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Turning the Tables
Cubs Smoke Brewers to Snap 7-Game Skid
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
Ahhh, sweet, sweet revenge. After enduring the season's longest losing streak (including defeats of 18-1 and 17-2), Ryan Dempster and the Cubs' offense unleashed some frustration and went off on the Milwaukee Brewers. The North Siders cranked out 15 runs on 16 hits, including homers by Tyler Colvin, Aramis Ramirez, new Cub Blake DeWitt, and Geovany Soto, who had five RBIs. Dempster threw six innings and allowed three runs, all unearned. Let's forget about the three errors and enjoy the victory... it's been a while.
ESPN Chicago: Cubs snap 7-game skid with rout of Brewers [+ video]
Chicago Tribune: Cubs' bats come alive in 15-3 romp over Brewers
Daily Herald: Cubs break out of funk, pound Brewers 15-3
CSN Chicago: Old and new: Dempster and Castro lift Cubs [+ video]
MLB: Four homers power Cubs to victory [+ video]
Heavy Rotation
Zambrano Back in Starting Role
The Carlos Zambrano saga took another turn (dear God, please let it be the last one) yesterday when the Cubs announced their opening-day starter would head back to the starting rotation on Monday. Is this part of Hendry's plan to increase his trade value? Seems possible, but it will only work if Zambrano doesn't get hit like a pinata again. As for Big Z, he sounded grateful to start again. "Sometimes you don't know what you have until you lose it," he said. But isn't "Losing it" what got him into this mess to begin with?
Daily Herald: Big Z's big yellow taxi
Chicago Breaking Sports: Zambrano returns to rotation for third time [+ video]
ESPN Chicago: Carlos Zambrano a starter again
Getting High
Pitch Counts Shooting Through the Roof
Rookie Thomas Diamond threw 122 pitches in his debut, marking the ninth 120+-pitch start from a Cub pitcher this season. (No other team in has more than seven.) Does it make any sense to have a young pitcher who's had Tommy John surgery throw that much in a meaningless game of a meaningless season? Didn't we learn anything from the way Kerry Wood and Mark Prior were handled? Deep breaths, deep breaths.... Many believe high pitch counts cause injuries, but Nolan Ryan disagrees. Let's hope Lou Piniella knows what he's doing.
Chicago Breaking Sports: Your morning Phil: Diamond, Jackson, Girardi
Agony & Ivy: 122 pitches! The horror!
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Growing up Fast
Is Starlin Castro the Rookie of the Year?
On opening day, Braves' rookie Jason Heyward went 2-5 with a home run and four RBIs (against the Cubs, of course). Meawhile, Starlin Castro was still playing for the Tennessee Smokies down at Double-A. The times, they are a-changin'. After going 4-5 with a double and triple yesterday, Castro's average is .318 — not bad for the youngest player in the league. Meanwhile, Heyward is hitting a pedestrian .264 with 11 homers. Does Castro have a chance to overcome Heyward's initial hype and win Rookie of the Year? Some say yes....
Chicago Tribune: Castro starting to get some Rookie of the Year buzz [+ video]
ESPN Chicago: Castro making his case for ROY
Prior Record
You-Know-Who Tries Another Comeback
Guess who's back? Back again? Former first-round pick, near Chicago hero, and eventual cataclysmic disappointment Mark Prior is trying to make yet another comeback — and this time he's doing more than just the towel drill. Prior threw his first pitch in four years on Tuesday, tossing one scoreless inning for the Orange County Flyers. He didn't allow any hits, and he even struck out one. We've debated being a Prior-free zone, but even we can't resist... Why do we all remain so intrigued by Mark Prior?
SB Nation: Mark Prior attempting yet another comeback...
Bleacher Report: Mark Prior becomes the newest Orange County Flyer
Derrek Lee collected his 1,800th career hit and 400th career double yesterday... Got a photogenic doggy? Bring it to Pooches on the Patio at the Captain Morgan Club today at 5pm and get your picture taken with Randy Wells... If you're an AT&T customer hanging out in Wrigleyville, you can now connect to their new Wi-Fi hotzone.
"Looks like the Cubs are going with a youth movement. A good idea if it were a female beach volleyball league, but a bad idea since we're talking about dudes and baseball."
-Claude Darnell
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