Soriano? Lee? Ramirez? These guys aren't RH?

A shame that Murton doesn't seem to be putting it together down there. We may another damaged former prospect to dump before long.

The logjam that has become the middle of the Cubs' infield is interesting. I'm curious to see what improvements Cedeno's made, but it sounds more like he's going to be used as trade bait. I don't have a problem with that as long as the return is decent.

"We need another right-handed bat to help out against left-handed pitching"

Yes, if only the Cubs had a 25-year-old corner outfielder with a career line of .317/.393/.484 versus left-handed pitching. Where, oh where could they possibly find such a player?

Geez first Dusty Baker and now Lou.

Christ, as bad as Murton struggled earlier this year, he's still 4th on the team in OBP v. LHP (excluding Zambrano, who's 3-for-5, and Barrett), 7th in OPS (again, excluding Big Z and Barrett) v. LHP, and even 6th on the team in HITS vs. LHP. Why is he in Des Moines again? He's the one of the corner outfielders who filled a unique role on this team - being a goddamned right-handed hitter!

Eric Byrnes? (笨死)?

Soriano
Lee
Ramirez
DeRosa
Theriot (or the switch-hitting Izturis)
Pagan
Blanco or Hill

Hmmm...that's 7 RH bats if Lou wants them. He's stuck with one of Floyd/Jones against lefties -- of course we knew that would be the case 6 months ago.

Meanwhile we carry Daryle Ward who gets to hit only a little more often than Zambrano. With Jones now on the bench, there's simply no reason to carry Ward, so the Cubs can bring up another RH bat.

Why do they refuse to promote Soto? I don't know if he's ready but Hill's at 167/246/259; Bowen's at a healthy 043/179/043 (that's a nice walk rate!); Blanco's at 194/231/250.

Geez, I hadn't noticed before, but for his career Bowen K's once per 3 AB -- he has almost zero chance of ever being close to a productive hitter.

Why do they refuse to promote Soto?

He had an injured shoulder for awhile which limited his catching; I don't know if that's still a problem or part of the reason.

"Geez, I hadn't noticed before, but for his career Bowen K's once per 3 AB -- he has almost zero chance of ever being close to a productive hitter."

Yeah, but Barrett was a jerk!

People keep talking about the Central like the Brewers are just keeping things warm until the Cubs are ready to go on a run, but I really don't see it, particuarly with both teams just having come through Pittsbugh back-to-back. The Brewers have a roster full of useful players, who work well together. The Cubs have some really good players, but they also have some really bad ones (with a few in key roles), and none of the pieces seem to fit together very well.

Vlad:

Thanks for noticing. I have made subtle reference to the tone in the media coverage but was loathe to state anything more clearly so as not to get the dreaded "spare us the no respect/you're whining" tag.

I welcome you to the club of folks who have noted the differing approaches of the two ballclubs. The Cubs clearly have more "high end" established players in Lee, Ramirez, Soriano, and Zambrano. The Brewers MIGHT have some of these guys but with such limited track records nobody is really ready to declare a Fielder or Hardy in that company. What you have pointed is that what the Brewers CAN claim to have is "solid" ballplayers at each position accompanied by a fair bench. The weakest spot on the diamond right now for the Crew is second base as Weeks is suffering through a horrible first half. Though the impact is somewhat mitigated by the capable work of Counsell/Graffanino when given the chance to play.

Just two very distinct ways of building a competitive team.

The advantage for the Cubs is that one has to suspect a Derek Lee is going to bust out the "whupping stick" at some point while eventually even Lou has to recognize that Ronny Cedeno is a better shortstop. Milwaukee has pretty much "fired its bullets" with respect to bringing in reinforcements. Though one could point to Gallardo becoming a full-time member of the rotation at some point as the Brew-Has holding something in reserve. That or perhaps a Manny Parra making a late appearance. Though I suspect Melvin wants to keep MP in Nashville so he can get regular work to continue to build up arm strength. He is barely removed from a series of injuries that shelved him off and on for several years.

Now I expect Chris to show up and point out the Cubs horrible offense in extra innings and the close game issue of which much has been discussed. Ha, ha.

Anyway, there are lots of reasons to find the NL Central race interesting this year whether one is a fan of either team or no.