The Chicago Cubs once again lost down in Arizona as they fell to the Diamondbacks by the score of 9-2 on Tuesday night.  Once again the offense struggled at the plate as they just can’t get any runs across the plate.  The pitching was terrible as well in the late innings so the team really deserved to have their butts kicked like they did.

Jason Marquis started the game for the Cubs and pitched six innings.  Marquis gave up five hits and three runs as he took the loss and is now 6-6 on the year.  Things got bad once Marquis left however as Sean Marshall gave up three hits and two runs while only recording two outs in the 7th inning.  Chad Gaudin came in to get Mark Reynolds for the final out of the 7th inning.  In the 8th inning, Kevin Hart allowed four more runs (two were earned) to score on only two hits.  The big hit was a double by Conor Jackson.  Neal Cotts came in and finally got the Cubs out of that inning by striking out Miguel Montero.

As for the offense, or we should say crappy offense, they struckout nine times and left 19 runners on base while scoring only two runs.  Mike Fontenot had a rbi triple that scored Mark DeRosa in the 4th inning and then Daryle Ward hit a solo home run in the 8th inning for the Cubs second and final run.  The middle of the lineup hurt the Cubs once again as Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, and Jim Edmonds went a combined 0-10 in the game.  All three of those players are in big slumps.  Lee can’t seem to stop hitting into double plays and could probably use a day off.  I say Piniella should sit Ramirez and Lee for Wednesday’s game and let them get a little bit of rest.

One bright spot is that Alfonso Soriano might be back in the lineup for the game on Wednesday.  That might be exactly what the Cubs need to get going.  Let’s all hope so anyways.

First off I’d like to say sorry for not having and update after yesterday’s game.  I had to head out shortly after the exciting game and didn’t get back until the late hours.  I was able to watch most of today’s game as the Cubs lost the series finale to the Giants by the score of 4-2.   Basically the Cubs ran into Tim Lincecum who through eight strong innings to shut down the Cubs.  Ryan Dempster lost his first game of the season at Wrigley Field.

The offense could not come up with the big hit that they needed to get to get a good rally going.  They did push across a run in the 9th inning on a Geovany Soto rbi single but Daryle Ward struck out and Ryan Theriot grounded out with a runner on third.

At the end of the first half the Cubs are 19 games over .500 with a 57-38 record.  The team is also 4.5 games up on the St. Louis Cardinals for first place in the division.  Every Cubs fan has to be happy with how the first half of the season has turned out.

Now lets set back and watch the All Star Game where 8 Cubs players have been selected.  Carlos Marmol was added to the roster this morning when Kerry Wood informed the league that he would not be available to pitch in the game due to a blister.

The Chicago Cubs wasted a good outing by Jason Marquis on Tuesday night as they struggled at the plate and lost to the San Francisco Giants by the score of 2-1.  Marquis tossed seven innings and only gave up four hits and two runs in the game but took the loss and is now 6-5 on the season.  The Cubs and Giants have each won one game in the four game series now.

The first run that Marquis allowed was when Fred Lewis stole home in the first inning.  The second run came in the sixth inning when Randy Winn singled in Lewis.  That was all the offense that the Giants needed in the game as the Cubs offense was pretty much dead until the late innings.

In the seventh inning I thought that Daryle Ward should have had a triple, and then scored on the Jim Edmonds fly ball to center.  Too bad Ward is too damn slow!  In the ninth inning the Cubs had a rally going as well as Derrek Lee led off the inning with a triple and scored on a Geovany Soto single.  Edmonds then flied out before Mike Fontenot reached on a infield single to put runners at first and second.  Ryan Theriot had a good at bat but ended up striking out against Brian Wilson to end the game.

This loss goes completely on the offense who only had five hits in the game.  Matt Cain dominated them as he held them to only two hits through the first eight innings of the game.  That just can’t happen when you have the offense that the Cubs do.

