Cubs Starting to Fade in Central Race

It's about that time of year. The time when NFL camps are in full swing, rankings are being released for college football, and the Cubs begin to wilt in the August heat. One week ago, the Cubs and Cards were tied atop the NL Central and Chicago was two games ahead in the loss column. In that short span, the birds have opened up a 4.5 game lead in the division and are three up in the loss column. People aren't making such a big deal about those games in hand now that the Cubs have started playing them and losing them. St. Louis has been taking advantage of their schedule as of late, winning seven of their last nine against the Mets, Pirates, Reds, and now the Padres. The Cubs on the other hand, had seven straight against the last two NL Champions, the Rockies and the Phillies. They only managed to win one of these games, thus allowing for the Cards to gain separation. The Cubbies get a slight break, as they're hosting the AAA Pirates this weekend and then will visit the lowly Padres for three, but then it's right back to business as they get the Dodgers for four in LA.

The Cardinals have a great opportunity to put the Cubs out of their misery in the next few weeks. The offense is hitting on all cylinders and the Cards are getting quality starts nearly every night from their rotation. With all of the off days, they won't need to use a fifth starter more than three more times the rest of the season. Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright, and Joel Pineiro are all among the top 13 in the NL in ERA right now, so with those guys getting the majority of the starts the rest of the way, St. Louis should be in fantastic shape headed into October. 

A lot has been made about the Cardinals re-signing their big free agents. Troy Glaus and Todd Wellemeyer are a couple of obvious guys that won't be brought back. I could also see Rick Ankiel being allowed to leave, as Colby Rasmus will be an everyday player in 2010. The big three will be Matt Holliday, Mark DeRosa, and Joel Pineiro. Pineiro can't be expected to repeat this year and if he expects to be paid like a pitcher who can replicate this year, it would be hard to see him returning either. For Holliday to come back, it would probably take something close to the four-year, $72 million deal that the Rockies offered him. Of course, he turned that down to stay in a hitter's paradise, so he may be one of the guys that is purely driven by money. If he tells his agent, the notorious Scott Boras, to go out and find the largest contract possible, it won't come from St. Louis. However, if he decides to tell Boras that he wants to stay in St. Louis and to just get a deal done, as another Boras client, Kyle Lohse, did last year, Holliday could hang around for the remainder of his prime. DeRosa is probably the most likely guy to stay. He would probably sign the most affordable contract of the Cardinals big pending free agents and since Brett Wallace was dealt and Troy Glaus won't be re-signed, the Cards have to find someone to play third base. It might as well be a guy that can hit 25 bombs a year and be good for clubhouse chemistry at the same time.

2. One of the funniest headlines I've seen in a while came from the Trentonian. It read,"Hide Your Beagle, Vick is an Eagle," relating to the Philadelphia signing troubled quarterback Michael Vick. Everyone deserves a second chance, but Vick's is sure to be met with sharp criticism, of which this article may be on the lighter side. 

3. Being a Blackhawks fan has been a bit rough for the past couple of months. After signing free agent forward Marian Hossa to n insanely long deal, the club released that he would need surgery on his shoulder and might miss a couple of months to begin his first season in Chicago. That has now been followed by the news of star forward Patrick Kane assaulting a cabbie over the driver being 20 cents short in giving Kane change for his fare. The actions won't result in a felony according to the prosecuting attorney, but it certainly will result in a distraction as the club heads into the 09-10 season.

Photo from Shopsafeathome.net.