Derek Lee has played excellent ball all year long for the Cubs as his power stroke has returned. Lee has played in 134 games for the Cubs this season and he is 156 for 509 (.306 avg, .973 OPS) with 88 runs scored, 34 homers and 107 RBIs. Not only has Lee hit all season long but he also is an excellent defensive player saving errors for the other infielders. Lee was the MVP of the Cubs this season without a doubt.

The Chicago Cubs have suspended the overpaid and under-performing outfielder Milton Bradley.  The Cubs made a terrible move in signing  Bradley earlier this year to a three-year $30 million deal.  Everyone outside Cubs nation knew this was a terrible signing, as the prima donna outfielder has never been able to fit in with any club.  The Cubs are probably going to trade Bradley after this year, but don’t expect very much in return as this guy is a cancer to any baseball clubhouse.  The Cubs are Bradley’s seventh team in nine seasons in the majors and he has been a problem everywhere he has gone.  This may be the last straw for GM Jim Hendry’s job, as this was one of the worst signings the Cubs have made in years.

The Chicago Cubs almost got rid of 27-year old reliever Angel Guzman before the 2009 season began. Who could blame them? From 2006-2008, Guzman pitched in 33 games (14 starts) in which he was 0-7 with a 6.00 ERA and a 1.67 WHIP. But, Guzman did show off an impressive arm and he did strike out 96 batters in his first 96 innings for the Cubs. This season Guzman has stepped up working out of the bullpen full time. He has pitched in 55 games (0 starts) for the Cubs this season and he is 3-3 with 1 save, a 2.95 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP. Guzman has learned how to pitch this season as he isn’t trying to whiff every batter. He has only allowed 41 hits in 61 innings this season for the Cubs showing how nasty he can be. The Cubs have to be ecstatic with Guzman’s improvement this season.

The Chicago Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano stated that he wants to get surgery on his ailing left knee “sooner than later” saying that he is basically playing on one leg right now.  This most likely means that Soriano is done for the year, as it puts a disappointing end to Soriano’s disappointing 2009 season.

If Soriano’s knee has been bothering him so much that he feels like is playing on one leg, then why has been in the line-up all these weeks?  The Cubs have been pathetic down the stretch and no Cubs player has been more pathetic than Soriano.  He ends the season with career lows in BA, RBI, OBP, and SLG %.  If the problem was his knee and it was hindering his play this badly, he should have been out a long time ago.

However, I don’t think Soriano’s knee is as bad as he is hinting at and I am not the only one.  Manager Lou Piniella stated “The injury is not of a serious nature,” adding that he thinks the procedure would be to “clean it out.”  The Cubs will now go 101 years without a World Series title.

The Chicago Cubs bats did not show up today as they lost to the Chicago White Sox 5-0 at Wrigley Field Thursday.  The White Sox gained bragging rights this year as they won the season series 4-2. White Sox rookie pitcher Carlos Torres gained his first major league win by going seven strong innings while giving up five hits, with six strikeouts, and no walks.  Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster matched Torres’ performance by going 7+ innings with seven strikeouts and no earned runs but he had no help from the Cubs defense, as they recorded two errors and Dempster had three unearned runs.

Rookie Jake Fox was filling in for Derrek Lee at first base, who missed today’s game for the birth of his new baby boy.  In the second inning Fox flat out missed a pick off attempt to first by Dempster, which moved Chris Getz into scoring position, who then scored on a Ramirez single.  Alfonso Soriano’s error in the 8^th cost the Cubs a run as well.  Soriano turned an everyday fly ball from Pierzynski into a three base error allowing Gordon Beckham to score from first.  Wrigley fans began to boo Soriano who’s excuse was that he slipped on the play, but manager Lou Pinellia thought he just misplayed the ball.  Soriano continues to make excuses for his poor play and needs to go back to the fundamentals, learn how to judge a fly ball, and stop doing that dumb little hop before he catches fly balls.

It was not a good day for Soriano at the dish either, as he went 0-4 with three strikeouts.  It seems as if Cubs fans are growing sick of Soriano and his inconsistent play as he was booed on more than one occasion today.  Fox faired better at the plate, as he had a team leading two hits today, but was easily gunned down in the 7^th by White Sox right fielder DeWayne Wise when he attempted to score from second on a Jeff Baker single.

The Cubs are now 10.5 games back of the St. Louis Cardinals in the central and are six games back of the Wild Card leading Colorado Rockies.  It looks like baseball in Chicago will not be played in October this year with both the Cubs and White Sox playing awful baseball the past month.