Cubs put in a lackluster defensive performance, but still managed to pull out a win. Lillibridge hit a three-run homer in the Sox win. more ›

It wasn't exactly the auspicious farewell that the team and fans wanted for Lou Piniella but it was the one they got as the Braves blew out the Cubs 16-5 at Wrigley yesterday, Lou's final game as manager of the Cubs. A Marlon Byrd single and an Aramis Ramirez homer actually helped give the Cubs an early lead but it collapsed as the Braves bats tagged starter Randy Wells for three runs in the fourth and later on the Cubs' bullpen, scoring 11 runs over the final three innings. Said an emotional Piniella after the game: more ›

The Cubs snapped their five-game losing streak with a 5-4 win over the Braves at Wrigley on Saturday. Aramis Ramirex and Tyler Colvin each had two RBI in the winning effort. The team seemed to be cruising, up 5-1 late after Tom Gorzelanny allowed just one run over seven innings. But rookie Andrew Cashner continued to struggle, allowing three runs in the eighth and making the game closer than it needed to be. The Cubs try to salvage the series against the Braves this afternoon with Randy Wells taking the mound (1:20 p.m., WGN). more ›

The Cubs keep playing and keep finding new ways to lose. One strike away from a win, the Cubs wound up losers to the Braves 5-3, their fifth straight loss and eighth in ten games. Aramis Ramirez had helped the Cubs build the slim lead with a solo homer in the fourth and an RBI double in the sixth. Meanwhile, Ryan Dempster pitched eight strong innings, striking out seven and allowing two runs. But it all came undone in the ninth when Carlos Marmol walked the bases loaded and, one strike away from getting out of the jam and getting the W, gave up a bases-clearing triple to Rick Ankiel. A brilliant Cubs meltdown in a season full of them. Former Cub Derrek Lee went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in his first game against the Cubs since being traded earlier this week. The Cubs try to snap their current losing streak this afternoon (3:10 p.m., FOX). more ›

Despite his protestations the first time around, Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee could still be sent packing. The latest report has the Cubs working on a deal to send Lee to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for a group of prospects. Lee could again reject the trade because of his 10/5 status (10 years in the league, 5 with the same team) but sources indicate Lee favors a trade to the NL East-leading Braves. The trade would be more about a salary dump for the Cubs rather than a move to rake in talent. more ›

Nine straight wins. Three straight series sweeps. 13 wins in 14 games. There's no team in Major League Baseball hotter than the Chicago White Sox. And, don't look now, but after yesterday's 2-0 win over the Atlanta Braves and a Minnesota loss, the Sox are right back in the thick of the playoff race, trailing the division-leading Twins by just 2.5 games. Yesterday's game was a pitcher's duel between Gavin Floyd and Derek Lowe, both pitching seven innings of scoreless ball (Floyd allowed only two hits while striking out nine). But with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, it was Paul Konerko playing hero for the Sox, belting his 18th homer of the year, a two-run shot, to give the Sox the lead for good. J.J. Putz and Bobby Jenks each hurled scoreless innings to secure the win. Along with their spot in the standings, Ozzie says the mentality of the white-hot starting rotation has changed as well: "The way we're pitching right now, we expect to win. We're not hoping anymore. Every time we go out there, everyone knows at the start of the game we're going to have a chance." The Sox now welcome in the Crosstown rival Cubs for the conclusion of their annual rivalry as they look to extend their winning streak to double-digits. more ›

The White Sox just can't seem to lose. After waiting out a rain delay thanks to last night's storms, the Sox still rattled off their eighth straight win with a 4-2 victory over the visiting Braves. Down 1-0 early, Paul Konerko singled in a run in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game at 1-1. And then Carlos Quentin stepped up and belted a two-run shot, putting the Sox in the lead for good. The Braves added a run in the fifth to get a little bit closer but it was Quentin who again came through with a solo shot in the seventh to give the Sox pitchers some insurance. Mark Buehrle allowed nine hits but just two runs en route to his sixth win of the year while Bobby Jenks threw a scoreless ninth for his 16th save. The Sox are now 36-34 on the year and still trail division-leading Minnesota by 3.5 games. They wrap up their series with Atlanta this afternoon in a bid to hit nine straight wins heading into this weekend's conclusion of the Crosstown rivalry with the Cubs (1:05 p.m., WGN). more ›

