Arrrrrrrrr!
Pirates Send Cubs Sailing on High Seas of Mediocrity

Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

Given the big (and expensive) names on the Cubs roster such as Lee, Ramirez, and Soriano, we never thought the offense would be a problem this year. But oh, what a problem it was yesterday, as the Cubs made Ross Ohlendorf (how's that for a baseball name?) look like Ubaldo Jimenez and lost 2-1. (That makes the Cubs 1-6 vs. the Pirates this year, by the way.) The North Siders got a mere four hits and went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position, and the Cubs' only run scored on a ground out. At least Randy Wells looked strong after his last outing of 16 pitches, and Andrew Cashner recorded an out on his first (and only, so far) major-league pitch.

ESPN Chicago: Pirates nip Cubs to end five-game losing streak [+ video]
Chicago Tribune: Piniella baffled by Cubs' lackluster offense
Daily Herald: It's June and Cubs still haven't found their offense
MLB: Bullpen, bats baffled by Bucs

Powerless Power Hitters
Punchless Lee & Ramirez Might Move Down in Order
Looks like Lou Piniella is finally acknowledging the elephant in the room — that Lee and Ramirez, his two supposed big boppers, are absolutely killing the team. Yesterday, for instance, the pair went 0-for-7 with four strikeouts, and went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position. Lee is hitting a feeble .233, while Ramirez is still south of the Mendoza Line at .162. When asked if it might be time to move the terrible twosome lower in the order, a terse Piniella said, "Yeah, that's an option." Seems about time, to us.

Chicago Sun-Times: Cubs lineup is rotten to the core

Quiet Riot
Theriot Gets Benched, Fontenot Takes His Place
After a brutal May that found him taking exactly one walk and knocking in an anemic two runs, fan fave Ryan Theriot has been moved to the bench in favor of Mike "Lil Lord" Fontenot. And it might not be a temporary thing, either: "This could be more than a one-day thing, yes," Piniella said. "He (Fontenot) has been swinging the bat, putting the ball in play. He's done better. With Theriot, we're talking about one walk the whole month. That's kind of hard to do. We talked to him about it. He's had one extra-base hit the whole month. But we'll see." We like the Riot, but given how much the offense has struggled, this seems like a decent move.

Daily Herald: Cashner here; Theriot benched

Is Cashner Serious Money?
The Lowdown on the Cubs' Latest Call-Up
To the surprise of no one, the Cubs have brought up Andrew "Straight cash, homey" Cashner (we're going to keep using that until it catches on) to help their struggling bullpen. Cashner has amassed some strong numbers in the minors, posting a miniscule 0.86 ERA at Iowa this year. These articles have everything you'd ever want to know about pitcher, such as the fact that the Cubs drafted him in the 27th round in 2007, but he opted to return to school. His move paid off, as the Cubs drafted him in the first round the next year. The reports were glowing about the six-foot, six-inch righty, with one write-up stating, "No college pitcher in this draft can match his consistent 96-98 mph velocity."

Another Cubs Blog: 2010 Cubs: Andrew Cashner
Chicago Sun-Times: Cashner makes debut; Grabow goes on DL

In with the Thin Crowd
Emptier Wrigley Could Mean Less Money for Roster
If you've been to some Cubs games this year and you think the stadium looks emptier than usual, well, you're right. The Cubs are currently averaging 1,233 fewer fans than the same time last year. That equals around $1.2 million, the Trib estimates, and the season isn't even a third over yet. Granted, maybe the Ricketts family wants to throw money down a Guatemalan sinkhole, so perhaps it's irrelevant. But given that the team already has the third-highest payroll in the majors and the results are not what we call "good," this could have serious ramifications for the team's re-signing of Derrek Lee, pursuit of other free agents, and more.

Chicago Tribune: At Wrigley and the Cell, fewer fans could mean fewer options

Now that Andrew Cashner is here, John Grabow was sent to the DL with a bruised ego and broken fastball inflammation in his left knee (thanks to The Heckler)... Potential third-baseman-of-the-future Josh Vitters left yesterday's game with an undisclosed injury after getting hit in the chest with a grounder. Vitters is batting .234 since being promoted to Double-A Tennessee...

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