Same Old Story
Cubs Change Lineup, But Still Flail. Then Lose.

Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

Tell us if we're wrong, but we're getting a serious "Groundhog Day" vibe here. Once again, the Cubs got a quality start from one of their pitchers, but the anemic offense couldn't do jack and the Cubs lost 3-2 to the friggin' Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates officially own the Cubs, going 7-1 against them this season. Lou Piniella did just about everything he could short of playing left field himself — his starting lineup didn't include Ramirez, Byrd, Lee, or Soto. One of those moves paid off, as Lee's replacement Xavier Nady went 4-for-4 and accounted for all of the Cubs runs with a two-run homer in the third. Alas, Ted Lilly gave up a two-run shot in the eighth inning to someone named Neil Walker, who had exactly zero homers in his career before tonight. Grrrr.

ESPN Chicago: Walker's first MLB HR lifts Pirates past Cubs [+ video]
Chicago Tribune: Cubs shake up lineup and still lose 3-2
Chicago Sun-Times: Lou's despair change
Daily Herald: Late homer dooms Lilly, struggling Cubs
MLB: Frustration builds after Lilly's strong start [+video]

Take It to the Top
Get Your Thoughts in Tom Ricketts' Hands
Now here's an offer you don't see every day: You can get your thoughts hand-delivered to Cubs owner Tom Ricketts. Dave Kaplan, the WGN/Trib/CSN man-about-town, asks readers to post ideas on what they'd do if they owned the Cubs. And here's what keeps this from being just another navel-gazing blog write-up: "I will take the best laid-out plans to Tom Ricketts and hand your ideas to him," Kaplan writes. "Be creative, think outside the box, and remember there are a ton of aspects that are included in owning a major league team that you probably haven't even considered." So what are you waiting for? Get writing! (After you read the rest of the Fan Report, of course.)

Kap's Corner: What would you do if you were Tom Ricketts?

Silence of the Zambrano
Big Z Quiet Before Return to Rotation
The mercurial Big Z didn't talk to the media yesterday, but pitching coach Larry Rothschild did — and he said some pretty interesting stuff. Sure, there was the standard, "One of the keys for us going forward is Carlos pitching well," etc etc. But toward the end of the article in the Sun-Times, Rothschild seems to admit the 29-year-old Zambrano doesn't quite have the electric stuff he did a few years ago. ''If you go through starters in the last 20 years, when they've thrown so many innings, you can see a little drop-off, and adjustments are made,'' Rothschild said. ''That may be where he is right now. But he's certainly got enough to pitch well for us and do what he needs to do.'' Hmmm. "Pitch well for us"? That's what we call damning with faint praise.

Chicago Sun-Times: The Z is silent before his return to rotation

You Better, You Bet
Five Suggestions for Improving the Cubs
Everyone has an idea for how to turn this season around. Trade this guy. Release that guy. Give out free beer if the Cubs lose. You know, the standard stuff. The Bleacher Report has put together five thoughts on how the Cubs can make things a little better, and some of the ideas seem pretty solid. We don't want to give it all away here, but we agree that Tyler Colvin should definitely be playing more, and Lee and Ramirez shouldn't be batting next to each other. But if your season depends on Mike Fontenot getting more playing time, well, it just might not be your year.

Bleacher Report: Mayday, mayday! Five ways to improve the Cubs

Numbers Game
How Much Should We Use Stats to Analyze the Cubs?
In a classic case of bad timing, on Saturday Bleed Cubbie Blue said Tom Gorzelanny shouldn't be going to the bullpen. No, instead the bullpen's newest pitcher should be... the undefeated Carlos Silva. The rotund pitcher went out that day and had the best outing of his career, striking out 11 Cardinals. BCB revisited the issue of stats in baseball, and concluded that Silva will likely continue his strong year. "Even if his luck is 'even' going forward, he's a decent bet to continue pitching well," the blog states. It goes on to conclude, "Stats can answer a lot of questions, but they work best when they're answering the questions the people in the personnel department want/need answered."

Bleed Cubbie Blue: Is Carlos Silva's start for real? A discussion about...

Broadcaster Ron Santo spent the night in a Pittsburgh hospital after feeling ill. He's supposed to head home today, with Dave Otto filling in with Pat Hughes... We've mentioned our affinity for former Cub Doug Glanville, whose book, "The View from Where I Stand," sounds pretty awesome. Find out why Chicago mag calls Glanville a "man of letters" when he appears at "The Interview Show," a monthly talk show at The Hideout hosted by Red Eye columnist Mark Bazer, on Friday, June 4, at 6:30pm.

Submit your Rant on Facebook
*Don't be a Sox fan... be clever. If it's smart enough, we'll publish it here.
What's this?