Lilly Wilting
Lefty Gives up 7, Cubs Comeback Ends Too Soon

Kirby Lee/US PRESSWIRE

Ted Lilly, you're killing us. The Cubs' valuable trading asset got hammered for the second consecutive game last night, giving up seven runs (five earned) and lasting only into the fourth inning in a 9-7 loss to the Dodgers. The Cubs' offense made it respectable, though, posting four runs in the final two innings. Marlon Byrd went 4-for-5 with 3 RBIs, and Aramis Ramirez got above the Mendoza Line (finally!), going 3-for-4 with a double and a triple. But like the Cubs' runs last night, Ramirez's resurgence seems to be too little, too late.

ESPN Chicago: Dodgers build big lead, hang on against Cubs [+ video]
Chicago Tribune: Cubs' Lilly rocked in 9-7 loss
Chicago Sun-Times: Dodgers play shell game, rip Lilly
CSN Chicago: Amid trade rumors, Dodgers get to Lilly [+ video]
MLB: Late rally unable to bail out Cubs, Lilly [+ video]

Futurama
Cubs Prospects Could Bring Happier Days
To some, the Cubs' future's so bright they oughta don some Ray-Bans. Fox's Ken Rosenthal has glowing praise for the team's rookies, saying Tyler Colvin, Andrew Cashner, and Starlin Castro are "championship-caliber." They're going to be joined by promising players like Brett Jackson, Josh Vitters (we'll see), Hak-Ju Lee, and others. He also notes the bullpen is strong, and the team will get more payroll flexibility as it sheds the contracts of players like Derrek Lee, Kosuke Fukudome, and — God willing — Carlos Zambrano. So... smile!

FOX Sports: Cubs future more promising than present

Talking Trade Turkey
Is Lilly Leaving? Should Soto Say 'See Ya'?
It seems pretty likely that the Cubs are going to be making deals between now and the July 31 trading deadline. For starters, Ted Lilly seems like a sure goner. The Mets are interested, but now that Cliff Lee has been dealt to the Rangers, more teams will come a-knockin'. The Rangers also might be interested in Xavier Nady, and then there's Geovany Soto, who has pretty decent value. But should the Cubs trade him? He's reasonably young (27), but if some team is willing to overpay, we'd listen. Hell, based on this season, we'd listen to anything.

New York Post: With no trade imminent...
Another Cubs Blog: Trade value: Geovany Soto
ESPN Chicago: With Lee off market, Lilly more attractive

And the Winner Is...
Cubs Earn Dubious Mid-Season Awards
The season is about halfway over, so baseball's gurus are handing out midseason awards. Unfortunately, some won't be going on any mantels. Aramis Ramirez was named the NL's LVP (Least Valuable Player) by ESPN's Jayson Stark, who noted the last guy to put up numbers this bad played in 1933. Seriously. Stark named Carlos Zambrano the NL Cy Yuk winner for having the sixth-worst ERA (5.66) and third-worst WHIP (1.69) among NL pitchers who have thrown as many innings as he has. So, guys... umm, congrats?

ESPN: Halfway hardware

Meet the New Boss
Season Ticket Holders Given VIP Treatment at Wrigley
You may have heard that the Cubs hosted a "Season Ticket Holder Appreciation Day" on Thursday. Tales from Aisle 424 was there, and it sounds like a well-done event: Amiable owner Tom Ricketts expressed his pride in some moves (Byrd, Silva) and his disappointment in the season overall. People could go anywhere in the stadium. Some fans had picnics on the field. (Awesome!) But the blog was left bittersweet because the team just isn't very good, concluding, "I still don't know if I'll be back next year."

Tales from Aisle 424: Day at Wrigley was nice, but probably not worth...

A sore calf might force Carlos Silva to miss his start on Sunday... Looks like the Cubs will play in Fenway Park for the first time ever in May 2011.

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