Ryan Dempster (4-5, 3.83 ERA) vs. Mark Buehrle (7-2, 3.17 ERA)

Story Lines

What are the odds that Milton Bradley blames the media for his struggles today? Ok, How about the fans? We all know that "Don't Wake Daddy" has been a huge bust so far this season, but it would be nice to see him get going. The problem is that he is totally lost right now. The Cubs could use a big winning streak to put all this stuff behind the team.

The Cubs face Mark Buehrle today, and I have a feeling that Ryan Freel might get a start for Kosuke Fukudome today.

The Cubs are showing some improvement with the bat, and now it's time to take it to the next level against a lefty. In case you missed the finals last night, the Cardinals lost, and the Cubs are now 2.5 games back again. The Brewers are in a tie with the Cards right now, so the Cubs are still in third place.

Who's Hot

Geovany Soto - Milton please take notes. This is how you deal with bad press. Soto took the bad news and crushed a 3-run home run in a crucial spot. In June, Soto's got six home runs and a .938 OPS.

Jake Fox - All this guy does is hit the ball hard. I know the league will catch up to him, but lets ride it while it lasts. Fox still hasn't taken a walk, which is something that will catch up with him. Just ask the Braves about their Right Fielder.

Who's Not

Carlos Marmol - I don't know about you, but I don't trust Carlos at this moment. He have up 2 hits and 3 walks during his work yesterday. We really need Guzman back fast. On the flipside, how about Sean Marshall's double play?

Mike Fontenot - There are rumors that the Cubs are trying to reacquire Mark DeRosa. At this point it can't hurt the team, because Fontenot can't get in a groove for a long period of time.

Conclusions

The Cubs got a much-needed win yesterday, and now they will have to find a way to win against a top pitcher. I don't really like the matchup today, but thanks to Fox I won't be seeing the game either. Who knows, maybe it is Milton's turn to go deep.