Jimmy!

I've been struggling to come to grips with the face that one-time Cardinal Jim Edmonds, who has hit four home runs in the past four games and is batting .305/.376/.622 since joining the Cubs, is quickly becoming an invaluable piece of the Cubs outfield. I was a bit skeptical of Jimmy's success and felt trepidation when cheering for him, but then he went out and hit two home runs in one inning in the Crosstown Classic against the White Sox, and I was ready to give him a standing ovation.

So why, in this season where the Cubs lead the NL Central and are 20 games over .500, is a former Cardinal (?!?) leading the charge? Well, the way I see it, this is simply payback for the Lou Brock trade.

Brock was traded from the Cubs to the Cardinals on June 15, 1964 (along with Jack Spring and Paul Toth) for Ernie Broglio, Bobby Shantz, and Doug Clemens. Brock went on to make six all star teams and compile over 2,700 hits in a Cardinal uniform, while Broglio was out of baseball two seasons later, Shantz was traded again later that season, and Clemens played in only 182 more games. Think the Cards got the better end of the deal? Just by a hair.

Even though the Cubs acquired Edmonds via the Padres (after he was traded from the Cardinals in the offseason), I think karma has caught up with the Cards. And thanks for finally getting around to evening out the Brock trade. Better late than never.

Tuesday's Cubs Notes

Random Cubs notes for this Tuesday before interleague play resumes ...

- The Cubs are in it for the long haul. Not only are they still 20 games over .500 (48-28) heading into this week’s two interleague series with Baltimore, they have won 14 straight games at home and are 6-4 since Alfonso Soriano went down with a hand injury on June 11.

Even more impressive is that the Cubs are in every game they play. Don’t believe me? Well, out of their 28 losses this season, 20 have come by less than 2 runs. And with the best offense in the National League, I don’t expect this to change anytime soon.

- Sean Marshall gets the start tonight for the Cubs in the series opener against the Orioles. Marshall is filling in for the injured Carlos Zambrano and threw seven scoreless innings in his last start at AAA Iowa. Let’s hope he keeps it up, as the Cubs could use another lefthanded arm in the starting rotation.

- Aramis Ramirez has hit safely in 11 of his last 13 games and has bumped his average up near the .300 mark. Ramirez also is making a case for his inclusion in the all-star game, as his 14 home runs rank third among MLB third basemen and his 56 RBI rank second among MLB third basemen.

Now, here's to the Cubs making it 15 straight at home ...

Eff You Ozzie!

Nothing gets me stoked like the Cubs-Sox Crosstown Classic, and after the Cubs emphatically swept the Sox at Wrigley over the weekend, all I can say is, “Eff you Ozzie Guillen!”

If you remember in early May, Guillen had some choice words for Chicago media and fans when he was complaining about the lack of respect that the White Sox get. Here is his edited quote:

"We won it a couple years ago, and we're horse[bleep]. The Cubs haven't won in [100] years, and they're the [bleeping] best. [Bleep] it, we're good. [Bleep] everybody. We're horse[bleep], and we're going to be horse[bleep] the rest of our lives, no matter how many World Series we win.”

Well Ozzie I hate to break it to you, but your team IS horse[bleep] AND played like horse[bleep] this weekend. In what was billed as a possible World Series preview, the Cubs swept the Sox by outscoring them 22-11 over the three-game series and riding the ridiculously hot bat of Aramis Ramirez, who hit four home runs, including a walkoff home run in Friday’s win.

As of today, the Cubs are 4.5 up in the NL Central on Saint Louis and have won 14 straight home games, while the Sox have seen their AL Central lead over the Twins cut to 1.5 games. The Cubs and Sox also will play three more games next weekend at U.S. Cellular Field on the South Side of town.

And Ozzie, maybe this weekend you can remind your guys to try and not play like horse[bleep].

For your Monday

- It is important to note after my open letter to Derek Lee that he went 2-for-4 with 3 RBIS in the Cubs 7-4 win over the Blue Jays on Sunday. Apparently he reads this blog and was motivated (NOT!).

- The Cubs are now 20 games over .500 and have won 6 of their last 10 road games. I'm not sure the last time the Cubs were 20 games over .500 because I am used to thinking the Cubs are always 20 games UNDER .500. Nice change of pace.

- Already looking forward to the weekend series against the White Sox. I am hoping the Cubs shove it up Ozzie's you know what and sweep the Southsiders. As for Ozzie, things would be so much nice if HE GONE, but I'll settle for a couple wins over the Sox.

