7/4 Cubs lineup
Cubs are underway with early start in Washington, D.C., vs. the Nationals. Here is the lineup in case you missed it:
Coghlan LF
Ruggiano CF
Rizzo 1B
Castro SS
Valbuena 3B
Schierholtz RF
Baker C
Barney 2B
Hammel P
* The Cubs have won six of their last seven road games dating to June 15, including victories in each of their last four road contests. The team has won four-straight road games for the first time since Sept. 7-12, 2012, at Pittsburgh (3-0) and at Houston (1-0), and today takes aim at a fifth-straight road victory for the first time since July 31-Aug. 4, 2011.
* The Cubs have released left-handed pitcher Jonathan Sanchez, who only appeared in one game for Triple-A Iowa on April 4, and gave up five earned runs on one hit, three walks over two-thirds of an inning.
Muskat Ramblings 
How is McDonald doing on his rehab?
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I would love to see giant heads of Banks, Williams, Santo, Harry doing a Wrigley race.
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they say this could be Hammel’s last start as a Cub
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I wonder if Fujikawa time on the 40 man roster will soon be gone……or is there some deal in place for him to return next year at a reduce rate?
They just released Jonathon Sanchez who has been injured most of the season, maybe McDonald is next. They know more than I do about him, but I see no reason to keep him.
Didn’t THEY say that after Hammel’s his last start?
Did Fuji sign a two or three year contract? If its three, we will see him in ST. If only two, no need to re-sign him.
2015 team option for $5.5 million……or a $500,000 buy out…….what do you think Jasper?….is this guy worthy for that $5.5 million after making $4.5 million for each of the last two years pitching only 12 innings total !
Am liking what the Cubs are doing these days. Was plumb humiliating when we had the worst record in all of mlb not all that long ago. This is more like what we expect. There are many mlb teams now whose records we surpass. And with the cavalry on the way next season and beyond, the Cubs could actually contend. What a pleasant thought!
Shark and Hammel were both sent to Oakland in a blockbuster trade for the A`s two top prospects, Addison Russell, a ss and mlb overall #11 prospect and Billy McKinney (sp?), an outfielder. A pitcher from the A`s who has underachieved will also become our property. What does this mean regarding Castro`s future with the club or Baez`s future position? Sounds as though the FO is hellbent on having Russell play short.
Aloha jhosk- I am still wondering about this trade. I keep up with both of the Bay Area teams and have a friends who work for both team, including scouting. The A’s are known for making and getting the better end of the deals. Yes they want to win a WS this year but they are also very smart as an organization. I am not sure about this trade getting Russell when we have Baez and many others for both ss/2nd base in our own system. Time will only tell. I hope the winning we just saw (sweeping the RSox in Boston, first win against Washington) will not end but I have a feeling like in season’s past this second half which has not even begun is really going to be hard to watch. Guess I will be going to more A’s games now. Mahalo! PS: My father said he could not believe that his Yankees could not have put together a better deal for our Cubbies because they so need the pitching but that is life, he said maybe when I turn 75 (which is many years away) our Cubbies will win a W.S., I hope he is wrong!
Aloha jhosk- I am still wondering about this trade. I keep up with both of the Bay Area teams and have a friends who work for both team, including scouting. The A’s are known for making and getting the better end of the deals. Yes they want to win a WS this year but they are also very smart as an organization. I am not sure about this trade getting Russell when we have Baez and many others for both ss/2nd base in our own system. Time will only tell. I hope the winning we just saw (sweeping the RSox in Boston, first win against Washington) will not end but I have a feeling like in season’s past this second half which has not even begun is really going to be hard to watch. Guess I will be going to more A’s games now. Also, I do not mean to put down the trade, they did get some very good prospects but again they are prospects, I will keep an open mind as the FO and knows more than we do. Mahalo! PS: My father said he could not believe that his Yankees could not have put together a better deal for our Cubbies because they so need the pitching but that is life, he said maybe when I turn 75 (which is many years away) our Cubbies will win a W.S., I hope he is wrong!
Yes, k.g. One has to let time pass before evaluating trades. I too question this deal today, just one day after the transaction. Seems we could have received more value from other clubs.
This trade with Oakland came out of no where…….having TWO TOP NOTCH prospects in return is great…….and baseball experts said the Cubs would never get what they were asking………it was not about quantity in return, but quality to Theo & Jed……..
Okay, now we are getting way too many people to play Shortstop……is there another trade in the works with either Castro, Baez or Russell?………..looking at minor league reports, Russell could be better then Castro at short…….would Theo trade Castro for pitching ?……or will Baez be shipped out ?……….the Cubs are collecting lots of bats……………I have to rank Baez at #3 on our list of shortstops…….if Russell plays second, and Bryant is at third…..where does Baez play at?……
McKinney is several years away to play OF, but then again, our OF is getting jammed…………..Almora…..Schwarber……Jiminez……..Alcantara……….Soler……………..Hammermann…….I look at Soler as a trade bait now.
I think our new guys will be ranked #3 ( Russell) & #4 (McKinney) in our top 20 prospect list behind Baez & Bryant…….
If the Blue Jays still need a starter, we still have Edwin Jackson to give for one of their pitching prospects on July 31st ……….
Cubs going to get PTBNL………expect another top player based how good Shark & Hammel pitches for the A’s……
As for Oakland, Billy Beane might get his World Series this year………..the A’s might have become one of the most powerful pitching teams in all of MLB……as I said one time before, pitching is the “key” to this game when playoffs come around……
tonight, there are several AL GM’s banging their heads now that both of our top ranked pitchers are gone ……together with the A’s.
Pitching is “key” anytime. Not just when playoffs transpire. The A`s have the best record in all of mlb, and their starters already boasted the best e.r.a. in all baseball before bringing Shark and Hammel aboard. We should have gotten some pitchers in return for those two stalwarts. This trade on its face appears one-sided and not in the Cubs` favor. But first impressions are often misleading. When Lou Brock was traded for Ernie Broglio, Cubs` Nation initially perceived the deal as a steal for our club.
This trade is moronic. They needed to get major league players or major league ready players for Shark alone. They needed to get players that could step right in and play a role now with the potential to be stars in the future. It makes me think that they will be content to go for another top five draft pick in the next two drafts. When are they planning to become competitive? 2027? If they were going to settle for players who are at least 2 years away for two of the best starters in the national league this year, they should have gotten 7 or 8 of them.