Bruiser Chong

Matt Murton can't even get into the game when Nevin's taken out. The Cubs must see something in career minor-leaguer Angel Pagan the rest of us just don't.

Good thing I decided to play Aramis Ramirez today.

I just find it a bit concerning that we're paying a guy $4.5 million to keep an eye out on third base.

Dusty's latest excuse; this one in regards to not arguing a very close play at the plate yesterday: ...

Rotoworld said the same. Of course, they weren't serious.

They've also been playing the NL.

I was wondering the logic behind bringing in a guy who's continually failed in the closer's role, but then I remembered it's Buddy Bell. Spiezio K'd on a pitch that was easily ball four. With a leftfielder who sports a good arm, the Royals probably blow that runners at the corners and nobody out, but Taguchi can't throw out the runner at home on a shallow flyball. That is sooooooooooooo Taguchi. Gathwright follows up with an RBI-double. Only in interleague. I guess if we're looking for silver linings, Pujols will bat if they get anyone on.

I still think the Cards have the division well in hand. They're playing arguably their worst baseball in years and still have first place all to themselves. Once interleague is over, I'd imagine the Cards will get back to resembling the team we've come to know and fear (until October). I'm pulling for the Reds to take the wildcard and honestly, if they can hold off Houston, they've got a great shot the way the East is playing these days.

Ron Villone should be cut for allowing the only Mets hit.

You had to quote all of that to write one sentence? An unfinished one, at that.

They paid money for him?

Speaking of good pitching, let's go on the other end of the spectrum and talk about the Indians, who blew a 7-0 lead by allowing nine runs over the last two innings of the game against the Reds. Adam Dunn capped things off with a walkoff grandslam, but I hear he strikes out a lot and doesn't hit in the clutch, so he's probably not a coveted player.

That's a tough call. All three have great 1-2 punches. With the Sox, you have an overrated Garland and two pitchers in Vazquez and Garcia who are usually real good, but tend to make costly mistakes. The Tigers have Bonderman and Verlander, but nothing after that that's terribly impressive. Rogers will regress and Nate Robertson's K rate and the fact that his ERA is over a full point lower than his career ERA probably mean he's due for regression, too. With the Twins, you've got what I think is the best 1-2 combo in the division. I'm not sure about the rest of the rotation, but Bonser's supposed to be good, so that rotation may have the most upside to it.

Could this be the reason Joe Maurer's on doing so well?

And naturally, I had him benched tonight.

You're doo-doo, Phil Nevin! Doo-doo! How can someone swing through pitches right down the center of the plate so often? Add another two-on-no-out situations for the baby bears that ends with no runs.

I'm starting to think Sean Marshall's incapable of a 1-2-3 inning.

I'd consider Lee and Zambrano to be the team's only untouchables. They've got enough young arms where you could conceivably build a formidable rotation for cheap a la 2003. They'd be best advised to start trading away the pieces that don't look to be in the team's long-term plans. This means Walker, Pierre, and Nevin for sure. If the Cubs can dump Jacque Jones and his multi-year deal on a team in need of a lefty rightfielder (i.e. the Yankees) then they should. He's currently the team's hottest hitter, so they'd be wise to pull the trigger soon. At this juncture, I think you may even consider trading Aramis Ramirez and Mark Prior if you can get the right pieces. I never thought I'd endorse the idea of trading Ramirez, but he's underachieving greatly this year and if a team in need of a third baseman is willing to part with enough, you may have to do it. As fragile as Prior's been, he's still got more upside than Kerry Wood, so I think you don't deal him unless the right trade is there. The mistake has been building the rotation around two guys who've made over 60 starts combined just once. If you keep Prior and build with the idea he's probably not going to make some of his starts, you're in better shape. The Cubs made the mistake of building around Wood and Prior this season and then expecting Glendon Rusch and Jerome Williams to pick up the slack in their place. On another note, Paul Konerko just some how stole a base. And Phil Nevin still refuses to take a walk.

M's get Eduardo Perez from the Indians. I would have figured the Tribe would be trying to get some pitching, but I guess not.

Like I said a week ago, Murton was slugging .361. How long do you put up with that when his replacement has hit more home runs in a third of the at bats? How's that going to change if he gets to bat a few times a week? Granted Dusty gave it more time than usual, but I sense yet another young guy with a lot of upside has been tainted in favor of letting VETERAN PRESENCE thrive.

Cubs make a smart move for once and DFA Tony Womack. Now if they could only follow that with Perez and Rusch. I'm wondering if Matt Murton will ever start a game again. I don't think Dusty realizes Phil Nevin was acquired to fill in for Lee and then be a decent bat off an otherwise pathetic bench once he returned. That or he doesn't care.

Bucs sent Oliver Perez down to the minors. It's amazing what a 180 this guy's done in less than two years.

verlander pitches for the tigers... Liriano has the better numbers. I was listening to WGN Radio after the game and whoever they had on there was spewing crap about how this team would be contending if they had Prior, Wood, and Lee healthy the entire season. They'd be better, but it's thinking like this that has stunted any growth or progression in the organization. One of the morons even noted the Cards lost Pujols and lost eight in a row. Never mind the losing streak started the night he RETURNED from the DL.

Jesus, Prior is frustrating.

I don't expect them to make a real run at the Central, since the two teams ahead of them have been as hot as they have during this stretch. It's going to be real interesting when these three start meeting up with each other again. Among the three, I'd venture to say the Twins have the best 1-2 punch in Santana and Liriano. Actually, I'd be hard pressed to think of a better combo in the bigs.