Kevin Gregg is not a perfect replacement for Kerry Wood, but he will prove a whole lot cheaper and less injury prone. When the Cubs traded pitching prospect Jose Ceda to the Marlins for the 30-year-old Gregg Thursday, they effectively ended their longstanding relationship with Wood and altered the look of their bullpen. Gregg will fit in nicely, pitching either in front of or behind electric set-up man Carlos Marmol.

While Gregg falls well short of Marmol in terms of pure stuff, he is a much tougher, more experienced competitor. This looks like Marmol’s year to emerge as a top-flight closer, but just in case he doesn’t, the veteran Gregg will be there to close games. Read more »

“The sophomore slump”.

No one will ever actually admit to being a second-year player going through a mysterious curse that makes the best hitters and pitchers suffer tremendously following an impressive rookie year outing. Some say it’s just a lack of concentration, or raising the expectations too high for themselves, or just plain old nerves. Newsflash: Those three excuses are just better ways of saying, “I’m in the sophomore slump and I don’t think there’s any way out of it.” Read more »

The Chicago Tribune has speculated this week that the Cubs would be interested in making a deal for San Diego Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. The Tribune reported that a potential deal involving Derrek Lee could be offered in a blockbuster that also involves Padres ace Jake Peavy.

This entire line of thinking seems like a longshot, but you never know. What the Cubs gain is apparent — a legitimate top-of-the-rotation starter and a young left-handed power bat — but what they send back to San Diego is a mystery. Lee is a nice start, but may not be enough to lure Gonzalez, a franchise building block, away from the Padres. Read more »

The San Diego Padres are reportedly shopping Cy Young Award winner Jake Peavy, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. Not a surprising move, considering the state of the Padres franchise, but the public search for willing trade partners is unusual. No more behind the scenes finagling; creating leverage has now required involving the national media.

General manager Kevin Towers is looking for young pitching - aren’t all GMs? - and his rallying cry has hit the television, radio and newspaper wires. So far, the Atlanta Braves have a small lead in a race that also includes the Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros. Read more »

I’m not from Los Angeles, I sware.

It just seems as though the most intriguing headlines are from the “Left Coast” this week. Until the Cubbies, White Sox, or Brewers do something worth mentioning this month, we might as well stick with the top headlines in postseason baseball. Monday night revolved around the Angels as they were eliminated by the Red Sox after a 3-2 defeat in Game 4. Read more »

The year was 1908. William Taft had control of the white house, Ford’s Model T was the popular choice of automobile, and the ball dropped in New York City for the first time. The National Basketball Association and National Football League would not be founded in their current form for several decades, but Major League Baseball was in full swing.

Ty Cobb and Sam Crawford were the toughest outs at the plate, and Christy Matthewson and Cy Young dominated on the mound. Above all else, the Chicago Cubs ruled supreme. Winning back-to-back World Series, and appearing in three of the them in the five-year existence of the event, the Chicago Cubs were the league’s most dominant team. With such a high degree of dominance, how can the Chicago Cubs fans not expect a great future ahead filled with World Series Championships? Read more »

What’s the best way to quiet 42,099 screaming Cubs fans on a 1-2 count with two outs? Just ask Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman James Loney, who hit a grand slam in the fifth inning at Wrigley Field last night. The Dodgers never looked back after Loney’s slam gave them a 4-2 lead, winning Game 1 of their National League Division Series 7-2.

Manny Ramirez and Russell Martin added solo home runs in the seventh and ninth innings, respectively, to add to the assault on the North Side of Chicago. The Cubs were heavily favored to take Game 1, but the ineffectiveness of Ryan Dempster led to something otherwise. Dempster was the Cubs most consistent and effective starter during the regular season and only had three outings where he walked more than four batters. He walked seven Dodgers in last night’s game. Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune writes of Dempster’s control issues in this article. Read more »

October. Postseason.

Both of these words become synonymous when discussing the MLB Playoffs. Other related items include high blood pressure and the mystique of “Mr. October”, which simply can be defined as a game-changing performer during his team’s playoff run. This is true, especially when the World Series is at stake.

However, there is a bit more than meets the surface for this year’s baseball postseason. Take for instance, that on Tuesday there is still one more playoff spot to be determined. The White Sox will host the Minnesota Twins in a one-game, winner-take-all contest to determine the AL Central champion. Read more »

The St. Louis Cardinals just seem to have Randy Johnson’s number.

In two starts against the Redbirds this month, Johnson has thrown just 9.2 innings and given up five home runs for a staggering 9.31 ERA. Considering that the Arizona Diamondbacks are in a tight race with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the NL West title, every game matters here in the final week of the season. The D-Backs have only been in the running for an NL West crown as their way into the 2008 postseason, so Johnson’s rough outing dug them a big hole.

In his start Tuesday night to the Cards, Johnson went six innings while giving up seven hits and five earned runs. He struck out just one batter and took his 10th loss of the season in the process. Trade-deadline acquisition Jon Rauch didn’t help matters by giving up four hits and two runs in his only inning of work. Rauch’s numbers since joining the Diamondbacks have been atrocious after posting 17 saves for the Washington Nationals. Rauch has gone 0-6 with a 6.56 ERA since leaving the nation’s capital. Read more »

Smell that cooking in the distance? Yep, that’s October baseball just right around the corner. Eight teams are still mathematically eligible for the playoffs, as of the start of play on September 23, and each team still feels that it has a chance to make the postseason.

We’ve seen a lot happen this season, from the emergence of the Rays to the Mets changing managers and collapsing once again when the calendar changed to September. The Angels are kings of the AL West again, while the Cubs repeat as champions in the NL Central. Read more »