Cubs beat Atlanta Braves 4-2

Cubs starting pitcher Randy Wells. Rookie Randy Wells won his fourth straight start, Derrek Lee homered and the Cubs got their sixth win in eight games, beating the Atlanta Braves 4-2 on Monday night.

[Just wondering]

How long until loser Sox fans show up? I give it 5 posts, who has the under?

[Earl]

Nice game. How about that catch Bradley made? Fukudome looks good in that leadoff spot. Go get 'em tomorrow. Demp has to dial it up....

[Earl]

I'm not a betting man, but sox fans will show up. They want to disrupt a discussion that should be about baseball. They push buttons and get everybody talking trash instead of talking baseball.

[JRubes]

Good, overall game. Mid-relief held the Braves down well.

Fontenot needs to sit for a while.

Who the heck is Jeff Baker?

Why was Sam Fuld sent down?

Lou is taking his crazy pills again...

[Max]

As popular as Fuld is, he was just a numbers casuality. Since Reed was activated there wasn't really any room in the outfield to keep Fuld. It's best to send him down and let him play on a full-time basis. He'll be back. Do I agree with it? No. Personally, I would wait til Miles comes off the DL, try to trade him (hell, KC took Freel), or release him outright then bring Fuld back up. With the sale of team looking more and more like it will happen what is the direction will the team take at the trade deadline? Here's an interesting trade idea involving Soriano. Would Detroit be interested in Soriano and cash in return for Thames, Polanco, and Ryan Rayburn? The Cubs could throw in Fontenot also. I know that Thames is a DH for a reason, but Chicago could turnaround and deal Thames away. Just an idea.

[Doug]

JRubes wrote:

Good, overall game. Mid-relief held the Braves down well.
Fontenot needs to sit for a while.
Who the heck is Jeff Baker?
Why was Sam Fuld sent down?
Lou is taking his crazy pills again...

Marshall did a nice job, but we do need another lefty for our bullpen. Joe Beimel from Washington maybe? Marmol has looked better lately, but still looks like he doesn't know where the ball is going to go half of the time. If he can get his act together and Guzman pitches like he pitched before he went on the DL, we should be fine with our right-handed set up.

Fontenot is actually starting to hit a little bit. He's 8 for 19 on the homestand, and maybe now that he's back at his regular position he will start to play better. I wouldn't be opposed to picking up a second baseman, but who is available? Would Felipe Lopez really be that much of an upgrade?

Jeff Baker is the guy they picked up from Colorado when they put Ryan Freel on waivers. He's pretty much the last guy off the bench.

They sent Fuld down because he still has options and with Reed Johnson back, Fuld isn't going to see much playing time. Maybe he'll benefit from playing every day at Iowa again. Still, it's good to know he's there if Johnson's back flares up again or if Bradley gets hurt. At the very least, I'm sure we'll see him back here in September.

I think Lou is doing fine over all. He's still better than Dusty, or Don Baylor, or Jim Riggleman. Even if you don't like him, he probably won't be around past 2010. Then who knows. Alan Trammell maybe next. Ryne Sandberg could be our Ozzie Guillen. Jody Davis? Bob Brenly? Joe Girardi (assuming he gets fired from the Yankees in the next 2 seasons). It's fun to think about, but right now let's just focus on 2009.

[Doug]

Max wrote:

As popular as Fuld is, he was just a numbers casuality. Since Reed was activated there wasn't really any room in the outfield to keep Fuld. It's best to send him down and let him play on a full-time basis. He'll be back. Do I agree with it? No. Personally, I would wait til Miles comes off the DL, try to trade him (hell, KC took Freel), or release him outright then bring Fuld back up. With the sale of team looking more and more like it will happen what is the direction will the team take at the trade deadline? Here's an interesting trade idea involving Soriano. Would Detroit be interested in Soriano and cash in return for Thames, Polanco, and Ryan Rayburn? The Cubs could throw in Fontenot also. I know that Thames is a DH for a reason, but Chicago could turnaround and deal Thames away. Just an idea.

