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| The AP reports that Chad Gaudin will return to Chicago on Monday for tests on his sore back. He hasn't pitched since August 29. |
Our View: At first the injury was not believed to be serious, but this seems like a red flag. We'll continue to monitor the situation. |
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| Reed Johnson came through for manager Lou Piniella on Saturday night in the eight-hole. Prior to the game, Piniella talked about how the slumping lineup needed shook up. Johnson replaced Jim Edmonds in center and went 2-for-4 and scored twice. |
Our View: He is hitting .305 and may continue to see regular duty as long as he produces. Edmonds is coming off an August that saw him hit just .200. |
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| Jeff Samardzija gave up three runs and got no outs on Saturday against teh Reds. Thankfully, the Cubs were up big and the runs were, for the most part, meaningless. |
Our View: Despite the blasting, his ERA remains an impressive 2.05 after 22 innings in the bigs. He should remain a good source of holds and provide a high K/9 rate in the process. |
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| Jason Marquis had his third straight quality start on Saturday against the Reds and earned his 10th win in the process. He walked five and allowed five hits but managed to give up just two runs over 7.1 innings. He also hit his first home run of the season in the effort. |
Our View: Marquis remains too inconsistent to garner fantasy consideration. Just when he starts to look good he'll show up for a beating. |
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| Derrek Lee, who had not had an RBI in nine straight games, was 4-for-6 on Saturday and tallied three RBI in the process. |
Our View: The Cubs offense had struggled of late but put up 14 runs on Saturday against the Reds. |
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| Alfonso Soriano hit three home runs for the Cubs against the Reds on Saturday night. He finished the night 4-for-5 with four runs and five RBI. |
Our View: We should all know by now that Soriano is a streaky hitter and this is just the type of game to get him going. Look for a strong September from the left fielder. Remember, last September he launched 14 dingers. |
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| Kosuke Fukudome missed his third straight start on Saturday as the Cubs routed the Reds. Micah Hoffpauir took his place again. |
Our View: Fukudome hit just .193 in August and is just 1-for-9 in September. His replacement, Hoffpauir, is hitting .368 in 21 games. |
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| Jim Edmonds was given the night off on Saturday and Reed Johnson started in his place. |
Our View: Edmonds is batting .189 in his last 14 games, prompting Piniella to give him a day off. Johnson is hitting .303 this season and with the Cubs struggling right now, he has a chance to earn a more consistent role on this offense.
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| Rich Harden threw Friday without experiencing any problems according to the AP. He missed his last start with discomfort in his arm. |
Our View: It appears Harden will be available to go on Wednesday against the St. Louis Cardinals. He has a 1.50 ERA in 54 innings with the Cubs this season. |
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| Ted Lilly lasted just two innings on Friday night against the Reds. He was tagged for five runs on four hits and three walks. |
Our View: It was Lilly's shortest outing of the year and could not have come at a worse time for a Cubs' pitching staff that is dealing with an ailing Carlos Zambrano and Rich Harden. |
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| MLB.com reports that Carlos Zambrano said Friday he was encouraged by the MRI results that showed he has tendinitis in his shoulder, The Cubs pitcher wanted to also correct reports saying he had missed his scheduled MRI exam. "Thank God it was nothing serious," Zambrano said of the test results. |
Our View: It's possible he could start next weekend against Houston but don't count on the Cubs rushing back their ace so close to playoff time. Still, this is good news for Cubs fans. Fantasy owners should still get a few more solid outings from him and we will monitor the rehab closely. |
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| Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano underwent an MRI, and it showed that the right-hander is suffering from right shoulder inflammation and rotator cuff tendinitis, according to the AP. He received a shot in the arm - the literal kind, not the metaphorical kind - and is to begin throwing next week with hopes he will return soon after that. |
Our View: Zambrano had been bad in recent starts, and this is likely the reason why. The Cubs hope to have him back in about two weeks, so owners with him on their fantasy squad should monitor his progress until that time. |
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| Reliever Kevin Hart was recalled from Triple-A to give the Cubs an extra arm in the bullpen, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. |
Our View: Hart had a previous stint with the Cubs and was awful, walking 16 batters in 19.1 innings. His fantasy value is non-existent. |
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| Cubs pitcher Rich Harden has discomfort in his throwing arm, which is why the Cubs skipped his last start, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Harden said he was feeling pretty good, but, "I've had a little bit of, I guess you could call it discomfort, but nothing serious." |
Our View: Bad news for Cubs fans, not to mention fantasy owners, especially with Carlos Zambrano's shoulder problems. Injuries to these two hurlers are the only thing that could stop the Cubs from making a deep playoff run. |
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| Manager Lou Piniella believes Chad Gaudin won't be available to use out of the bullpen before Friday, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. He is dealing with a lower back ailment. |
Our View: The injury isn't considered serious, even though Gaudin hasn't pitched since last Friday. The team will not rush him back with the risk of further aggravating the injury, as he is a key member of the bullpen. |
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| Geovany Soto collected three hits in six at-bats, including his 21st home run of the season in the Cubs 9-7 loss to the Astros. |
Our View: Despite the overreaching thoughts that Soto is the NL MVP, he has had a very good year, and fantasy owners should be thrilled to get the numbers he puts up. |
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| Cubs reliever Bob Howry has had better days. He did not get a single Houston Astro out, but he did let four of them score in the sixth inning of the Astros 9-7 win. |
Our View: Howry's ERA is now at 5.62, and he has no fantasy value right now, even in leagues that utilize middle relievers. |
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| In an effort to keep him healthy, the Chicago Cubs are giving hurler Rich Harden a few extra days of rest, and he will skip his next start, according to Cubs.com. |
Our View: Harden has been brilliant all season, and his overall ERA on the year is 1.99, and he is averaging 11.47 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. |
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| Cubs outfielder Kosuke Fukudome was given the night off on Tuesday, as he is just 16-for-87 (.184) in his last 29 games, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: It was time for fantasy owners to cut bait with Fukudome a while ago. He is offering little to no production recently. |
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| Carlos Zambrano, scratched from his start on Sunday because of a tired arm, will start on Tuesday against Brandon Backe, according to the Associated Press. |
Our View: Zambrano has posted an 8.72 ERA over his last four starts with 14 BB and just 16 K. With numbers like that, start him Tuesday at your own risk. |
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| Jason Marquis fell to 9-8 on Monday despite allowing just two runs over six innings against the Astros (he was out-pitched by Roy Oswalt). |
Our View: Marquis struck out a season best eight batters on the day in his second straight solid outing (seven IP, zero ER last time out). It usually isn't pretty, but he almost always keeps the Cubs in the game. |
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| Koyie Hill was recalled from Triple-A Iowa to join the Cubs just slightly over a year after a he severed three of his fingers with a table saw last October, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: This is one of the true feel good stories of the year and something we would rather see TV than the 100th story on instant replay. Hill won't have any fantasy value, but it still warms our heart to share this tale. |
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| Cubs pitcher Rich Hill was called up from the minor leagues, but only to be put on the disabled list, according to the Chicago Tribune. |
Our View: Hill struggled enormously with his control, with a frightening 8.24 BB/9 rate. Fantasy owners should look to Hill next year, as 2008 was lost. |
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| Angel Guzman will come off the disabled list and join the Cubs on Monday, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. |
Our View: Guzman has not pitched this season after undergoing Tommy John surgery last year. He was solid in a relief role but holds little fantasy value. |
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