Getting better...

Some weak opponents and the Cubs are on a hot streak, should have been a little hotter but once again we lose a one run game, this time due to the ill-fated Macias throw on Saturday. Nonetheless we've won 5 of 6 and are tied for first in the Wild card and hopefully the injury to J. Schmidt will effect him the rest of the year.

In a surprising turn of events, Clement gets Capuano today and not B. Sheets who the Cubs have actually roughed up his last 2 outings now. Let's hope for a win for the biggest tough luck season for a pitcher you'll ever see. Crazy Z was spectacular yesterday (at least until the 7th) and may have leapfrogged Sheets in the Cy Young race. With Schmidt suffering from an injury, I think we can still hold out hope for Zambrano to sneak in for the award.

Garciaparra's heel has been acting up on him and what probably cost us the game on Saturday against the Astros (you gotta think Martinez is playing third instead of SS in that situation if Garciaparra was playing, but I could be wrong). I'm sure he'll gut it through with an occassional missed game the rest of the season, although any plans to sign him long-term will have to seriously consider the magnitude of the injury.

In other news around the league....

- The Angels are 'en fuego'. Big sweep of the Yanks is the kind of thing that can propel a team into a huge hot streak, of course they'll have to face J. Santana this weekend which is never good for a team trying to win games. The bigger news is that Glaus is already swinging a bat and launched a few in BP yesterday and it very much looks like he'll be back in early to mid-September which would be a huge boost to the team. Coupled with the resurgence of Colon in the 2nd half and the Angels might sneak away with one of those 2 playoff spots up for grabs.

- My AL picks to this point:
Cy Young
1. Johan Santana
2. Ryan Drese
3. Curt Schilling
4. Brad Radke
5. T. Hudson (if gets enough starts it, he'll begin to move up)

MVP
1. Manny Ramirez
2. G. Sheffield
3. D. Ortiz
4. V. Guerrero
5. I. Suzuki
6. M. Mora
7. C. Guillen
8. M. Tejada
9. T. Hafner
10. I. Rodriguez

ROY
1. L. Ford
2. B. Crosby
3. Somebody who qualifies

Cy Young goes to Santana who along with Radke have given the Twins a huge 1-2 punch in that rotation. Hudson has been good but has missed too much time and R. Drese has been amazing considering that he pitches half his games in the Ballpark or whatever they call it these days.

MVP is M. Ramirez so far this year, Ortiz and Sheffield could sneak in there but I doubt it. Suzuki is threatening the hits record but that's about it, Guerrero has slowed a little since the start of the season but plays in a pitchers park. Somehow 2 Orioles and Tigers make my list. The Tigers will improve by about 30 games this year all by their offense and the deal Mora made with the devil ha been paying off. The biggest thing on the MVP list is the omissions. No A. Rodriguez, no A. Soriano. I really expected Soriano to enjoy the Ballpark this season and put up career numbers, but I'm not at all surprised by A-Rod. All those yapping about him deserving the MVP the last 2 (or more seasons), one of which he got, well you know what he didn't deserve any of them in my opinion. The guy is great but he feasted on his ballpark the last few seasons, not to mention was a notoriously slow starter on a team that couldn't afford a slow start. Don't get me wrong, I wish he was playing SS for the Cubs, but I believe the only year he deserved the MVP was 1996, not the last few that everyone has been harping about.

Bury the Brewers!!!!