Bad Guy With a Big Bat
Pierzynski and Sox Pound Pitching in 10-5 Loss

Jerry Lai/US PRESSWIRE

We hoped the Blackhawks' winning ways would rub off on the Cubs. We were wrong. The Sox shelled the North Siders in the first game of the Crosstown Classic, scoring 10 runs off 16 hits. Randy Wells struggled for the third time in four starts, and the hated A.J. Pierzynski went 4-5 and was a triple short of the cycle. There were a few bright spots: Chad Tracy and Ryan Theriot had two hits apiece, and Alfonso Soriano hit his 300th career homer. But it meant nothing with the pitching getting battered around like a piñata during a fiesta.

ESPN Chicago: Rios, Pierzynski homer as White Sox rip Cubs [+ video]
Chicago Tribune: Sox extend edge in City Series
Chicago Sun-Times: Peavy perks up in crosstown win
Daily Herald: Pierzynski powers Sox to easy win over Cubs 10-5
MLB: First continues to be Wells' bugaboo

Bad to the Stone
Sox Broadcaster and Piniella in a War of Words
Need a little more spice in your Crosstown Classic? Self-appointed baseball genius Steve Stone recently criticized Lou Piniella's handling of young players, and Lou was strangely silent. But yesterday, he fired back: "What job has he had in baseball besides talking on television or radio? What has he done? Why isn't he a farm director and bring some kids around?" Hopefully the team will use Lou's fiery quotes to stop playing like the Bad News Bears. As for Tyler Colvin, whose playing time Stone criticized, he didn't start and went 1-1 with a double in his only at bat.

Chicago Breaking Sports: Angry Piniella rips Stone's critique [+ video]
MLB: Piniella irked by Stone's comments
FOX Sports: Piniella's reputation taking a beating

Oil or Nothing
Cubs Criticized for Accepting BP Sponsorship
Everyone we've talked to thought this trophy idea was kind of lame anyway. Now, it looks even worse when the sponsor is an oil company with a huge disaster on its hands. So the company is bound to get booed (which happened yesterday before the game) and ridiculed. Our favorite quip comes from Agony and Ivy, referring to BP's underestimate of the oil pouring into the Gulf from the leak: "BP estimates Mark Buehrle's ERA at 5.40, although independent analyses at Tulane and the University of Florida suggest this number is really somewhere between 19.65 and 22.74."

Chicago Sun-Times: BP, Cubs, Sox downplaying new cup trophy
Agony and Ivy: The BP crosstown cup comedy series
Walk Off Walk: Chicago teams value relationship with evil corporate sponsors

The Defense Rests
Is Poor D the Real Reason for Cubs' Woes?
Why have the Cubs been so painfully mediocre this season? It's all because that damn bullpen keeps blowing leads, right? Well, that's a big part of it, but here's another big reason: defense. The Cubs are the ninth worst team in the bigs in terms of committing errors, and only the Washington Nationals have allowed more unearned runs in the National League. We hate to say it, but one of the main culprits is Starlin Castro, who has committed eight errors in a mere 32 games. Don't forget: you have to throw it, hit it, AND catch it.

MLB: Cubs unhappy with defensive play
Chicago Breaking Sports: Your morning Phil: Errors, (no) buzz, Wise

What's in a Name?
Oddly Named Pitchers Shine in Minors
The Cubs have always had players with odd names. You got your Brooks Kieschnik and your Zip Zabel. Your Pete LaCock and your Pickles Dillhoefer. And now, the Cubs have two minor leaguers with appellations that fit this pattern: Single-A pitcher Kenneth "Trey" McNutt and Double-A hurler Austin Bibens-Dirkx. The difference is, these guys might be good. McNutt threw five scoreless innings last night to bring his ERA down to 1.65. Bibens-Dirkx's ERA stands at 3.00, and teams are hitting just .183 off him. Hey, a rose by any other name...

Minor League Baseball: Kenneth McNutt stats
Minor League Baseball: Bibens-Dirkx burns for Smokies

Friday's starting pitcher Randy Wells denied rumors that he was out partying until 3am with the Blackhawks on Thursday night... Watching this video of the Cubs' first-round draft pick without the audio makes it look like he's running for condo board president of Del Boca Vista Phase III... Nice to see a Cubs fan bring some reason to the Cubs/Sox rivalry.

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