Shut Down
Rookie Pitches Well, But Cubs Beat by Brewers

Rafael Suanes/US PRESSWIRE

We're not surprised the Cubs lost yesterday 2-0, given that they were going up against Yovani Gallardo. Dude absolutely owns the Cubs, and he also scored the only run off Cubs' starter Casey Coleman after getting on base with a double. Grrr. Speaking of Coleman, the rookie looked awfully impressive yesterday, going six innings and giving up only one run. Thomas Diamond, however, did not look as good: He gave up a homer to former Cub Casey McGehee on the first pitch he threw.

ESPN Chicago: Gallardo shuts down Cubs, scores winning run... [+ video]
Chicago Tribune: Brewers' Gallardo shuts down Cubs
Chicago Sun-Times: Cubs loss was nothing much
Daily Herald: Quade happy with Coleman, bullpen despite shutout loss
MLB: Coleman takes loss after Cubs shut out

After Further Review...
Colvin Won't Be Playing First Base, After All
In a surprising twist, it seems Tyler Colvin won't be playing any first base after all. He took some grounders there after Derrek Lee was traded, but Mike Quade has decided against it. "Things are going well, and I'm not interested in pulling the trigger on that," he said. Which seems fine, but what's the harm in giving it a shot? Colvin gets some experience at first, the Cubs get to see how a rookie looks in the outfield (hello, Brad Snyder)... what's not to like? We don't get it.

Muskat Ramblings: Colvin staying put

Lucky Numbers
Quade Says He Considers Stats in Decisions
The more we see of Mike Quade, the more compelling he is (the Colvin-at-first issue aside). He told the Daily Herald he bases his moves on situational stats. "I'm not a sabermetrics guy, but I'm smart enough to know the numbers do matter, and I do pay a lot of attention to them," Quade said. That's likely one reason he's been batting Jeff Baker leadoff against lefties, and Baker's responded with a .359 batting average vs. southpaws. As the Herald's Bruce Miles says, "This guy is proving to be a fascinating study as manager."

Daily Herald: Talking numbers with Quade

The Cubs battle St. Louis this week so it's a good time to bring back "The Hookup." We always want to beat up on the Cardinals, and if we can keep them out of the NL Central race (they're currently six games back), even better. Watch "The Hookup" on YouTube Subscribe to our YouTube channel

X Marks His Spot
Has Nady Worked His Way onto Next Year's Team?
Here's conventional wisdom regarding the Cubs and first base: The team will sign Adam Dunn, and Xavier Nady is gone after the season. But CSN Chicago points out Nady is still recovering from his second Tommy John surgery, he's just two years removed from 25 homers and 97 RBIs, and he hit .320 in August. So, the site theorizes, what if the Cubs kept him for a reasonable salary next year, then went after either free agent Prince Fielder or Adrian Gonzalez in 2011? Worth a thought.

CSN Chicago: Nady will wait to see what future holds

Holy Smokies
Tennessee Heading to Minor-League Championship Series
Well, at least one Cub-related team is playing for a title — the Cubs' Double-A team, the Tennessee Smokies, beat the Mobile BayBears to advance to the Southern League finals. The team was led by Brett Jackson, the 2009 Cubs' first-round pick who had three doubles and a run in the deciding Game 4 win. The team is obviously pumped up to play the Jacksonville Suns, who beat the Smokies in last year's championship: "We are out for blood and revenge," Jackson said. Wow. "Out for blood and revenge"? That's serious stuff.

MiLB: Smokies, Suns set up finals rematch

Carlos Silva has suffered an elbow strain, so Jeff Samardzija will take his place in today's game... Aramis Ramirez, who was out with a right quad injury, is expected back for the St. Louis series... Tom Gorzelanny threw 40 rehab pitches in his return from getting hit with a line drive... ESPN's documentary about that play, "Steve Bartman: Catching Hell," will air Tuesday, Oct. 26.

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