NL Central

Filed:July 3, 2009

Koyie Hill awaits the throw home, before tagging out Jeff Suppan at the plate. (Cubbie Nation)

Click here for the photo gallery from Friday's game

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Tonight, the Cardinals started the holiday weekend off with a bang.

John Paul Morosi of FOX Sports is reporting today that the Minnesota Twins are interested in three Pirates: 2B Freddy Sanchez, closer Matt Capps, and lefty setup man John Grabow.

The 2009 season for the Chicago Cubs has not gone exactly as planned. Injuries, power outages, suspensions, "lack of fire"—you name it, it's gone wrong for the Cubs so far this year.

One bright spot for the team this season has been midseason call-up Jake Fox. In 23 games over his two stints with the big league club this season, Fox has hit .317 with three HR and 12 RBI. Prior to his call-up, he was lighting up AAA Iowa, with obscene stats of .409 BA, 17 HR, and 53 RBI in just 45 games. 

"Ya gotta believe" are the magic words, the "open sesame" of baseball history, immortalized by Tug McGraw in 1973. But the baseball good wish fairy doesn't always respond. Chicago Cubs fans and players remember the year, 1969, when the wish was never fulfilled.

In the span of two months, the Cubs slipped from nine-and-a-half games in front of the Mets to eight games behind.

"It's true," said the late Jack Brickhouse before his death in 1998. He watched it all go down in '69 from the great heights of the radio announcer's booth. "The Cubs lost it," he said.

With All-Star fan balloting wrapping up tomorrow, I figured it was time to take a look at which Brewers should be making the trip to St. Louis for the mid-summer classic.

By my estimation, the Brewers will have four players in this year's game.

Rickie Weeks very likely would have made the team if injury hadn't cut his season short on May 17.

Mike Cameron also would have been a strong candidate if he would have maintained the numbers he put up in April. Cameron will have to hold out hope for a Gold Glove at the end of the season instead.

Filed:June 28th, 2009

Well, it's official. The Cubs won't be getting the band back together, with the Cardinals instead acquiring ex-Cub Mark DeRosa in exchange for Chris Perez.

Saturday was June 27th. At the end of the day, the Chicago Cubs were tied for third place in the National League's Central division with the Cincinnati Reds, trailing the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals by three-and-a-half games.

Saturday also marked 179 days since Cubs General Manager Jim Hendry traded the most versatile, and arguably the most valuable, player from last season's team to the Cleveland Indians. Mark DeRosa was dealt to the Tribe for a couple of minor league pitchers.