Things feel a little different this week around this team, no? A 28 scoreless inning streak will make people feel a whole lot better, that's for sure. More than that though are the two comeback performances from Mark Prior and Kerry Wood. Showing that they are both healthy and effective, their dominating performances have served notice to the rest of the league that the Cubs will be a huge factor in the
playoff race.

The Cubs have a tough stretch coming up with Washington coming in this weekend and then a roadtrip to Atlanta and Florida before the break, but I don't think it matters who the Cubs play right now. As long as they pitch well, they'll have a chance to pile up some wins. Offensively, the Cubs have been able to come up with the big hit when needed during this winning streak and you feel pretty good when you can
hand the ball to Ryan Dempster with a lead in the 9th.

Just think if Corey Patterson and Neifi Perez can get it going atop the lineup how it would set everything else up. The 1 and 2 spots in the order might be THE keys for the Cubs in the second half. Everything
else seems to be, at least for now, falling into place quite nicely.

Len

*The WGN broadcast begins at 1pm today with the Leadoff Man. Greg Maddux (7-4, 4.56) takes the mound for the Cubs against Milwaukee and Chris Capuano (7-6, 3.22).
* The Cubs, looking to extend their winning streak to five games, have had their way with the Brewers in the teams’ recent meetings in Chicago:

Brewers vs. Cubs at Wrigley - Last 8 Games (since 8/23/04)

Brewers Cubs
Wins 1 7
Runs/Game 2.8 (22/8) 5.4 (43/8)
Batting Avg. .214 (59/276) .259 (74/286)
Home Runs 7 10
ERA 5.35 (43/72.1) 2.42 (21/78.0)

* Greg Maddux will look to provide the Cubs with another solid outing against a team he has shut down throughout his career:

Greg Maddux – Lowest Career ERA vs. Team
(minimum 5 GS)

vs. Milwaukee Brewers 1.96 (28/128.2)
vs. Chicago Cubs 2.38
vs. Pittsburgh Pirates 2.51
vs. Washington Nationals 2.55
vs. Houston Astros 2.63

-- Cubs starters’ have posted a 1.04 (3/26.0) ERA while holding opponents to a .125 (11/88) batting average during their current four-game winning streak.

* The Brewers will counter with Chris Capuano, who has had his best stuff at the beginning of his outings this season:

MLB, Lowest ERA in Innings 1-2 - 2005
(minimum 10 GS)

Chris Carpenter, StL 0.56 (2/32.0)
Shawn Estes, Ari 0.60 (2/30.0)
Chris Capuano, Mil 1.13 (4/32.0)
Mark Buehrle, CWS 1.13 (4/32.0)
Brandon Webb, Ari 1.13 (4/32.0)

-- Capuano has posted an ERA of 4.16 (33/71.1) after the second inning this season.

* With his stellar numbers in June, Derrek Lee now has posted two of the best hitting months by a Cub since divisional play began in 1969:

Cubs, Highest Batting Avg. in Single Month – since 1969
(minimum 75 PA)

Billy Williams, July 1972 .438
Shawon Dunston, August 1991 .427
Bill Madlock, August 1975 .425
Derrek Lee, June 2005 .423 (44/104)
Derrek Lee, April 2005 .419

* Carlos Lee, hitless in six at-bats this series, has rebounded from a disappointing April with back-to-back solid months at the plate:

Carlos Lee – 2005

April May-June
BAVG .215 .298 (61/205)
HR 3 17
RBI 14 55
SLG .366 .624

* Lee is just six RBI shy of the franchise record for RBI before the All-Star break:

Brewers, Most RBI Before All-Star Break - All-Time

Greg Vaughn, 1996 75
Jeromy Burnitz, 1999 73
Richie Sexson, 2003 70
Carlos Lee, 2005 69
Three Players Tied 68

* The Cubs have come up with a number of timely hits in June after struggling with runners in scoring position last month:

Cubs, Batting Average w/ RISP - 2005

MLB Rank
April .282 8th
May .237 27th
June .313 (67/214) 5th

Good news for anyone who hasn't had the chance to see "This Old Cub", the outstanding movie tracing the hardships and triumphs of Cub legend Ron Santo. The documentary will air on WGN-TV both locally and on the Superstation on Saturday, July 16 at 7pm Central.

On their off day Monday, the Cubs headed north to Royal Melbourne Golf Club for the Ron Santo Golf Outing to support the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund. For more information, visit www.jdrf.org or www.thisoldcub.com

The Cubs won the weekend series on the South Side, but fans on both sides took the opportunity to enjoy Chicago's sizzling summer.

Mark Prior returns to the mound today for the Cubs and all eyes will be watching closely. At this point because he had so much success and has come out of his simulated games with no problems, I think Dusty is going to keep an eye on his effectiveness more than anything else. Larry Rothschild will keep a close eye on his mechanics and if there's any change whatsoever where they detect he's trying to protect his right elbow, they will address it early. As long as he's making his pitches and getting outs, it's probably more of an effectiveness count than a pitch count.

As for waiting out a pitcher known to be on a strict count, some teams do, especially if he has thrown a lot of pitches his previous start or is laboring on a hot day. Other teams that are naturally aggressive can't seem to do that. The White Sox are, in general, a fairly patient hitting team, working counts in order to get runners on base any way possible so they can maximize those big hitters in the middle of their lineup.

Bob

Hey Gang, hang in there...I know Friday wasn't pretty, but looking at the big picture, Mark Prior is coming back Sunday with Kerry Wood not far behind him. I know I sound like a broken record, but it's still
waaaaaaaaaay too early to write off this team. The wildcard is well within reach and to be hovering around .500 with what the Cubs have gone through is fine. Having Prior and Wood back will hopefully
solidify not only the starting rotation but the bullpen as well.

What an atmosphere at US Cellular Field on Friday. You could tell the Sox fans were reveling in seeing their team pummel the Cubs. The Sox haven't gotten the credit they deserve this year, but in a way, that might be a good thing...you know, flying under the radar a bit never hurts. I'm sure the pressure will be ratcheted up in the second half, but right now, the Sox look about as loose and relaxed as possible. And why not? They have the best record in baseball.

The rest of this series for the Cubs comes down to this--can Maddux and/or Prior give the Cubs enough quality innings to put the bullpen in a good spot? You'd love to get the ball to Ryan Dempster with a lead in the 9th (or 8th possibly) w/o having to use too many guys in between. The bullpen has been taxed and has been inconsistent lately. With an off-day Monday and with two starters returning this week, the horizon looks brighter, but in the short-term, the Cubs need somebody to step this weekend and keep the Sox versatile offense down while taking up some innings.

Len

*3pm start on WGN-TV today with Len and Bob. Greg Maddux (6-4, 4.67) tries to right the ship for the Cubs against the White Sox and Jose Contreras (3-3, 3.83).
*Happy Birthday to Cubs 3rd baseman Aramis Ramirez.
*Yesterday's 12-2 Sox win was the most lopsided score in the teams' interleague matchups.
* The White Sox hold a 14-8 edge over the Cubs all-time at U.S. Cellular Field.
* The White Sox have won eight straight games, as they have outscored their opponents 60-24. It's their third eight game streak of the season (4/18-4/25, 4/30-5/8).
* The Cubs have lost nine of their last twelve, as they have allowed at least eight runs in eight of the losses.
*Timo Perez has gone yard multiple times in his career against only one pitcher – who just happens to be on the mound today.

Timo Perez, Career Home Runs by Opposing Pitcher

Vs. Greg Maddux 2
23 pitchers tied with 1

* While Derrek Lee has shown dominant consistency all season long, the Cubs have been spurred on by both Lee and Aramis Ramirez over the last four weeks.

