Lilly's arm, Theriot's bat keeps Cubs in contention at midpoint of season

by Meghan Montemurro,

Somehow, despite injuries (including the fluke variety ... just the Cubbies' luck) and a terribly inconsistent offense which ranks 27th in total runs scored in the majors, the Chicago Cubs are only 3.5 games behind the Central Division-leading St. Louis Cardinals and 2.5 behind the Milwaukee Brewers.

Still, the Cubs sit only at .500 (43-43) at the break. While some franchises can consider this a success, Chicago features a big-name, big-money lineup - Alfonso Soriano, Derrek Lee, Milton Bradley and Aramis Ramirez - that only looks good on paper.

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Chicago Cubs Targeting Lefty B.J. Ryan to Bolster Bullpen

by Michael Wagner

Various media outlets have confirmed that the Chicago Cubs are interested in Toronto Blue Jays left-hander and former closer B.J. Ryan. Last week Ryan was placed on waivers by the Blue Jays and the Cubs will wait for him to clear waivers to pursue him.

Ryan has had a solid major-league career, in which he has complied an ERA of 3.37 and has 117 career saves. The reason for Ryan's major decline could likely be attributed to him having Tommy John surgery in 2007 but was very good for the Jays in 2008 with 32 saves and an ERA of 2.95.

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Harden gets back in the win column as Cubs down Pirates

Harden twirled seven innings of one-run ball to lift the Chicago Cubs to a 3-1 defeat of Pittsburgh in the first of three straight games between these NL Central-foes at PNC Park.

Rich Harden (5-4) stuck out nine and walked one while scattering nine hits. It was the right-hander's first win since May 12, having gone 0-3 over his previous four starts and 0-2 in three outings since coming off of the disabled list.

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Major League Baseball - Chicago Cubs at Chicago White Sox

Windy city series winds down as both teams try to stay in contention for a playoff spot.

The rubber match in a 3 game set between the two Chicago based teams in Major League Baseball will get underway today at 2:05pm ET. Heading to the mound for the Cubs is Carlos Zambrano, a 28 year old right handed pitcher who is 4-2 on the season with a 3.48 ERA.

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Rotisserie by the Numbers: Milton Bradley, Fantasy Baseball Nightmare

by Craig Rondinone

There are three things fantasy baseball owners can always count on: Milton Bradley going on the disabled list, Bradley getting suspended, and Bradley hitting reasonably well on those odd occasions when he is on the field.

It might be time to count on a fourth certainty from Bradley.

Baseball's hottest hothead, its baddest of the bad boys, its champion of temper tantrums, has done it again. No, he did not tear another ACL arguing with an umpire or chase after an announcer that badmouthed him.

He was taken out of a game and then told to go home by Chicago Cubs manager Lou Pinella after a tirade that even made Carlos Zambrano sweat.

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Aaron Miles back with Chicago Cubs

After spending the last two weeks glued to the Cubs' bench, Jake Fox was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday to make room for Aaron Miles.

"He just needs to get some at-bats," manager Lou Piniella said. "If we sit him here, he'll lose some of his sharpness. I was pleased with what he's doing."

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Chicago Cubs waste strong effort from Carlos Zambrano

A controversy-free day for Carlos Zambrano is as rare as a Chicago winter without potholes.

In the last two weeks, Zambrano has smashed a Gatorade dispenser, bumped an umpire, received a six-game suspension, missed the team charter and announced he would retire at the end of his contract.

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Chicago Cubs search for ways to keep Milton Bradley healthy

Milton Bradley went 0-for-6 with three strikeouts in his return to the lineup Tuesday after being limited to a couple of pinch-hitting appearances since straining his right calf one week ago.

The frustrated Bradley slammed his bat on home plate after striking out in the fifth, breaking it in half. He has started only 34 of the Cubs' 55 games because of calf and groin injuries, after missing time in spring training with a quad injury. Last year Bradley started only 20 games in the outfield and another 97 as designated hitter.

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Chicago Cubs take Cal center fielder in first round

By Paul Sullivan

University of California center fielder Brett Jackson admitted he was "absolutely shocked" after the Cubs selected him with the 31st pick in the 2009 amateur draft.

"They were on our radar, but we had higher hopes than we thought they did," Jackson said. "I'm a big Cubs fan. It's a tremendous organization.

"Honestly, truly, I was hoping to be a Cub and couldn't believe it when my name was read."

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Was Milton Bradley the Worst Possible RF Solution for the Chicago Cubs?

by Jacob Nitzberg

There are no "do-overs" in baseball, as much as Cubs General Manager Jim Hendry would like one right now.

Less than a week after trading fan-favorite and possible right fielder Mark DeRosa to Cleveland this offseason, Hendry signed free agent OF Milton Bradley to a three-year, $30 million dollar contract.

Many Cubs fans weren't happy, not only to see DeRosa go, but to see a player brought in who had played over 120 games in a season just twice, and most of those at the designated hitter position. I'm not even going to get into the on and off the field antics he is so well known for either.

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Rich Harden Should Be The Cubs' Closer

by TAB BAMFORD

Two years ago, the Chicago Cubs made a bold decision. The one-time face of the franchise, the future of the starting rotation, the hope of the city of Chicago, Kerry Wood, was going to move to the bullpen.

The decision was partially made to give Wood a career. He had a longer laundry list of injuries and surgeries than he did pitching successes. But he always busted his tail to get back on the bump for the Cubs, so, out of respect for that, the team moved him into a role that would use his arm and shoulder more conservatively.

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Chicago Cubs: Not Time to Hit the Panic Button

by Carl Stine

Hold on Cubs fans. Put the life jackets back and get on board the ship. It is not sinking yet.

After tonight's dominating performance from Big Z, the Cubs are only 3.5 games back in the NL Central, trailing only the Brewers and Cardinals and tied with the Reds. The win kept them from losing any ground.

At times, this season has looked bad, even abyssmal; however, Cubs fans can sit back, relax, and just breathe.

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Chicago Cubs Gifts

If you think about it, there’s no better time to start buying Chicago Cubs related gifts than now, when all the Cubs fans you know are high for all the run of recent success that they’ve had. If you need to give a gift to a friend or relative who is a fan of the Cubs, head on down to the Chicago Cubs Gifts section on diehardfans.com and you’ll find a wealth of items for you to choose from.

For students and even for white-collar fans of the club, you can get a Chicago Cubs Replica Mini Helmet display for inspiration while grinding for the exam or waiting for the clock to strike five. That mini display can also be used as a display on the TV or game room to give it a little extra team spirit feel. For the more discerning fan that you know, there’s the collector’s favorite, the MLB Chicago Cubs Team Force 24kt Gold Coin Photo Mint, which is a collection of photos and rare collectible mint coins.

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