Sox Keep Rolling more ›

The Cubs and Sox had a rare simultaneous day off yesterday as they both traveled, the Cubs to the Pacific Northwest where they'll open up a series against the Seattle Mariners tonight (9:10 p.m., CSN +) and the Sox back home where they'll open up a new homestand on a hot streak against the equally hot, NL East-leading Atlanta Braves (7:10 p.m., CSN). Meanwhile, All-Star voting continues online and neither the Cubs or the Sox have a shot at getting a player into the starting lineup. In fact, the Sox have no players among the AL's leading vote-getters though at least Paul Konerko (.296/17/51) has a good shot at being named as a reserve. As for the Cubs, Alfonso Soriano (.270/10/35) ranks a distant 11th place in outfielder voting; whether or not he makes the squad is up in the air and it's questionable how Carlos Silva's recent struggles (two straight losses) will affect his odds at making the team even though his 8-0 start was the team's lone bright spot in the first half of 2010. At 8-2 and with a 3.01 ERA, Silva is still the bright spot of the starting rotation and just one more win will probably be enough to send him to Anaheim. more ›

Bulls Clip Cavs more ›

Blackhawks Hold Off Blues more ›

For half the city, it was a gorgeous Opening Day at home with homers and acrobatic plays and victory. For the other half, it was a day that just turned plain ugly. more ›

The story of the this year's Cubs has been the lack of offense and today was no different as the Braves shut the Cubs down on the way to a 4-1 win. A sixth inning solo homer from Kosuke Fukudome was all the Cubs could muster in terms of offense. As for the pitching, the loss spoiled Kevin Hart's first major league start. Hart walked five but gave up only one run over five innings. The Braves Casey Kotchman hit a solo shot in the sixth to put the Braves up for good. Kevin Gregg had a rough ninth, allowing two runs though neither were earned; both were the result of Cubs fielding errors. All is not lost for the Cubs, though. In spite of maddening inconsistency, the Cubs get an off day tomorrow and then welcome the first-place Cardinals into town for a crucial four-game series heading into next week's All-Star Break. If the Cubs can manage to win that series, they could close the gap in the standings as well as get some sort of momentum going into the second half of the season. more ›

The Cubs got a great start out of Carlos Zambrano, pitching on three days rest to fill in for the injured Ryan Dempster, but the bats couldn't help out as the Braves slipped past the Cubs 2-1 Tuesday night. Koyie Hill tied the game at 1-1 in the second, but it was all the offense the Cubs could produce. The Braves took a 2-1 lead in the third and then the pitching staffs took over. Zambrano gave up only the two runs over six innings, and the bullpen held tight, but scoring opportunities on offense were few and far between. Said Lou of Z's start, "He did a nice job on [three days'] rest, gave us six good innings of baseball, gave us a chance." The third and final game of the series starts today at 1:20 p.m. (CSN). more ›

The Cubs carried momentum from their weekend series win over Milwaukee into the series with Atlanta as they ousted the Atlanta Braves 4-2 in the opening game of a three-game set. Derek Lee continued his hot summer, belting another homer, a two-run shot, in the first to give the Cubs an early 2-0 lead. Fukudome and Theriot followed up with RBIs in the second to give the Cubs all the runs they would need to pull out a win. Starter Randy Wells had a few shaky moments, but held off the Braves, allowing two runs on seven hits over six innings. The bullpen trio of Marshall-Marmol-Gregg shutout the Braves over the final three innings to secure the win; Gregg earned his 15th save. It was also the first game back in almost two months for Aramis Ramirez, who went 0 for 4. Fukudome, batting leadoff again, went 2 for 3 and Soriano was once again hitting sixth and went 1 for 4. Overall, the Cubs are now 5-1 in July and only two games out of first, something of a minor miracle. Game two of the series gets underway tonight at 7:05 p.m. (WGN). more ›