Derrek Lee/Aramis Ramirez Since May 27, with NL Ranks
Lee Ramirez
BA .467 (1st) .422 (2nd)
RBI 25 (2nd) 27 (1st)
HR 10 (2nd) 9 (t-3rd)
Slug % .860 (1st) .775 (2nd)

* If Corey Patterson continues to bat leadoff, he will face a few more at-bats with the bases empty. Each of Patterson’s home runs this season has been a solo shot.

Highest Percent of Home Runs With Nobody On Base, 2005
(min 10 total HR)

Corey Patterson, ChC 100.0 (10/10)
David Dellucci, Tex 83.3 (10/12)
Derek Jeter, NYY 80.0 (8/10)
Jermaine Dye, CWS 78.6 (11/14)
Jose Guillen, Was 73.3 (11/15)

* The Sox definitely should find a spot in the order for Carl Everett today.

Carl Everett, Highest Career BA by Opponent

Vs. Chicago Cubs .375 (54/144)
Pittsburgh Pirates .350
Minnesota Twins .337
Boston Red Sox .320
Toronto Blue Jays .320

* Over the last two weeks, the Sox bullpen has been much more solid than the Northsiders’ has.

Relief ERA Since June 12

Chicago Cubs 7.54 (2nd worst in MLB) (31/37.0)
Chicago White Sox 2.10 (4th best in MLB) (6/25.2)

* Cliff Politte has done a fantastic job in the Sox pen this season, especially at home.

Most IP at Home, 0 Runs Allowed, 2005 Season

Cliff Politte, CWS 12.2
Mike Myers, Bos 8.1
Chris Bootcheck, LAA 7.1
* Frank Thomas will undoubtedly have the green light today, as he has punished National League pitching over the last three seasons.

Highest Slugging Percentage, Interleague Play, Since 2003
(min 100 PA)

Frank Thomas .836 (97/116)
Barry Bonds .776
Jim Edmonds .742
Richard Hidalgo .694
Manny Ramirez .686

Since the beginning of 2003, Thomas has hit 17 homers in interleague play. However, he has amassed just 30 RBI against the NL over that same stretch.

* Sox hitters may have more success against Greg Maddux later on today.

Greg Maddux, Opponent BA by Time Facing Lineup, 2005

1st Time Thru Lineup .236 (29/123)
2nd Time .299 (38/127)
3rd Time On .327 (34/104)

* Cub hitters do not want Jose Contreras to get ahead in the count today.

Lowest Opponent BA, After 0-1 Count, 2005 Season
(min 100 AB)

Johan Santana, Min .157 (34/216)
Jose Contreras, CWS .158 (25/158)
Pedro Martinez, NYM .165 (35/212)
Mike Hampton, Atl .170 (17/100)

Before we forget Milwaukee, the Brewers are to be commended. They came back in yesterday's game several times and they came back in the series as a whole. Now as we look ahead, it's not going to be easy for the Cubs this weekend. The White Sox have been playing some great baseball and have a lot of confidence. Their pitching has been outstanding, but as we've come to find out over the course of this season, anything can happen in a three-game series.

The guys in the middle of the order for the Cubs have really been getting the job done, but now you would really like to see somebody or a couple of somebodies step up at the top of the order so that we can maximize the damage that those guys in the middle can do. Until that happens, we are just going to continue to marvel at Derrek Lee and his wonderful season and watch Aramis Ramirez come all the way back from his early season struggles.

Bob

*WGN-TV has the opener today at 3pm with Hawk Harrelson and Darrin Jackson doing the call. The Cubs send out Sergio Mitre (2-2, 4.19) against the White Sox and Freddy Garcia (6-3, 3.75).

* While the White Sox have had the upper hand when hosting the Crosstown Classic, the Cubs have matched them offensively.

Cubs vs. White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field – Since 1997

Cubs White Sox
Wins 8 13
1-Run Wins 2 6
Wins by 5+ Runs 3 1
Runs/Game 4.8 (101/21) 4.7 (99/21)
Relief ERA 4.01 (23/51.2) 2.40 (22/82.2)
Quality Starts 10 7
Batting Avg .245 (182/744) .250 (176/703)
Slugging Pct .388 (289/744) .434 (305/703)

* Both teams have been sensational this season when allowing less than four runs.

Best Record When Allowing 3 or Fewer Runs, 2005 Season

Boston Red Sox 29-1 .967
Chicago Cubs 26-2 .929
Chicago White Sox 34-4 .895
New York Mets 23-3 .885
San Francisco Giants 20-3 .870

* No National League team this season has relied on the home run so much for scoring runs as the Cubs have.

Highest Percent of Total Runs Scored on Home Runs, NL, 2005

Chicago Cubs 44.4 (148/333)
Cincinnati Reds 42.7 (154/361)
Milwaukee Brewers 39.5 (123/311)
Atlanta Braves 37.5 (125/333)
Los Angeles Dodgers 37.5 (122/325)

* Sox hitters may have more success against Sergio Mitre the second time around today.

Sergio Mitre, Opponent BA by Pitch Count, 2005 Season

Pitches 1-45 .183 (13/71)
Pitches 46-90 .328 (20/61)

* While Mitre has struggled to get hitters out when facing them for the second time, Freddy Garcia has gotten stronger as the game has moved along.

Freddy Garcia, Opponent BA by Time Facing Lineup, 2005

1st Time Thru Lineup .284 (31/109)
2nd Time .244 (29/119)
3rd Time .179 (20/112)

* While Derrek Lee has shown dominant consistency all season long, the Cubs have been spurred on by both Lee and Aramis Ramirez over the last four weeks.

Derrek Lee/Aramis Ramirez Since May 27, with NL Ranks

Lee Ramirez
BA .481 (1st) .424 (2nd)
RBI 25 (t-2nd) 27 (1st)
HR 10 (t-1st) 9 (t-3rd)
Slug % .885 (1st) .788 (2nd)

* If Corey Patterson continues to bat leadoff, he will face a few more at-bats with the bases empty. Each of Patterson’s home runs this season has been a solo shot.

Highest Percent of Home Runs With Nobody On Base, 2005
(min 10 total HR)

Corey Patterson, ChC 100.0 (10/10)
David Dellucci, Tex 83.3 (10/12)
Jermaine Dye, CWS 78.6 (11/14)
Jose Guillen, Was 73.3 (11/15)

* The Sox definitely should find a spot in the order for Carl Everett today.

Carl Everett, Highest Career BA by Opponent

Vs. Chicago Cubs .375 (54/144)
Pittsburgh Pirates .350
Minnesota Twins .337
Boston Red Sox .320
Toronto Blue Jays .320

I know people often ask what it's like being on the road with a major league team...what our routine is. Getaway Day is always an interesting thing...it's usually a day game after a night game, so not much sleep is had. You have to pack up your suitcase and have everything ready for the truck that heads to the airport before the game. Here are my Getaway Day routines: 1) I always pack my suitcase the night before. When I get back from the park, I get everything piled into my suitcase except for what I need the following day. 2) I always set my own travel alarm, the alarm on my cellphone and have a wakeup call placed just in case. You never can have enough warning when 7 am hits! 3) I try to get up about 2 hours before I need to be out of the room so I have plenty of time to get on the internet and do my daily prep. Today, I shaved off a half-hour, knowing that I would have some extra time at the ballpark to do the rest of my stuff (like send this blog post!). That, and because I just had a hard time getting out of bed! 4) Usually on Getaway Day, the teams move back their reporting times. For instance, the Cubs today reported at I believe 11 am or so, w/no on-field batting practice. Just cage work. So, when I see that, I know that the lineups probably won't be out until a little bit later. Generally, 3 1/2 hours before the game when the clubhouses open, the lineups are done. Not today. 5) I took a cab to the park today at around 9:15 for a 1 pm start. The team bus was at 11 am. I rarely, if ever, take the bus. I like to get to the park and not have to rush in getting prepared for the game. Everyone's different as far as that goes. So, as I write this, it's a little after 10 am. In a few minutes, I'll head down to the clubhouse to see what's going on, if anything. Eventually I'll get the lineups, head back up, fill out my scorebook, have lunch, go over what we're going to talk about with Bob and our crew of Pete Toma, Skip Ellison and Marc Brady, have a laughs and then we'll do the game!

