a good idea to sit down to write just as James Loney hits one about 6 1/2 miles off of Silva the Hutt. After several near misses and false starts, I finally got together with my fellow old-school Cubs bloggers Tommy Acuff and Troy Church.  Beginning around 2002 or so, ...

It has been a disappointing first half for the Chicago Cubs, a team that was expected to compete for the division crown prior to the start of the season.  However, GM Jim Hendry has watched his team flounder and instead of adding as the trade deadline approaches, he will be subtracting.  Here is a rundown [...]

While the New York Mets remain a possible destination for Chicago Cubs pitcher Ted Lilly, they might not be able to take on much, if any, of his remaining $5 million owed this year, according to Buster Olney. That means that, in order to trade Lilly to the Mets, the Cubs would have to eat the [...] Related posts:Ted Lilly to the N...

A reminder for newer readers: the Lukewarm Stove, as the name suggests, features Chicago Cubs rumors that are either very thin in terms of detail, or very thin in terms of likelihood. Get it? Not quite Hot Stove – but lukewarm (I’m clever). But damnit, you deserve to have all the Cubs rumors you can [...] Related posts:

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OK, World Cup over, but Futures Game on now! Turn on ESPN to watch Brett Jackson, rising Cub star, who is starting in center field! But I do owe you a recap, so, quickly: Tom Gorzelanny, super, with 7 K against just 1 BB in 6 IP. Hittingwise, Geo Soto went to town, posting a 3-for-4, including a home run and three ribs. Other players collecting multiple hits include Darlin' Starlin Castro, Derrek Lee, and The Resurgent Aramis Ramirez. That's Aramis' fifth or sixth consecutive mutli-...

Basically I am posting my picks from each day's schedule for my personal reference. You can view the whole schedule here. 11:45-1:15 Warner Bros.: Green Lantern, Sucker Punch, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows— Warner Bros. showcases three eagerly awaited upcoming new films in this Hall H presentation! Green Lantern— Get a first lo...

As if there were any doubt that the Chicago Cubs – if they make trades at all – will be sellers this year, General Manager Jim Hendry has effectively removed all such doubt. “Anything we will do, we’ll try to set us up better for the future,” Hendry said this weekend. While he is bitter [...] Related posts:

Cubs got a good win with a decent performance from Gorzelanny on Saturday. They finish off the pre all star break season with a prime time game on ESPN. Maybe it's just me, but it seems like the Cubs "get" to play these get away games on ESPN on Sunday night just before the all star game quite often. Anyway onto the last game of the first half: Matchup: Carlos Silva (100.1IP, 2.96ERA, 3.82xFIP) vs Vicente Padilla (47.2IP, 4.72ERA, 3.73xFIP) Today is a...

Game Eighty-Nine: Cubs (39-49) vs. Dodgers (48-39) Game Time - 7:05pm CDT Coverage - TV: ESPN Sunday Night Baseball - Radio: 720 WGN, XM Radio Channel 184 Location - Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles Carlos Silva (9-2, 2.96/1.07) vs. Vicente Padilla (3-2, 4.72/1.13) For the second year in a row, the Chicago Cubs will participate in the final game of the MLB season before the All-Star break. Last year the Cubs lost the second game of the day-night doubleheader to...

Geovany Soto continues to rake (from the 8-hole), and he’s starting to make me wonder why he wasn’t included in the All-Star snub discussion, let alone the actual All-Star discussion. Yadier Molina, proving that the fans voting for All-Stars are morons, currently sports a .593 OPS (no, that is not a typo). The only other [...] Related posts:

We were driving back from Wisconsin. Suddenly remembered there was a game. The second we turned on the radio, Theriot walks. That's good. Then this: (This is all not exact radio talk, but you get the idea...) PAT: You think...