The Cubs made a quick trip to Atlanta on a scheduled off day yesterday for a make-up game and in the end the offense took an off day anyway as the Braves shut out the North Siders 2-0, wasting a good performance by starter Ryan Dempster. Despite getting nine hits and having runners in scoring position in multiple innings, the Cubs couldn't knock in any runs off Braves starter Javier Vazquez. Jake Fox started in place of the $136 Million Dollar Man and Micah Hoffpauir started in place of Milton Bradley. Dempster saw a strong start go to waste, as he gave up only two runs and and struck out six over 6.2 innings. Said Sweet Lou, "We got enough hits. We just didn't hit with men on base. Vazquez pitched well. Both starting pitchers pitched well. But when you get 10 hits, you figure you'll score a few. We just didn't do it." Not to mention leaving 12 men on base overall. After the quick trip down South, the Cubs have huffed it back up to Detroit where they open a three-game set against the AL Central leading Tigers tonight at 6:05 p.m. (WGN). more ›

Last night's Cubs-Braves tilt was a wash. Literally. Heavy downpours doused the stadium just before the scheduled first pitch. The game will be made up on June 22. Tonight, the Cubs travel to Cincinnati to take on the Reds in a three-game weekend series. more ›

Cubs Own Dirty South more ›

White Sox Break Out Brooms, Go Back-to-Back-to-Back-to-Back more ›

Cubs Spank Braves In Doubleheader Sweep more ›

Cubs Thump Braves more ›

Sox Roll Over Royals more ›

Well, Chicagoist had finally come to terms with the fact that Mark Buehrle's days with the White Sox were numbered. We've heard and read the daily rumors about him being traded to the Mets, the Red Sox, the Cards, the Dodgers, the Braves, etc. While we hoped the Sox would lock up the durable lefty, his looming free agency, along with his supposed desire for a five year deal and rumors that he wanted to play for his hometown Cardinals made it seem unlikely that he'd remain on the South Side as the Sox continue to head south in the standings. more ›

In a trade that was surprising in its swiftness, the Cubs traded embattled catcher and "good guy" Michael Barrett (or "number 8" for those of you who don't visit Wrigley Field for the baseball) and cash to the San Diego Padres for backup catcher Rob Bowen and minor league prospect Kyler Burke. The trade closes the book on Barrett's three-plus years as a Cub, a time marked by emotional outbursts, an uncontrollable temper, suspect defensive... more ›

Who do we believe -- Radar Magazine or Mark Cuban? Radar reported on Wednesday that billionaire tech entrepeneur, blogger and owner of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team is preparing to make a $625 million bid for the Chicago Cubs. A source supposedly familiar with the situation claims, "Mark is desperate to buy the Cubs. He wants this so bad." However, Cuban's response to the Trib via email stated that the rumor was "not true." In... more ›

Whew! We made it through all the familial obligations of the holiday season. It’s a dead week at work and that means we need some stuff to do at night. This week offers a lot of possibilities for getting together for a pint or two before we even hit New Year’s Eve. If the Christmas hangover is gone, head over to the Hideout tonight for a Boxing Day Show with Kelly Hogan and Scott Ligon.... more ›

With all the potential candidates now known, the Cubs' list to fill Dusty Baker's vacancy seems to be: Lou Piniella, Joe Girardi, Bob Brenley and maybe even Buck Showalter -- the last of the managerial casualties. Braves third base coach Fredi Gonzalez had been on early wish lists, but the Florida Marlins snatched him up within hours of dumping Girardi. more ›

While Mark Cuban remains busy cheering his Dallas Mavericks through the NBA Finals, others interested in buying the team have been quietly meeting Tribune Company execs to inquire abou their availability. Last month, Mr. Cub himself, Ernie Banks, met with Tribune CEO Dennis FitzSimons to discuss buying the team. Two seperate groups have approached Banks, the Hall of Famer who played shortstop for the Cubs from 1953-1971, about participating in efforts to buy the Cubs.... more ›

March Madness resumes tonight with half the Sweet 16 teams in action. The game that's likely to garner the most local attention pits the Bradley Braves against the Memphis Tigers. Can Bradley, a 13th seed, take on #1 seed Memphis and continue the unexpected run through the NCAA Tournament? Or will tonight end a magical run by a team few expected to win even one game in the tourney. At this point, there shouldn't be... more ›

El photo via Minneapolis Red Sox more ›