Much of the Cubs' incredible recent popularity can be traced to their success in the 1984 season, which contributed to growth in the Wrigley neighborhood and fueled Cub fever across America thanks also to Harry Caray and the WGN Superstation.

The turning point of that magical year came on Saturday, June 23 when Ryne Sandberg exploded onto the national stage as he capped a 5-6 day with game-tying home runs in both the 9th and 11th innings of Cardinals relief ace Bruce Sutter. The Cubs rallied to beat St. Louis 12-11 in front of a frenzied crowd at Wrigley Field.

Let's hear it from Ryno himself:

"June 23, my number 23 - there was some magic there that day. It was one of those wild games with the wind blowing out a bit, so it was going to be an offensive game from the get-go. One of the things I remember is that we were the national game of the week which was a big deal back then because you didn't have all the ESPN games, but you had the national (NBC)Saturday Game of the Week...Bob Costas was here with Tony Kubek. It was a typical crowd with huge Cardinals/Cubs turnout so the atmosphere was there.

It was a high-scoring game and I know that toward the end of the game (Cardinals outfielder) Willie McGee was announced as the player of the game because he had hit for the cycle. Moments later, I followed with the first home run off Bruce Sutter which tied the game in the 9th and was totally unexpected. Here's the best sinkerball pitcher and closer in the game and I was able to get underneath one of his pitches and lift it out for a home run.

We went into extra innings and I ended up doing it again in the 10th to tie it again (at 11). They took the player of the game away from Willie McGee and I got that. We were able to win the game on a big hit by Dave Owen.

A lot of the players said that it was the big game that kind of put us over the top and on our way to winning that year. After the game, Whitey Herzog said 'he's the greatest player I've ever seen.' (Herzog also called Sandberg 'Baby Ruth'.) Obviously, he was caught up in the moment, but that's how it came out. Well, I read that the next day and I thought, wow, I have to play well the rest of the year so I don't let anyone down. That game had a lot to do with the rest of my career."

Never been to Miller Park? No problem, here's a few shots from across the border.

Just for fun, the first correct post will win a virtually worthless WGN HDTV t-shirt. From the Sandberg game:

1)Who called the two home runs on television?
2)Who was the first MVP of the game and why?
3)Who had the game-winning RBI for the Cubs?
4)What nickname did Whitey Herzog give Sandberg after the game?

All answers will be in the Ryno post tomorrow.

Tomorrow marks the anniversary of one of the great games in Cub history - the 12-11 win over St. Louis as Ryne Sandberg slugged two homers off Bruce Sutter.

Which begs the question - what is the biggest homer in Cub history?

Send us your comments and we'll read some on the air tomorrow afternoon in Milwaukee.

Here’s the line up for the next home stand:

Tuesday June 28th - Country Night- Joe Nichols
Wednesday June 29th - Paul Reiser
Thursday June 30th - Bob Uecker
Friday July 1st - Ron Santo and Wild Bill Holden, who is walking to Chicago from Arizona to raise funds for JDRF
Saturday July 2nd - legendary Chicago DJ Dick Biondi, accompanied with Ronnie Rice (New Colony Six), Carl Giammarese (Buckinghams) and Jim Peterik (Ides of March, Survivor).
Sunday July 3rd - Mia Hamm accompanied by 5 little girls in honor of Mia Hamm day at Wrigley.

Hey Gang, with Jerome Williams making his Cubs' debut tonight, this could be the start of a transformation in the Cubs' pitching staff. Mark Prior is throwing a simulated game today and could be back very soon, if not Sunday vs. the White Sox. Kerry Wood is scheduled for one more rehab start Friday with Iowa and hopefully will return a week from Wednesday vs. Milwaukee. So, that's 3 starters possibly all joining the rotation within the next week-plus. So, what happens now? Well, the Cubs will have to make a move today, likely jettisoning one of their relievers. It seems as though the Cubs want to give Rich Hill a good look in the bullpen, so he may hang around for a bit.

When Prior and Wood return, the Cubs will have to make some rotation decisions as well. Carlos Zambrano and Greg Maddux stay in their normal spots obviously. When Prior and Wood are both back, there will one spot left for Rusch/Mitre/Williams. So somebody will end up in the bullpen and somebody will end up back in the minors, whether it's Williams or a current reliever. In the end, they will be good problems to have...you always like having TOO many starters as opposed to just trying to fill in with guys from the minors, which the Cubs have had to do at times with all the injuries. Knowing that Prior and Wood are close to coming back is a comforting thought for a team that really needs to stay consistent and put some distance between itself and the .500 mark.

Len

*The Cubs unveil newly-acquired Jerome Williams (0-2, 6.48) tonight on WGN against the Brewers and Victor Santos (2-6, 2.87).

* After last night’s win, the Cubs now hold a slim 58-56 all-time series lead over the Brewers. Four of the seven meetings this season have been decided by a single run,

Cubs vs. Brewers, 2005

Cubs Brewers
Wins 3 4
- by 1 run 2 2
Runs/Game 3.9 (27/7) 4.1 (29/7)
Batting Avg .232 (60/259) .275 (67/244)
BA w/RISP .246 (16/65) .172 (11/64)

* Chicago is 25-2 this season when allowing three or fewer runs, the best such record in the National League.

Record in Games when Allowing 3 or Fewer Runs, 2005

Red Sox 28-1 (.966)
Cubs 25-2 (.926)
White Sox 32-4 (.889)
Mets 22-3 (.880)
Yankees 26-4 (.867)

* The Brewers have won 15 of their last 22 home games, including an 8-2 record in
one-run games. Milwaukee’s overall home win percentage (17-13, .567) is its best since the 1997 (.588).

Brewers at Home, Since April 29

Brewers Opponents
Wins 15 7
- by 1 run 8 2
Runs/Game 4.9 (108/22) 3.8 (84/22)
Runs, Inning 1 26 16
Team BA .282 (203/719) .207 (150/726)

* Jerome Williams will make his Cubs debut today, making him the 10th Cubs starter on the season. Williams was 0-2 with a 6.48 ERA for the Giants this season before he was traded to the Cubs on May 28 in the LaTroy Hawkins deal.

Most Different Starting Pitchers, 2005

Cubs 10 (inc. Williams)
Dodgers 9
Nationals 9
6 teams tied with 8

* Cubs’ right fielder Jeromy Burnitz is batting close to .500 over his last 10 games.

Jeromy Burnitz, 2005

Last 10 Games Previous
BA .475 (19/40) .260
SLG% .850 (34/40) .444
AB/HR 10.0 (40/4) 27.9
AB/K 13.3 (40/3) 5.2

* Teammates Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez have been just as hot since late May.

Best Batting Average in the National League, Since May 27
(Min 3.1 PA per scheduled game)

Derrek Lee, ChC .484 (45/93)
Aramis Ramirez, ChC .425 (37/87)
Kenny Lofton, Phi .413
Tony Clark, Ari .391
Luis Castillo, Fla .366

* Brady Clark is batting .385 at home on the season, which is the second best home mark in Brewers history.

Brewers’ Highest Single Season BA at Home, All-time
(Minimum 100 AB)

Paul Molitor, 1987 .394
Brady Clark, 2005 .385 (47/122)
Cecil Cooper, 1981 .364
Jeff Cirillo, 1999 .354
Robin Yount, 1987 .354

* It has been tough going for Milwaukee’s Victor Santos this season. He has allowed three or fewer earned runs in 12 of his 13 starts, but has just a 2-6 record to show for it.

