Who's Sori Now?
Left Fielder Cranks 2 HRs in Cubs 3-1 Win

Jerry Lai/US PRESSWIRE

Oh, so that's how you beat the lowly Pirates: You hold them to one run, and you have your left fielder Alfonso Soriano — the guy who'd homered twice in his previous 28 games — crank two solo round-trippers. Crafty lefty (is there any other kind?) Ted Lilly was again strong, going seven innings and allowing a mere one run. Did Lilly just prove he might be the Cubs' ace, or did he up his trade value? Maybe both. Other than Soriano's bombs, though, the Cubs' offense didn't exactly wow us. But hey... one-game winning streak! Woo-hoo!

ESPN Chicago: Soriano's 2 HRs give Cubs rare win vs. Bucs [+ video]
Chicago Tribune: Lilly's gem lifts Cubs to 3-1 victory
Daily Herald: Stars power Cubs to 3-1 victory over Pirates
CSN Chicago: Lilly, Soriano ease frustrations at Wrigley [+ video]
MLB: Soriano's homers lift Lilly, Cubs over Bucs

Reading the Z Leaves
Should We Have Seen Zambrano Meltdown Coming?
Recently, Jim Hendry defended signing Carlos Zambrano to a five-year, $91.5 million contract in 2007. Hendry's defense makes sense by the numbers, as Big Z racked up 16 wins in 2006, tied for the NL lead. But the Sun-Times has several reasons why Hendry should have been wary, including: Zambrano's legendary temper, which resulted in clubhouse fights, tantrums, and umpire freak outs. Then there's the bizarre injuries, including an elbow injured from too much computer use (what the...?), a "heavy arm," and dehydration. Now you tell us.

Chicago Sun-Times: Zambrano's downfall not that surprising

Please, Mr. Postman
An All-Zambrano, All-the-Time Mailbag
Got a question about Carlos Zambrano? The Trib's Paul Sullivan probably answered it. The Cubs can't send him to the minors, and they can't release him without likely eating a huge contract. What about moving him to another position, a la Rick Ankiel? "This is not happening, people," Sullivan writes. Lastly, the Trib scribe says he doesn't think Zambrano needs anger management. "The guy is in a good mood 99.9 percent of the time, but loses it at times during games," Sullivan says.

Chicago Tribune: Paul Sullivan's Cubs mailbag

Prospecting for Gold
Cubs' Farm System Could Yield Treasure
For years, the Cubs' farm system seemed only to produce scrubs who only saw Wrigley Field with a ticket. But it seems things have turned around recently, and Goat Riders of the Apocalypse takes a look at the top potential minor-league stars. Leading the list is Double-A's Brett Jackson, who had six homers and 12 stolen bases in June for Daytona before being promoted to Tennessee. The second prospect is also named Jackson (Jay), a Triple-A pitcher who could be throwing at Wrigley in September. Cross your fingers.

Goat Riders of the Apocalypse: My midseason top 15 Cubs prospect list (Part 1)

Have a Seat
Clever Ways to Fill the Increasingly Empty Stands
As you've probably noticed, there are an increasing number of vacant seats at Wrigley Field lately. So how can the team fix this problem? Well, they sold bleacher tickets for $10 for the Pirates' series, which is a good start. Agony & Ivy has some other suggestions for putting butts in the seats, including: Change the team name to Blackhawks, host exploding Carlos Zambrano bobblehead day, and "More runs, less noodles." Then there's this revolutionary idea: "How 'bout stringing a few wins together?" Now that's one we can get behind.

Agony & Ivy: How to boost attendance at Wrigley

Mark Prior (remember him?) is trying another comeback... Alfonso Soriano says he's called Carlos Zambrano three times since the Friday Freakout, but to no avail... We apologize for the delay in delivering yesterday's Cubs Fan Report. We experienced technical difficulties with our email provider.

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?