- Cubs play in the last HOF game today. I was just at Cooperstown this March and the place is awesome. Now only if they would let Ron Santo and Andre Dawson in.

Will the Real Derek Lee Please Stand Up?

Dear Derek Lee:

We need to talk. Times are good for the Cubs (you know, since you guys have the best record and best offense in the NL), but I’m a little concerned with you. Yeah I’m impressed with your 14 home runs and 41 RBIS, which are solid numbers through the first couple months of the season, but what’s happened to you lately? After a smoking-hot start to the season, things just haven’t been the same.

Remember when you hit .371 in April? Well, I just checked and found out that you followed that up with .234 in May and .239 though the first two weeks of June. You’re average is still .286, but your struggles seem to have slid under the radar since the team is doing so well. If the Cubs are going to be playing in October, they’re going to need you firing on all cylinders. And since you’re one of the few players on the Cubs who have a World Series ring, you’re experience is just a tad bit important.

So how about a 10-game hitting streak? Or maybe a couple of multi-hit games in a row? Or back-to-back games with home runs? They might go a long way towards getting you back on track. This season is your chance to etch your names along sides the greats of Cubs history (Santo, Sandberg, Sosa, Williams, Banks). Don’t miss the opportunity.

Sincerely,

Cubs Fans

Rejuvenation Machine: Jim Edmonds

It’s a great time to be a Cubs fan, but also a strange time. Ryan Dempster has the lowest ERA of any Cubs starting pitcher (?!?), Scott Eyre, he of the 4.13 ERA last season, has yet to give up an earned run in 14 outings (0.00 ERA), and (brace yourself), Jim Edmonds (one of the most hated Cubs rivals in the past decade when he played for the Cardinals) is playing an integral role in the National League’s top offense.

Edmonds was picked up off the scrap heap by Cubs GM Jim Hendry on May 15, less than a week after he was released from the Padres. At the time, Edmonds was batting .178./265./.233. With those numbers, he deserved to be released. Since donning a Cubs uni, Edmonds is hitting .279/.333/.500, which includes a game-tying, opposite-field home run in Friday’s win over the Atlanta Braves. Edmonds has clearly been hooked up to the rejuvenation machine.

As Edmonds spent eight seasons with the Cardinals (2000-07), it is tough for Cubs fans to cheer for him. But since we’re coming up on 100 years since the last Cubs World Series, I’m inclined to cheer for anyone who can help push the Cubs over the top. Actually since Soriano just got hurt last week, the Cubs are in need of a left fielder and Barry Bonds is available. I even think if the Cubs signed him I would --- nah, nevermind on that one. Even I couldn’t bring myself to cheer for him if he was in a Cubs uni. Cheering for Edmonds is my limit.

The Rise of Ryan Dempster

Ryan Dempster in the conversation for the Cy Young Award? Seriously? As weird as I felt just writing that sentence, the unprecedented start for Cubs righthander Ryan Dempster has to merit at least some consideration (at least less than 3 months into the season) for the National League’s Cy Young award. Last night he tossed a complete game shutout against the Braves (with 11 K’s), racking up his eighth win of the season and dropping his ERA to 2.81. You may think I am crazy or an idiot (or both) for even suggesting this, but check out his number so far this season.

As of June 12, Dempster ranks among the top 10 in the NL in ERA (2.81, fifth in the NL), strikeouts (75, 10th in the NL), wins (8, fourth in the NL), and innings pitched (89.2, ninth). Not only has Dempster been durable and consistent, opponents are batting a ridiculously low .185 off him this season, which ranks second in all of baseball. It is bizarre baseball at its finest.

To say that Dempster’s season has been a surprise is like saying winning the lottery might “catch me a bit off guard.” Prior to this season, Dempster had never won more than 15 games as a starter and had only one season as a starting pitcher where his ERA was under 4.00 (which was 2000, when he was an all-star selection and finished with a 3.66 ERA). He was less than steady as the Cubs closer for three seasons, but his transition back to the starting rotation has (so far) been seamless.

Can he keep it up? Well, opponents are only hitting .216 against Dempster when they put the ball in play (Batting Average on Balls in Play, or BABIP for short), and some of this is based on plain luck. The league average on BABIP is around .290, so there is a strong possibility that Dempster will regress to the mean and that his ERA will rise as the season wears on. Regardless, it has been an impressive start for Dempster, who has stabilized the rotation with Rich Hill and Sean Marshall currently at AAA Iowa.