Best ERA with Win Pct. Of .250 or Less, Since 1920
(Minimum 1 INN/Team G)

ERA Record
Victor Santos, 2005 2.87 (26/81.2) 2-6 (.250)
John Dopson, 1988 3.04 3-11 (.214)
Paul Derringer, 1933 3.30 7-27 (.206)
Galen Cisco, 1964 3.62 6-19 (.240)
Jerry Koosman, 1978 3.75 3-15 (.167)

While it was a lost weekend on the field for the Cubs, it didn't stop thousands of Chicagoans from having a great time on their invasion of the Big Apple. Check out photos from the Cubs first visit to Yankee Stadium in 67 years.

A big 10-game trip begins tonight for the Cubs, who have won 8 of their last 9 away from Wrigley Field and have won their last 3 road series (@ Pit, @ LA, @ SD). It will be interesting to see how Carlos Zambrano pitches tonight coming off the left big toe injury in his last start. He says he feels fine and that he's ready to go. He also has struggled getting comfortable in the 1st inning the last 2 times out, so getting through the 1st with no damage will be a nice small victory. The Yankees just swept the Pirates and are back over .500 and feeling better about themselves. It's strange to NOT see the Yankees atop the AL East (they're in 3rd right now, 6 back of the Orioles). This will be a big challenge for the Cubs in a fairly unfamiliar park for them (some Cubs have played here, but not all). The atmosphere will be rocking from the 1st pitch tonight until the final out Sunday. But that sounds familiar, doesn't it? In the end I guess, this atmosphere won't be all that different from what the Cubs experience 81 times at Wrigley! Should be a great weekend of baseball.

It's going to be great to go into the Bronx with the Cubs tonight. In Yankee Stadium, you try to pitch gap to gap. It’s very similar to what you try and do in the ballpark in Houston. It’s very short down both lines in New York, especially in right field and you’ve got to try and make the opposing hitters hit the ball to the big part of the ballpark. Of course, then you do run the risk of some triples in those huge gaps there. As always, you do have vary patterns to keep the Yankee hitters honest. They have a bunch of smart hitters and if you keep going consistently away, they know to look for something there and can hurt you to the opposite field.

You seem surrounded by fans at Yankee Stadium. It almost seems like the home plate area is in a chute and the fans are wrapped around you as you stand at the plate. When you look straight across from one batter’s box to the other, it seems like the fans are right there in the on-deck circle. They’re very close to the action and are very vocal. They know their baseball and not just to hoot on the visiting teams. If you don’t move along a runner up or you don’t get a bunt down or take a good swing at a 2-0 pitch, you’ll hear it. They understand the game as well as any fans in baseball and they will give you a hard time if you don’t play the game the right way.

Bob

*WGN-TV has the opener of the Cubs first-ever regular season visit to Yankee Stadium tonight beginning at 5:30pm with "Battle in the Bronx" followed by game coverage at 6pm.

*Carlos Zambrano (4-3, 3.19) goes for the Cubs against Yankee right-hander Carl Pavano (4-5, 4.17).

*Several Cubs have good career numbers against Pavano, who came to the Yankees this year as a free agent after his time with the Florida Marlins.

Jeromy Burnitz 9/27 2 HRs
Derek Lee 5/19 HR
Corey Patterson 8/14
Todd Walker 4/10
Neifi Perez 4/13

*The Cubs are looking for the first franchise win at Yankee Stadium having lost both games at Yankee Stadium in the 1932 World Series (12-6, 5-2) and the 1938 World Series (5-2, 8-3).

*Derrek Lee continues to pace the NL in batting average (.385) and home runs (18), while sharing the lead in RBI with Milwaukee’s Carlos Lee (56). Since 1968, the year after Boston’s Carl Yastrzemski won the majors’ last Triple Crown, only three qualifiers have had at least a share of the lead in all three categories this late in the season: the Reds’ Tony Perez in 1970 (through games of July 17); the Padres’ Gary Sheffield in 1992 (August 23); and the White Sox’ Dick Allen in 1972 (September 8).

We’re going to see a great pitching matchup in the opener tomorrow night in New York with Carl Pavano going up against Carlos Zambrano. Pavano is very similar to Carlos. He throws a real hard sinker and if he’s on top of his game, he gets a lot of ground balls. He’s a big, strong durable guy who usually works deep into the ballgame, so it should be a matchup of two horses that pitch very similarly. As for Carlos getting too pumped up in Yankee Stadium, I definitely think it’s something that Larry Rothschild and Dusty Baker will keep an eye on. Carlos is a very high-energy guy who keeps his emotions close to the surface. At Yankee Stadium, the fans have a way of bringing out the best and sometimes the worst in a player, so they are going to have to keep a close watch and make sure Carlos keeps his emotions in check.

I think the big losses the last few days point out the fact that if you make mistakes in the big leagues you’re going to have to pay and the Cubs pitching staff made a lot of mistakes during the course of this homestand. At times, they pitched very well, but too many times they made mistakes and you don’t need a better illustration than we had yesterday that if you do make those mistakes to big league hitters, they are going to make you pay.

There's no doubt the Yankees have struggled this year. I think their problem since about 2000 is a lack of chemistry. Baseball is not a game of interchangeable parts and they had a real good thing going there with the Paul O'Neill, Scott Brosius, Tino Martinez, and Derek Jeter teams, but some of those guys got older and had to move on. No matter which superstar they have overpaid there to come in, they haven't been able to regain that chemistry they had with their championship teams back in the late 90's.

Well, I'm sitting here at my computer after one of the best games of the year. Actually, the more I think about it, it was THE best game of the season for the Cubs, who pounded out 18 hits in scoring 14 runs against the Marlins. But see, that's not the best part of the story. No, the best part has been the emergence of Sergio Mitre. By my rough calculations, over his last 2 starts, he's worked 16 straight scoreless innings and of the 48 outs he's recorded, get this--31 groundball outs (33 really with a couple of DP balls), 1 popout, 2 lineouts, just 3 flyball outs to RF and 9 Ks! Wow...just incredible. His first career complete game and shutout last night and all the sudden he has announced his presence in a huge way. And consider that prior to his last start vs. Toronto, Mitre's career ERA was 6.87 (in limited time in the bigs for sure, but...6.87 is 6.87, right?). Just remarkable.

So, it's set up for a big rubber match today as Greg Maddux seeks his 4th straight win against a guy who's been known to hit 100 mph on the radar gun, AJ Burnett.

Len

*The series wraps up today with Greg Maddux (5-3, 4.11) going for the Cubs against the Marlins and AJ Burnett (3-4, 3.09)on a cool day at Wrigley Field.

*Maddux has won his last three starts. On Friday, he went 6 2/3 strong innings against Boston, allowing 7 hits and 3 runs. He is 18-9 lifetime against the Marlins with a 2.60 ERA.

*Burnett had a very similar line in his last outing, going 7 1/3 innings giving up 7 hits and 3 runs. For the season, Burnett has 80 strikeouts in 81 2/3 innings.

*After his 4-5 performance last night, Derek Lee again sits atop the National League Triple Crown categories, hitting .386 with 18 HRs and 56 RBI.

*Happy Birthday to Dusty Baker and Billy Williams today.

*Mr. Cub Ernie Banks will lead the 7th inning stretch.

A reminder that WGN-TV will carry the first game of the series at Yankee Stadium this Friday night, June 17. Our coverage begins at 5:30pm Chicago time with "Battle in the Bronx" hosted by Dan Roan, followed by Len and Bob with Cubs baseball at 6pm.

The Cubs enter play tonight needing to win the final two games of this homestand in order to have a winning stretch here over these 9 games. After dropping the first 2 to the Blue Jays, the Cubs got hot again, winning 3 straight before cooling off again Sunday and Monday. I still believe the Cubs are in a survival mode of sorts, considering 2 of their top starters are on the DL and considering how tough their opponents are right now. They've done more than survived of course, and looking at the big picture, they're fine even after these two losses. Hopefully, Kerry Wood will be back very soon which will be a big boost for a team that has found its groove over the past several weeks.