The Chicago Cubs lost to the Chicago White Sox for the second straight day as the White Sox outscored the Cubs 6-5 on Saturday afternoon.  A home run by Carlos Quentin off of Cubs reliever Carlos Marmol in the seventh inning won it for the White Sox.  Most times the ball wouldn’t have been a home run, but with Marmol’s fastball and the wind blowing out, the ball was able to get over the fence.

So now the Cubs have lost two in a row to the White Sox and will have to win on Sunday night to avoid the three game sweep by their crosstown rivals.  The Cubs just didn’t get that big hit late in the game like they have in the past.  Derrek Lee started off the ninth inning with a double and was moved over to third on a ground ball by Daryle Ward but Aramis Ramirez and Jim Edmonds both hit little ground balls to end the game.  Have to get better swings on those kind of pitches late in the game with a runner on third base.

Lee finished the game 5-5 at the plate and knocked in three rbi.  Mark DeRosa and Daryle Ward had the other two rbi for the Cubs.  As a team they struck out a season high 14 times as they were not patient at all.  Usually they will have more walks than strikeouts but this time they only had three walks compared to the 14 strike outs.

On the mound for the Cubs, Sean Gallagher gave up five runs over six innings of action.  Gallagher gave up two home runs and eight total hits in the game.  I was actually suprised that Lou left him in the game for as long as he did because he was really getting hit hard and the pitch count was getting up there.

Carlos Marmol ended up taking the loss as he gave up the home run to Quentin in the seventh inning.  Like I mentioned before, in most cases that ball doesn’t leave the ballpark, and it was actually a pretty decent pitch by Marmol.  Tough break for the kid and the team.

So now the Cubs will send Sean Marshall to the mound on Sunday night.  The game will be on ESPN in front of a national audience.  Hopefully Marshall and the Cubs can put on a show and pick up a win in the series.

You are probably feeling like I am right now after watching that Cubs-Orioles game.  Can we just forget that the game even happened? The Cubs should I say Jason Marquis were rocked by the Orioles as they lost 11-4.  Marquis was hammered early and often as he only lasted four innings after giving up seven runs.

It was just Marquis however, three Cubs relievers gave up runs as they pitched in relief of Marquis.  Jon Lieber and Michael Wuertz both gave up one run while Scott Eyre gave up two runs.  I sure hope that todays game was just a one game fluke because they pitched badly.

Eric Patterson led the Cubs with two rbi at the plate.  Patterson has really been swinging the bat well since being called up.  Henry Blanco and Daryle Ward both had rbi’s as well for the Cubs.  Mike Fontenot and Ryan Theriot both finished the game with two hits.

Hopefully the players will go enjoy a nice meal with their families this evening and then get ready to play the White Sox Friday afternoon down on the south side.

The Chicago Cubs were not able to extend their 14 home winning streak to game as the Baltimore Orioles got the better of them on Tuesday night.  The Cubs had their chances in the ninth inning as they loaded the bases with no outs but then it seemed the next three batters swung at everything in site and ended the came with three straigh strikeouts.

Ronny Cedeno, Kosuke Fukudome, and Henry Blanco all struck out with the bases loaded in the ninth inning.  I don’t know why all three of them went up there swinging the bat like they were considering how George Sherrill was throwing the ball.  Make him throw some strikes before you go up there hacking like that.

Sean Marshall who was just called up from Triple A pitched 4 2/3 innings as he gave up seven hits and four runs in his return to the big league team.  Marshall started the game off strong but then started to fade in the fourth and fifth innings.  I don’t know if it was fatigue or what but he really lost control over the game in the fourth and fifth innings.

Michael Wuertz pitched one inning after Marshall left the game and he didn’t fare to good.  Wuertz gave up two hits and three runs in only one inning of action.  Neal Cotts, Jon Lieber, and Carlos Marmol pitched the rest of the game for the Cubs without allowing another run to score.  Marmol still didn’t look that good out there, hopefully get can figure out what is wrong and get it fixed soon.

Jim Edmonds had a three run home run in the seventh inning that made the score 7-4.  Edmonds led the team with three rbi.  In the eighth inning the Cubs scored two runs on a Aramis Ramirez single.  Fukudome also had a solo home run in the game as he scored the Cubs first run.