Settle down. No one is going to take Soriano. And we especially won't get three major leaguers for him, not even if we throw in the great Mike Fontenot. Face it, we're stuck with him for better or for worse.

Also, let's note that the Tigers are in first place. The only moves they will make will be to improve their team. Same goes with any team with a winning record right now. So just forget about the Cubs making a trade with anyone who is in first place or over .500 right now.

[diehardcubsfan]

This dissapoints me alot. Only 7 posts when the Cubs win and when they lose about freekin 100 posts come bitchin about that the Cubs suck, Lou sucks, this life sucks etc. Honestly people cheer up a bit and start complementing on the Cubs improvement over this week.

[Tony T Bone]

Doug wrote:

<quoted text>
Settle down. No one is going to take Soriano. And we especially won't get three major leaguers for him, not even if we throw in the great Mike Fontenot. Face it, we're stuck with him for better or for worse.
Also, let's note that the Tigers are in first place. The only moves they will make will be to improve their team. Same goes with any team with a winning record right now. So just forget about the Cubs making a trade with anyone who is in first place or over .500 right now.

Detroit will laugh at that trade.Nice try.

[Max]

Doug wrote:

<quoted text>
Settle down. No one is going to take Soriano. And we especially won't get three major leaguers for him, not even if we throw in the great Mike Fontenot. Face it, we're stuck with him for better or for worse.
Also, let's note that the Tigers are in first place. The only moves they will make will be to improve their team. Same goes with any team with a winning record right now. So just forget about the Cubs making a trade with anyone who is in first place or over .500 right now.

I wouldn't say that the three players on Detroit that I mentioned are top-tier players. Detroit has been trying to trade Thames for the past few years, Rayburn isn't exactly a highly touted prospect.

[Yuri Nator]

I would be shocked if Soriano was traded, because I agree that nobody will take his huge contract. But I would NOT be shocked if he started hitting the ball again. Maybe having Ramirez back will take a little pressure off of him, and put a little more pressure on the opposing pitchers. Who knows. I don't understand how a guy with his career numbers could fall off this quickly.

Unless he had to stop taking his "supplements".

In any case, I hope he gets better. IF Soriano, Soto, and Bradley all start hitting, things look a heck of a lot different on the north side.

[Doug]

Max wrote:

<quoted text>
I wouldn't say that the three players on Detroit that I mentioned are top-tier players. Detroit has been trying to trade Thames for the past few years, Rayburn isn't exactly a highly touted prospect.

Ok, so then why would the Cubs make this deal? We'd be trading one piece of junk for three pieces of junk. Wouldn't that just clog up our roster even more and give the younger players even less of a chance to crack the starting lineup?

And furthermore on the Tigers side, why would they take Soriano. He's hitting like .175 since June 1. The Tigers aren't going to get Soriano then wait around for him to heat up. If they make a trade, it's going to be so they can become instantly better and have a shot at winning the World Series. Also, the players you propose aren't making a whole lot. Their payroll would be bulging if they pick up Soriano and dump very little money on us. Most teams can not increase their payroll very much in mid-season, which is why you don't see big-named, big-contract players move in-season very much. Wait until the season is over, then you can cook up any Soriano trade you'd like, but for now we're stuck with him for better or for worse.

[Max]

Yuri Nator wrote:

I would be shocked if Soriano was traded, because I agree that nobody will take his huge contract. But I would NOT be shocked if he started hitting the ball again. Maybe having Ramirez back will take a little pressure off of him, and put a little more pressure on the opposing pitchers. Who knows. I don't understand how a guy with his career numbers could fall off this quickly.
Unless he had to stop taking his "supplements".
In any case, I hope he gets better. IF Soriano, Soto, and Bradley all start hitting, things look a heck of a lot different on the north side.