This team is playing with a lot of confidence right now, so a back-to-back losses aren't a real cause for concern. Of course, with matchups against Josh Beckett and AJ Burnett the next two days, the Cubs will have to get their offense going once again against two tough righties. We talked about it last night--maybe seeing a couple of hard-throwing righthanders will be good for the Cubs, who were handcuffed Sunday by a knuckleballer and kept under wraps last night by sensational lefty Dontrelle Willis. Tough adjustments to make on back-to-back nights against those two vastly different styles. Let's hope Sergio Mitre builds off his terrific performance last week. All right, a win tonight and the Cubs can go for a series and homestand "win" Wednesday afternoon!

Len

*The Cubs look for another strong outing from Sergio Mitre (1-1, 4.88) on WGN-TV as they host Josh Beckett (7-4. 3.13) and the Florida Marlins.

* The Marlins’ seven-run fifth inning on Monday night was just another day at the office for their lineup, which has produced the most big innings in the major leagues this season.

Most Innings Scoring 5+ Runs, 2005 MLB

Florida Marlins 14
Baltimore Orioles 10
Los Angeles Angels 10
Tampa Bay Devil Rays 10
Texas Rangers 10

* Meanwhile, despite a rough last couple of nights, hitting has led the Cubs to become one of the hotter teams in the National League in recent weeks.

Chicago Cubs Since 5/27/05, With NL Ranks

NL Rank
Win Pct. .706 (12-5) 3rd
Batting Avg. .313 (190/608) 1st
Runs/Game 5.5 (94/17) 4th
Home Runs 25 T-3rd
*Extra Base Hits 76 1st

* The Diamondbacks rank second in the NL in extra base hits since May 27 with a total of just 66.

* Miguel Cabrera’s fortunes with the bat have mirrored the fortunes of his team in 2005.

Miguel Cabrera in Wins and in Losses, 2005

In Wins In Losses
Games 31 29
Batting Avg. .400 (50/125) .265 (27/102)
Home Runs 8 2
RBI 29 11
Runs 31 9
SLG .688 .382

* Hitters sometimes get a handle on pitchers once they face them multiple times in a game. That certainly has not been the case with Josh Beckett, who appears to grow tougher on hitters the more he faces them.

Opposing Batters vs. Josh Beckett by Time Through Lineup

BA OBP
1st time .270 (27/100) .354
2nd time .208 (21/101) .292
3rd time .184 (16/87) .253

* As the Cubs deal with their injury woes, Sergio Mitre is one of nine starting pitchers they’ve used already. They used a total of just seven staring pitchers in the entire 2004 season.

Most Different Starting Pitchers Used, 2005 MLB

Chicago Cubs 9
Los Angeles Dodgers 9
Five Teams Tied 8

* The Cub infielders can expect a workout with Sergio Mitre on the mound. Among pitchers who have made at least three starts this season, only Brandon Webb has a more extreme groundball-to-flyball ratio.

Highest Ground Ball/Flyball Ratio, 2005 MLB
(Min. 3 GS)

Brandon Webb, Ari 4.21
Sergio Mitre, ChC 4.07 (57/14)
Jake Westbrook, Cle 4.00
Chien-Ming Wang, NYY 2.97
Denny Bautista, KC 2.88

* Whether he succeeds in winning the Triple Crown or not, Derrek Lee has already led his league in all three categories deeper into the season than all but five players since the last Triple Crown season by Carl Yastrzemski in 1967.

Latest Dates That a Player Has Led Triple Crown, Since 1968

Year Lg Player, Team Date Thru BA HR RBI
1972 AL Dick Allen, White Sox September 8 .317 33 102
1992 NL Gary Sheffield, Padres August 23 .339 27 87
1970 NL Tony Perez, Reds July 17 .359 30 93
1995 NL Matt Williams, Giants June 10 .381 13 35
1968 AL Frank Howard, Senators June 9 .342 22 47
2005 NL Derrek Lee, Cubs June 5 .385 17 52
* Led by Lee, the Cub attack continues to rely on the long ball as much as any offense in the senior circuit.

Highest Pct. of Total Runs Scored from Home Runs, 2005 NL

HR-R Runs PCT
Chicago Cubs 125 284 .440
Cincinnati Reds 134 322 .416
Milwaukee Brewers 105 266 .395
Los Angeles Dodgers 115 299 .385
Philadelphia Phillies 122 318 .384

The Boston invasion seemed to be a success all the way around. The Cubs took two out of three to win the series, but Red Sox Nation can hang their hat on a Sunday night win and a memorable weekend at Wrigley.

Hey Gang, I knew it was going to be a different weekend when I crossed Clark and Addison today when I saw a guy in a Red Sox jersey talking about where he was going in the thickest New England accent you'll ever hear. This should be a lot of fun. The Red Sox are here at Wrigley for the first time ever and it was fun to see some of the Red Sox people get their first look at this park. I was asked about the ivy and the groundrules and "how do you get to the visiting clubhouse?", etc. Fenway veterans surely will feel at home at Wrigley. The two parks, the passionate fan bases, the longevity of the franchises and yes, the Curses...it all adds up to an intriguing matchup. Let's hope next time they meet, the Cubs' Curse of the Goat will be mentioned in the past tense just like the Curse of the Bambino.

Nomar Garciaparra is in Chicago for the Red Sox series and took a few moments to meet with the media this morning.

Will you get your World Series ring this weekend?

Yes, I'll be receiving it this weekend. I haven't gotten it yet...I'm was excited when I found out I was receiving one and I'm still excited about seeing it and getting it.

Is is particularly painful to not be able to play this weekend?

It's painful. My groin hurts. I would love to be out there playing right now. It's not just the Red Sox being in town, but dealing with this injury.

How special was it for you to play in for the Red Sox and their fans?

It was extremely special. I've said this all along, I have unbelievable memories, and I still have amazing friends and close ties over there that I will always have....I realized something about myself that I have a big heart and that place will always have a big place in my heart. Somebody up there is looking after me - I've been pretty blessed to play in two wonderful, wonderful cities. Now I'm here which is a wonderful place with great fans..

*WGN-TV carries the series opener today as Greg Maddux (4-3, 4.12) goes for the Cubs against Bronson Arroyo (4-2, 3.80) and the Red Sox.

* For both the Red Sox and the Cubs this year, it’s been pretty simple: when they get a well-pitched game, they win.

Best Record When Allowing 3 Runs or Less – 2005 MLB

23-0 1.000 Boston Red Sox
24-2 .923 Chicago Cubs
21-2 .913 New York Mets
28-3 .903 Chicago White Sox
20-3 .870 Baltimore Orioles

* Boston’s offense has had its ups and downs, but lately the hitters have been coming through in the clutch.

Best Team BA, RISP – AL Since 5/27

Angels .383 (49/128)
White Sox .351 (34/97)
Red Sox .331 (39/118)
Tigers .314 (27/86)
Devil Rays .307 (35/114)

* Johnny Damon is well on his way toward scoring 100-plus runs for the eighth straight season—the second-longest streak among active players.

Longest Active Streaks of Scoring 100+ Runs, Through 2004

Alex Rodriguez - 9 Seasons (1996-2004)
Johnny Damon - 7 Seasons (1998-2004)
Todd Helton - 6 Seasons (1999-2004)
Barry Bonds - 5 Seasons (2000-2004)

* David Ortiz has been a beast in interleague play since joining the Red Sox prior to the 2003 season.

David Ortiz, Interleague Play – 2003-05

Games 39
Average .374 (55/147)
Home Runs 9
RBI 35

* Bronson Arroyo hasn’t posted a win since May 5, but getting away from Fenway Park might be just what he needs.