Hopefully the Cubbies can start a new home winning streak on Wednesday night as they will send Ted Lilly to the mound against the Baltimore Orioles.  GO CUBS GO, lets get back on the winning track!

I should also mention that Daryle Ward is back with the big league club and Micah Hoffpauir was sent back to Triple A.  Ward is expected to be the DH this weekend against the White Sox.

Daryle Ward has been place on the 15 day disabled list with a bulging disk in his back.  Ward is hitting just .200 (5-for-25) but has come up big as a pinch-hitter in this homestand, despite his back pain, coming up with game-tying and game-winning hits against Arizona in consecutive games.

Micah Hoffpauir has been called up to take Ward’s spot on the roster.  Hoffpauir can play the corner outfield positions as well as first base but I would expect most of his at bats to come as a pitch hitter just like Ward has done.

The Chicago Cubs got a little bit of revenge this weekend as they finished off a three game sweep of the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks.  The last time the two teams played, it was the Diamondbacks sweeping the Cubs in the playoffs.

The Cubs were out of it on Sunday until the seventh inning when Reed Johnson hit a two run home run to tie the game at 4-4.  In the eighth inning, Daryle Ward came to the plate with the bases loaded and doubled to right-center field scoring two runs.  Earlier in the game Derrek Lee hit his tenth home run of the season as well.

Starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano was scratched from his start due to the wet conditions and the fact that the game started about an hour late.  Instead it was Sean Gallagher making the start.  Gallagher tossed 4 1/3 innings while he gave up five hits and four runs.

Chad Fox, Michael Wuertz, Carlos Marmol, and Kerry Wood all pitched in relief and no one gave up a hit!  The bullpen pitched awesome as Marmol picked up the win and Wood picked up the save.  Just like it should be every game, Marmol and Wood closing the game in the eighth and ninth innings!

The Cubs will now welcome in the San Diego Padres for a four game series starting Monday night.  The first three games of the series will be a night so Wrigleyville is going to be buzzing into the late hours.

Despite being dominated for most of the game by Arizona rookie starter Max Scherzer, the Cubs rallied off the Diamondback’s bullpen for 6 in the 7th en route to a 7-2 victory and their first series win in weeks. Alfonso Soriano went 4 for 5 with 2 runs and the game winning RBI. The Cubs got the lead in the 3rd when Soriano scored on an error by rightfielder Justin Upton. After the Cubs failed to score with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the 5th, the D’Backs got 2 runs in the top of the 6th on a bases loaded walk and an RBI groundout against Ryan Dempster.

Daryle Ward tied the game with a pinch hit RBI single in the bottom of the 7th, followed by an Alfonso Soriano RBI double to put the Cubs ahead. The Cubs would get four more in the inning on RBI singles from Ryan Theriot and Aramis Ramirez, capped off with a 2 run homer by Kosuke Fukudome. Scott Eyre, who made his first appearance since coming off the DL, got the win in relief. Carlos Zambrano tries to lead the Cubs to a sweep on Mother’s Day against Randy Johnson at 1:20 CT.

Mike

It was a good night to be a Cubs fan Wednesday as the Cubs jumped all over Milwaukee to go on to a 19-5 victory. Brewers starter Jeff Suppan gave up 6 runs in the first and 8 overall in his abbreviated outing. Geovany Soto was the star for the Cubs offense with 2 homeruns and 6 RBI. Aramis Ramirez and Derrek Lee had back to back RBI doubles in the 1st, while Mark DeRosa also added a pair of RBI singles. Every Cub starter reached base, and they all got a hit with the exception of Felix Pie. Daryle Ward had an RBI double in the 8th after Ronny Cedeno cleared the bases with a double of his own.

Ryan Dempster went 6 innings giving up 3 runs, to earn his 4th win of the year. The Cubs and Brewers play the rubber game of the series Thursday afternoon at 1:20 as Carlos Zambrano seeks his first win against Yovani Gallardo.