Preview/Prediction

In part one; we took a look at Harden and Gregg, and the possibilities that face the Cubs. Now, as we take a look a bit farther down the road, the choices show themselves to be a bit more complicated.

Shortly after the Cubs have to deal with the future of Harden and Gregg, they will have to face what choices to make with Derrick Lee and Ted Lilly—like I said, a bit more complicated.

As the 2009 season progresses, there are plenty of issues on the minds of not only the Cubs organization, but also Cubs fans alike.

The high-powered offense of last year—the same offense that was supposed to thrust the team into this year—has been eerily quiet. The talented pitching rotation that made so many strides last year has been marginally acceptable this year, and the bullpen that was touted as one of the best a year ago has yet to separate itself from the average.

The Minnesota Twins have spent most of June slowly gaining ground on the Detroit Tigers in the American League Central.

Early next month, the Twins could quickly gain ground on the rest of the Major League Baseball when it comes to high-profile international signings.

Photo above from espn.com

In part two of my series of struggling franchises trying to find their way back to the top, I will look into the Kansas City Royals.

Unlike Baltimore, the Royals have had a .500 season (83-79 in 2003) within the last decade. The drawback, though, are the four seasons of 100+ losses (2002, 2004-2006).  Fortunately for Royals fans, Kansas City did not have a fourth-straight 100+ loss season in 2007. 

Kansas City entered the 2009 season with high hopes.

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Saturday will mark just the 21^st time in Major League history that brothers will face-off against each other as opposing starting pitchers.

32-year-old Jeff Weaver will start for Los Angeles in place of Eric Milton, who isn’t eligible to come off the DL until Sunday. Jeff’s Dodgers will face his little brother Jered and their cross-town counterparts, the Los Angeles Angels.

The Dodgers’ organization has actually seen brothers face each other twice before.

This season the Phillies have recorded two series wins at home. Both have come against the Washington Nationals. This weekend they hope to pick their third home series win, and perhaps get their home schedule turned around, when they welcome the Baltimore Orioles to Citizens Bank Park.

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It’s no secret that the Los Angeles Dodgers (43-23) hold the majors' best record. They have been in first place in the NL West for 66 consecutive days and have a nine-game lead over the San Francisco Giants.

Tonight begins one of the great reasons interleague baseball is considered a success in Major League Baseball: the Chicago Crosstown Classic.

But this year's version of the series comes with lots of question marks about both teams. Both managers have been public with their frustrations as well, while the teams that were picked to be among the favorites in their divisions are fighting for respectability.

So before this serious begins, let's look at the matchups and how the team's players represent Chicago the best.

The A.L. Central, like its Western-division brethren and the entire National League, is full of bad teams. The division’s first-place Detroit Tigers enter Tuesday’s games with a run differential that would rank fifth in the A.L. East.

The Minnesota Twins, meanwhile, have ridden Joe Mauer’s Ted Williams impression and a pitching staff that has decided against issuing walks this season into second place, a mere three games out, and are the only other team in the division to have outscored its opponents thus far.