Bronson Arroyo – Last 12 Road Starts (Since 8/21/04)

Won-Lost 8-1
ERA 3.13 (26/74.2)
Opp. BA .216 (59/273)
Team W-L 10-2

* Derrek Lee’s “Triple Crown” season extends to the late innings.

Derrek Lee, 7th Inning and Later – 2005 (With MLB Ranks)

Average .423 (30/71) 1st
Home Runs 8 1st
RBI 20 1st

* The Cubs have thrived with rookie Jason Dubois manning left field.

Cubs Record by Starting Left Fielder - 2005

Jason Dubois 19-10 (.655)
Todd Hollandsworth 11-17 (.393)
Ben Grieve 1-0 (1.000)

* Greg Maddux, who will be going for a record 18th interleague win on Friday, is 15-3 against AL East teams in his career—including 4-0 against the Red Sox and 2-0 against the Yankees.

Most Interleague Wins vs. a Single Division – All Time

W-L ERA
Greg Maddux vs AL East 15-3 3.07
Aaron Sele vs NL West 13-3 3.35
Al Leiter vs AL East 13-9 3.51
Kirk Rueter vs AL West 12-4 4.49
Brad Radke vs NL Central 12-7 2.86

Most Interleague Wins – All-Time

Greg Maddux 17- 7 .708
Aaron Sele 17- 7 .708
Mark Mulder 16- 5 .762
Mike Mussina 16- 9 .640
Al Leiter 16-11 .593
* Moved into the closer’s role in mid-May, Ryan Dempster recorded his first save on May 17. The move seems to have turned around the Cubs bullpen.

Cubs Bullpen Before/Since May 17
(Date of Dempster’s 1st Save)

Thru 5/16 May 17 and Since
Won-Lost 6-11 6-2
Saves/Opp 6/13 7/9
ERA 3.75 3.12 (18/52.0)
Opp BA .250 .242 (46/190)

Dempster has all seven of the Cubs’ saves since May 17, going 7-for-7 in save opportunities while posting an 0.90 ERA (1/10.0) and a .152 opponents batting average (5/33).

Just a reminder that WGN-TV will have the opening game of the Cubs-Red Sox series tomorrow, beginning at 12:30pm Central time with a live special from the field "Return of the Red Sox". Dan Roan and Rich King will join Len and Bob for the pregame show.

At 1p, it's the Leadoff Man, followed by the first-ever regular season meeting between the Cubs and the Red Sox.

In a long season with lots of ups and downs, I definitely think playing the defending World Series champions is a big deal. It's a great measuring stick to see where your team is. The teams come in with very similar records and there are a lot of great players on that Red Sox team. It would really be a feather in the Cubs cap if they can win this series against the defending champs.

For the players, there's no question about it - this is a special weekend. For a lot of the fans, the last time they saw the Red Sox, they were whipping up on the Cardinals in the World Series in October and now here they are in Wrigley Field on our home turf. I'm sure the fans are going to be very vocal. The Red Sox haven't quite played up to expectations, but it will be fun to watch Johnny Damon, David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, and especially, for my money, the most valuable player that will never get that recognition - Jason Varitek.

In Friday's opener, we'll see Bronson Arroyo as the Red Sox starter. He's one of those guys who will invent pitches out there on the mound. He throws a fastball, a curve, a cutter, a slider, a changeup and he will throw them from all different arm angles. He will change his windup from pitch to pitch and it's very tough to get a bead on him. You just have to hope he's having an off day where he is making mistakes and leaving the ball up in the strike zone. If he does that, he can be hit.

It's going to be fun.

Bob

*This will be the first-ever regular season meeting between the two teams. With a game against the Red Sox, the Cubs will have played every current Major League club.

*Through the 2004 season, 152 players had played for both the Cubs and Red Sox, including Bill Buckner, Dennis Eckersley, Fergie Jenkins, and Lee Smith. Ex-Cubs Terry Adams, Jimmy Anderson, Mark Bellhorn, Frank Castillo, Ricky Gutierrez, Sandy Martinez, and Bill Mueller all saw action for Boston last year during their championship season.

*Red Sox manager Terry Francona played for the Cubs in 1986.

* Four men have managed both teams:

Frank Chance 1905-12 Chi 1923 Bos
Joe McCarthy 1926-30 Chi 1948-50 Bos
Lou Boudreau 1952-54 Bos 1960 Chi
Don Zimmer 1976-80 Bos 1988-91 Chi

* Cubs and Red Sox fans will meet again in Cooperstown on July 31 as Chicago's Ryne Sandberg goes into the Baseball Hall of Fame along with Wade Boggs of the Red Sox.

*The Red Sox won the 1918 World Series four games to two over the Cubs. Due to World War I, the regular season was shortened by three weeks and the Series started on September 5. Babe Ruth, who was still a regular pitcher at the time, won Games 1 and 4 for the BoSox.

*The Cubs moved their home games from Wrigley (then known as Weeghman Park) to Comiskey Park in order to gain more seating capacity. The first three games of the series were played in Chicago, followed by three in Boston at Fenway Park.

Game 1 - Red Sox 1, Cubs 0
Game 2 - Cubs 3, Red Sox 1
Game 3 - Red Sox 2, Cubs 1
Game 4 - Red Sox 3, Cubs 2
Game 5 - Cubs 3, Red Sox 0
Game 6 - Red Sox 2, Cubs 1

Hey Gang, just a quick word or two on the current state of affairs. I know, I know, it's extremely frustrating to see the Cubs come off a 6-1 west coast trip and lose the first two games of this homestand. And with Roy Halladay opposing them today, it's going to be a tough challenge to salvage a win in this series. But keep in mind a couple things. 1) The Blue Jays are ABOVE .500 this year. In fact, just like the Cubs, they're now 3 games over .500. That may surprise some NL fans who aren't that familiar with the AL East. This team has been pretty good this year, despite some recent struggles. The Jays went into Tuesday night's game 5th in the AL in runs, so it's an offense that can score some runs. 2) Look at the rest of the NL right now. Several teams are right around where the Cubs are in relation to .500. Teams like the Marlins, who are expected to challenge for their division, are struggling. Others like the Nationals are playing better than expected. The bottom line here is that the Cubs are right there with everybody else--at least in the wild card. There's one team in the Central, St. Louis, that has been terrific. Everybody else has been up and down. The Cubs made up a lot of ground last week that they had lost earlier in the season. And right now, they need to try to sustain some of that positive momentum against a tough portion of the schedule. Clearly, a win against Roy Halladay today would be huge. But consider where everybody else is in the NL right now and you might feel a little better about where the Cubs stand, even after two tough losses to the Jays.

Len

The WGN Sports crew took some behind the scenes photos at San Diego's beautiful Petco Park.

The Blue Jays and Red Sox are here this week and unlike the White Sox, it's much more of an unknown interleague opponent for the Cubs. In interleague games as a broadcaster, I approach them the same way I do games within our division or our league. The first guy I talk to is the opposing team's catcher, because he will give you all the scouting reports on all the pitchers on the opposing team. I try to sit down for a few minutes with the opposing pitching coach and get his views on things and then get whatever we can gather from the opposing manager. But I know for a fact that managers don't usually give up too many tidbits.

For a manager, a lot of things are based on your advance scout who has seen the opposing team play for the last week or ten days. Also, you rely heavily on players on your team who may have been in the other league. Jerry Hairston, for example, knows the Blue Jays very well from his days in Baltimore so I'm sure that Dusty had Jerry speak up in the advance meeting and talk about what he knew about players on the Blue Jay team.

You try to keep the advance meeting the same, even though it's an interleague opponent and do everything as near the same as you possibly can. Ballplayers have a very short attention span and if you try to go too long, it can go in one ear and out the other. The meeting itself is very similar to what they would have against another National League team.

During the course of the ballgame, as hitters come to the plate in crucial situations, you may see more meetings at the mound, just to reinforce what you've gone over earlier in the day. You go over the hitters at 4:30 in the afternoon, then all of a sudden it's 8:30 or 9 at night and you're facing a guy. Sometimes, those notes don't stick in there quite as well as you wish it would. I would imagine you'll see some more meetings out there from both teams over the next week.