There have been lots of players that got traded with contracts no one thought could be moved with the most recently Jason Kendall

[Yuri Nator]

Max wrote:

<quoted text>
There have been lots of players that got traded with contracts no one thought could be moved with the most recently Jason Kendall

I guess never say never, but it's really hard to imagine. The circumstances are very different. Soriano has something like 75 or 80 million left on his contract - and he's not producing right now. Jason Kendall had 34M left when he was traded, according to the article referenced below, and he wasn't mired in a slump.

http://www.battersbox.ca/article.php... .

[Quixote]

Just wondering wrote:

How long until loser Sox fans show up? I give it 5 posts, who has the under?

It only took four. Let's ignore them; maybe they'll get bored and go away.

[Max]

Yuri Nator wrote:

<quoted text>
I guess never say never, but it's really hard to imagine. The circumstances are very different. Soriano has something like 75 or 80 million left on his contract - and he's not producing right now. Jason Kendall had 34M left when he was traded, according to the article referenced below, and he wasn't mired in a slump.
http://www.battersbox.ca/article.php... .

I understand that it will be impossible to trade Soriano and his contract. My point is that one of these big contracts will have to be moved if Tom Ricketts wants to win a championship. To do that, he will have to throw in some money to offset the cost for the other team. Chicago is not going to trade D-Lee, A-Ram, Bradley, or Fukudome so that leaves Soriano. My other point about getting Detroit involved is that Detroit might be desperate enough to do a trade like this. Instead of the three above said players I mentioned, the Cubs do this. Chicago sends Soriano and cash ($3 million per year) to Detroit for Thames and Dontrelle Willis. I realize that this would basically be a bad contract for a bad contract, but Detroit desperately wants to cut ties with Willis. I understand that Willis is on the DL and is battling through anxiety disorder, but would Chicago fans really be upset if a trade like this would happen.

[Sayit Aintso]

Paul Sullivan wrote:

Ramirez's return from a dislocated shoulder means the team should be able to rebound from its mediocre start and contend the rest of the way.

This is EXACTLY the attitude that has held the Cubs to underachiever status this year. Good teams suck it up and play tough when a team mate is hurt. the umpire is wrong, or the toilet tissue in the clubhouse is too rough. This "team" has too many excuses for poor fundamental baseball. Like Lou, I "hope" it changes, but I'm not drinking the kool-aid after one good homestand.

[Adam]

I remember when A-Rod was available I really wanted the Cubs to get him.

Then I remembered Nomar. Thought he was going to be good for a few years. Dead wrong. And Todd Walker.

Cubs have needed a shortstop forever.

[Johnny]

Max wrote:

<quoted text>
I wouldn't say that the three players on Detroit that I mentioned are top-tier players. Detroit has been trying to trade Thames for the past few years, Rayburn isn't exactly a highly touted prospect.

I hate to break-up your fantasy trades for our Cubs. But Soriano has a no trade clause & he is not leaving,he is ours for better or worse! GO CUBS!

[Johnny]

Doug wrote:

<quoted text>
Ok, so then why would the Cubs make this deal? We'd be trading one piece of junk for three pieces of junk. Wouldn't that just clog up our roster even more and give the younger players even less of a chance to crack the starting lineup?
And furthermore on the Tigers side, why would they take Soriano. He's hitting like .175 since June 1. The Tigers aren't going to get Soriano then wait around for him to heat up. If they make a trade, it's going to be so they can become instantly better and have a shot at winning the World Series. Also, the players you propose aren't making a whole lot. Their payroll would be bulging if they pick up Soriano and dump very little money on us. Most teams can not increase their payroll very much in mid-season, which is why you don't see big-named, big-contract players move in-season very much. Wait until the season is over, then you can cook up any Soriano trade you'd like, but for now we're stuck with him for better or for worse.

Soriano has a No-Trade Clause,so the trade discussion is mute! GO CUBS!