Bob

Hey Gang, I thought I'd answer/address a few posts today...

Hey Len,
Thanks for the input. And YES... the CUBBIES are big EVERYWHERE. Coming from Florida this must be new to you, but we've got a strong contingent of Cub fans in Idaho and Oregon too. And what's more, Cub fans KNOW how important supporting their team is in the big scheme of things. So we come out, no matter the city. Posted by lenny c at June 4, 2005 06:10 PM

Lenny, love the name first and foremost. I knew the Cubs had an incredible following when I took this job, but until you experience it for the first time, it doesn't REALLY register just how far-reaching it is. I'm so honored to be able to be around it every day.

Len and Bob:

What are the Cubs doing to curb the number of strikeouts Corey Paterson in accumulating this season? I believe Cardinal manager Whitey Herzog used to fine or punish Ozzie Smith when hit the ball in the air. Do you think something like this would work with Paterson. Thanks Posted by James at June 4, 2005 09:43 PM

James, I don't think that's a solution at this point. It's a different era now and managers can't do the same things they used to do. I'm sure Dusty and Bob have some interesting stories of how tough their managers were when they played, but today's players are just treated differently. I'm sure the guys who played in the '40s and '50s were amazed at how easy the guys in the '60s and '70s had it. Guys were always tougher way back when, right! No matter the era. Dusty has been pretty upfront about Corey needing to make adjustments and let's hope he does. There's a lot of talent there...the Cubs are just looking for some consistency.

Len,

Consider yourself lucky. I'm only 24 years old and have been "targeted" by pigeons every time I travel--once in Venice, Italy; once in Bath, England (no pun intended); and once on my honeymoon in Honolulu. I'm a walking bullseye--maybe it's the Cubs hat I wear everywhere. Funny it never happens when I'm at home....
Jeremy Uecker
Austin, TX Posted by Jeremy Uecker at June 4, 2005 11:19 PM

Jeremy, I guess I was fortunate! Yikes.

I recently relocated to N.C. two weeks ago and am so happy that I get to watch Cubs games on TV again! I lived for 4 years in a town that refused my petitions to carry WGN, can you believe it? Mississippi needs an overhaul. The Cubbies are playing quality baseball and Derrek Lee is still on fire. My question is... HOW is he not leading the all-star vote? I think I maxed out my voting privileges. Also, if he continues the season as he has started it, there is no question that he is the unanimous MVP. The Cubbies would not be where they are now without him and he has shown this in is play with his walk-off homers, 3 run hr's in a 1 run game to change the complexion of the game, and ability to hit everything he sees. From what I understand, that is VALUABLE. Why would anyone on ESPN (PTI, Around The Horn) be able to continue their "valid" arguments of Pujols to be a better candidate than D. Lee? I am so confused. Let's get some more runs. Posted by Jason M at June 4, 2005 11:19 PM

Jason, this isn't that hard--guys with a long-standing reputation always get the votes. It's just the way it works. Derrek has never been an All-Star, so even if he were hitting .600, non-Cubs fans are still going to consider voting for Pujols. Derrek will make the team, probably as a back-up and then next year he'll get more votes. All-Star voting isn't normally about who's having the best first half. It's about who's a more widely-known commodity.

I have a question about tonight's broadcast.

Why would you advocate ejecting Harry the Heckler for throwing back a home run ball? Debris on the field??? We've been doing it at Wrigley for YEARS. The left field bleachers would be empty if everyone who threw back an opposing team's home run ball were ejected for throwing "debris" on the field. ;)

Or were you just being facetious?

Sincerely,
A Proud Left Field Bleacher Widow Posted by Debi at June 4, 2005 11:28 PM

Debi, I don't recall advocating Harry's ejection. If any reference was made to it, it was done with tongue firmly in cheek.

1 more post.... some helpful words.

tractable \TRAK-tuh-buhl\, adjective:
1. Capable of being easily led, taught, or managed; docile.
2. Easily handled, managed, or worked; malleable.

This can be used to describe Derrek Lee's effect on a baseball or the effect of the Cubs on opposing teams this road trip.

inscrutable \in-SKROO-tuh-buhl\, adjective:
Difficult to fathom or understand; difficult to be explained or accounted for satisfactorily; obscure; incomprehensible; impenetrable.

It is inscrutable that D. Lee is not leading the all star voting.

And lastly.....

lambaste \lam-BAYST\, transitive verb:
1. To give a thrashing to; to beat severely.

As in the 5th inning in tonight's game. Posted by Jason M at June 4, 2005 11:32 PM

Jason, thanks for the suggestions. We've gotten a great response on the Word of the Day and I feel a lot smarter already!

Thanks for the posts as always. Should be a fun homestand with the Jays/Sox/Marlins coming in. We'll see at the park or on the Superstation!

Len

The Cubs stormed into Los Angeles last week and left with a three-game sweep. Dodger Stadium is now 43-years-old, but is still a classic setting for baseball.

* Tonight on WGN, the Cubs go back to interleague play against Toronto in a battle of lefty starters. John Koronka (1-0, 5.40) makes his second start for the Cubs, facing the Jays' Gustavo Chacin (5-4, 3.36).

*The Blue Jays face a real test in the Cubs, who have been the majors’ hottest team over their last 26 games. Chicago is 18-8 since May 8---best in the Majors.

Cubs, Last 10 Games (5/27 & Since)
Cubs Opponents
Wins 9 1
Runs/Game 6.4 (64/10) 3.0 (30/10)
BA .321 (120/374) .213 (70/329)
Doubles 27 11
HR 18 8

* The Blue Jays took two of three from the Cubs in the two teams’ only interleague meeting thus far in 2003. This will be Toronto’s first ever trip to Wrigley Field.
* Toronto is currently in the middle of a 13-game roadtrip in which the Jays are currently 2-5. They will travel to Houston following this series before heading home.

* Derrek Lee has helped power the Cubs’ surge, hitting .558 (24/43) and slugging 1.000 (43/43) since May 27. And he’s raised his season on-base percentage to the highest in modern Cubs history.

Highest On-Base Percentage, Cubs – Since 1900
(minimum 200 PA)

2005 Derrek Lee .469 (115/245)
1929 Rogers Hornsby .459
1930 Hack Wilson .454
1905 Frank Chance .450
1945 Phil Cavarretta .449

* Cubs lefthander John Koronka made his major league debut last Wednesday, posting numbers quite similar to Gustavo Chacin’s debut last September.

Gustavo Chacin / John Koronka in Major League Debuts

Opp IP R ER BB NPit Result
Chacin, 9/20/04 @NYY 7.0 3 3 3 98 Won
Koronka, 6/1/05 @LAD 5.0 3 3 3 98 Won

* In his second major league start (9/29/04), Chacin surrendered just one run in seven innings, but still lost to Baltimore. It’s a pattern that’s continued this season – tremendous run supports in wins, not so good in all other starts.

Run Support for Gustavo Chacin – Career

GS Run Support/9 IP
In Wins 6 9.98 (44/39.2)
In Other Starts 7 2.40 (11/41.1)

* Aramis Ramirez and John McDonald may be looking forward to the matchup of southpaws on Monday.

Highest Batting Average Vs LHP – 2005
(minimum 0.77 PA per scheduled game)

Aramis Ramirez, ChC .442 (19/43)
John McDonald, Tor .436 (17/39)
Gary Sheffield, NYY .431
David Bell, Phi .429
Jason Varitek, Bos .425

-- Vernon Wells has hit six home runs off lefthanded pitching, tying Gary Sheffield for the most in the majors, while Ramirez’ five such homers is tied for third most.

* Eric Hinske and Vernon Wells boast two of the highest interleague batting averages among active American Leaguers.

Highest Interleague Batting Average – Active AL Players
(minimum 150 PA)

Hank Blalock .358
Hideki Matsui .349
Eric Hinske .346 (47/136)
Darin Erstad .345
Vernon Wells .344 (55/160)

The Cubs have already clinched a winning roadtrip with a 4-1 record through the first 5 games, but with 2 games left, you like to see at least one more win here in Southern California. If the Cubs could go 5-2 on this trip, that would be considered an extremely successful trip. Greg Maddux, who got the trip started with a win, will pitch tonight against LH Darrell May.

We've seen a ton of Cubs fans here in California and Thursday night's Cubs contingent prompted the Padres' Geoff Blum to comment on how nice it must be for the Cubs to never play a road game! One thing I've grown to love about being with the Cubs is always running into friendly Cubs fans on the road. Everyone goes out of their way to say hi and lend support, which has been awesome. Bob and I have been treated so well, it's really amazing.

It's funny, probably the #1 question I get asked on the road is, "Where's Ronny?" Ron Santo might be the most popular broadcaster I've ever been around. I've gotten a chance to spend some time with him and it's been great getting to know him. Pat Hughes and Andy Masur and Matt Boltz have all become good friends as well and it's a tight knit group on the road. Our WGN TV crew consists of Pete Toma, Skip Ellison and Marc Brady, along with our Executive Producer Bob Vorwald, who makes the occasional roadtrip. We have a lot of laughs in and out of the booth with our crew, but we all work hard to put together the best broadcasts we can. Bob and I have only been with the Cubs and WGN for a few months, but it feels like we've been a part of it for a long time. That's a credit to everyone we work with. They've made Bob and me feel like we're a big part of the Cubs/WGN family. I also want to point out that the Comcast Sportsnet crew--Bob Albrecht, Dave Turner and Tamra Anderson--all do a great job as well. This is the first time I've worked with two separate crews during a season and it's been very seamless.

Two more here in SD and then back home for a big homestand! Check us out on the Superstation tonight.

Len

Before we gasp at Derek Lee going 0-4 last night, he's still pretty darn good as far as these ten key offensive categories go for the National League:

Avg. 1st .379
HR 1st 17
RBI T-1st 50
Runs 1st 43
OBP 1st .468
Slug 1st .713
Extra base hits 1st 31
OPS 1st 1.181
Runs Created 1st 59
Total Bases 1st 139

*THE PROMISE - Don't worry. Len and Bob are well aware of their April promise if the Cubs win 10 in a row. Len has to grow a mustache and Bob has to shave his.

*E-MAIL - To reach Len and Bob, post your comments at the various notes we put on each day. We also have an e-mail address for them at wgncubstvbooth@aol.com.

*FRIENDLY CONFINES WEST - The Cubs have won four in a row on this current road trip, and they are now 4-0 in the short life of Petco Park.

*WGN GAMES - We have the game Saturday night at San Diego at 9pm, followed by Monday night at 7p with Toronto, Wednesday afternoon at 1p with the Blue Jays, and the Friday opener with the Red Sox. Our coverage will start at 12:30 with the "Return of the Red Sox" special.

Here is the lineup:

Monday June 6th - Dave Cowens
Tuesday June 7th- Charlie Weis
Wednesday June 8th - Glenn Beckert
Friday June 10th - Chris Chelios and Jack O’Callahan
Saturday June 11th - Rick Sutcliffe
Sunday June 12th - Mike Ditka
Monday June 13th - Muhsin Muhammad - Chicago Bears
Tuesday June 14th - William Petersen
Wednesday June 15th- Ernie Banks

*Tonight at 9:05 on WGN, The Cubs attempt to keep their 6 game winning streak alive against a Padres team who has the best home record in the majors at 18-5. (.783)

* The Cubs’ Mr. Consistency, Glendon Rusch will take the mound tonight after a four day rest, with a 2.35 ERA in five starts this season, and a record of 2-1.

*So far this season, Cubs starters have been phenomenal on four days rest.

Lowest Starters ERA, 4 Days Rest, 2005 Season

Chicago Cubs 2.89 (52/161.2)
Houston Astros 3.52
St. Louis Cardinals 3.61

Most Consecutive Starts Allowing 2 or Fewer ER, Active

Glendon Rusch, ChC 8
Chris Young, Tex 7
Roger Clemens, Hou 6
Erik Bedard, Bal 6

* Glendon Rusch has been able to limit his earned run average this season by pitching out of jams time and time again.

Lowest Opponent Batting Average, RISP, 2005 Season
(min 45 AB)

Roger Clemens, Hou .109 (5/46)
Glendon Rusch, ChC .148 (8/54)
Kenny Rogers, Tex .152
A.J. Burnett, Fla .160
Roy Halladay, Tor .180

*The Cubs will be facing a nearly flawless Padre team who has allowed just one error in their last 13 games.

* Over the last month, no team has been hotter than the Padres.

MLB, Best Record Since May 2

San Diego Padres 22- 6 .786
Texas Rangers 18- 7 .720
St. Louis Cardinals 19-10 .655
New York Yankees 17-10 .630
Chicago White Sox 17-11 .607
Los Angeles Angels 17-11 .607

*The Cubs will rely on their big bats led by Derrek Lee who has continued to fuel the Cubs during their winning streak, as he has batted .640 (16 for 25) with five homers, 11 RBI, and 10 runs scored. The Cubs have had reason to smile when Derrek Lee has crossed the plate multiple times this season.

*Cubs 2005 Record When Derrek Lee Scores…

0 Runs 8-15
1 Run 9-8
2+ Runs 10-1

*As a team, The Cubs have notched 10 or more hits during their current 6-game winning streak. . The last time the Cubs had 10 or more hits in seven straight games was nearly eight years ago (8/28/97-9/3/97).

* The Cubs will test their bats against rookie Tim Stauffer, who kicked off his major league debut with a win on May 11th, but is 0-1 in his last three starts. Stauffer has received just four total runs in support in those three starts.

* The Padres took two of three from the Cubs in early April. The Cubs have won the last seven meetings in San Diego by a combined score of 38-14.

As the Cubs open a four game series in San Diego, the month of June looks to be a stern test with series against the Padres, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Marlins, Yankees, Brewers and White Sox. Dusty Baker talked about the possibilities and the Cubs aiming to do more than just survive.

"We hope we can do better than that. We know we can rise to the occasion. I remember a road trip with the Giants and we lost Matt Williams right before we went on the trip to Philly, New York, and Montreal which was a nemesis for West Coast teams. Tough teams, tough towns, tough sleep places and noise...(Matt's fill-ins) were playing and they hit like .600 that road trip. So you just don't know. If the team's going good, you can beat anybody."

As Len noted in yesterday's entry, one of the great treats of being at Dodger Stadium is getting the chance to say hello to true baseball royalty in Vin Scully. Vin was kind enough to help us out yesterday with an interview for an upcoming Sox promotion about the 1959 World Series. Afterward, he took time to reflect on six decades as the voice of the Dodgers.
"Why do I enjoy still doing baseball in my 56th year? Because for me, it has been a great marriage. Very simply put, I love the game."

Some brief housekeeping on Wednesday:

* Happy Birthday to Carlos Zambrano who turns 24 today.

*WGN-TV will have the Thursday and Saturday games in San Diego.

*Take that LA - the Cubs now lead the series with the Dodgers 931-930 since 1900. The White Sox now lead their series with the Angels 315-314 after last night's win over the Halos.

*The Cubs five-game winning streak is their longest of the year and comes immediately after Mark Prior's injury.

*The Cubs had a rare win last night without a home run. In May, they were 9-1 when hitting a homer and 5-12 when they did not.

*There were some posts about Nomar Garciaparra meeting the team in San Diego, but this is not to return to the roster. They will receive an update on his condition, but he will not be ready to rejoin the team until July at the earliest.