Breaking the Curse--A Chicago Cubs Franchise

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Chicago (AP)- The Chicago Cubs have gone 102 years without winning the world series, that is currently the longest active championship drought in all of the Major North American Sports. The Cubs have various nicknames including the loveable losers, as they have one of the largest fan bases in the country to not win a World Series within the lives of the majority of their fans. In Chicago the Cubs are referred to as the North Siders because of their cross town rival the Chicago White Sox who are on the south side of the city. The Cubs have been playing at the same ball park, Wrigley Stadium, since the year 1916 and it doesnt look to be changing any time soon.
The Curse
For those who don’t know this is the curse that the Cubs have to deal with every season. In the year 1945 the Cubs had a home game in the World Series and a man by the name of Billy Sianis bought two tickets, one for himself and one for his goat. Officials at Wrigley field told Sianis that the goat would have to leave because of the unpleasant smell it was causing. Upon being ejected from the game, Sianis declared “The Cubs, they ain’t gonna win no more.” The Cubs lost the series and have never been back to the World Series since.
Bartman
If you’re a fan of baseball and haven’t heard of Steve Bartman then you have been under a hole since the year 2003. In the 8th inning of the NLDS against the Florida Marlins with a 3-0 lead Louis Castillo hit a ball toward the left field stands, Moises Alou reached up to grab the ball but Steve Bartman reached out and deflected the ball away from Alou, the worst part about this was that Bartman was a lifetime Cubs fan and the game was at Wrigley Field. Castillo would walk and two batters later Cubs shortstop Alex S. Gonzalez became infamous as well. He allowed a ball to go right between his legs on an easy double play ball that could have ended the inning. The inning ended with the Marlins scoring 8 runs and went on to win Game 6 and later Game 7. The Cubs have since reached the playoffs just twice, both times being swept in three games by a team from the NL West, the Diamondbacks in 2007 and the Dodgers in 2008.

Franchise Settings:
System: PS3
Level: Starting on MVP, will adjust if needed
Rosters: Knights full Minors
Games: Playing all of them

House Rules:
Trades: Realistic as possible, I am not controlling all 30 teams so if trades happen I can’t stop them from happening at this point, if ridiculous trades happen I will do what I can to fix them.
Free Agency: Anyone is fair game, If I guarantee a spot in the MLB and that player isn’t in the Majors by the All-Star break then I must release him or trade him immediately for a player of lesser value.

This franchise is purely fiction, all references to real life situations and or people are purely coincidental. This franchise is done in the name of fun and all references to people and their actions are purely to enhance the reading experience.


Note: Yes, I know this is going to be my 4th active dynasty on these forums, don't worry, when Madden and NCAA come out their will be two more

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Cubs Yearly Recap

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Cubs Award Winners:

MLB Award Winners:

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MLB Yearly Recap:

World Series Winners:

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Team by Team Transactions: (All Transactions done at the Major League level will be reported.)

Chicago Cubs
4/2 Placed, 2B, Darwin Barney on 60 Day DL with Broken Arm
4/2 Recalled RP, Esmalin Caridad from Triple-A, Iowa
4/4 Optioned RP, Esmaliin Caridad to Triple A
4/4 Purchesd the Contract of 3B, Bobby Scales from Triple A


Chicago White Sox
4/9 Placed SP, Jeffry Marquez on the 15 Day DL (Strained Pectoral)
4/9 Purshed the contract of RP, Brian Bruney from Triple A
4/12 Place SP, Jake Peavy on the 15 Day DL (Strained Pectoral)
4/12 Recalled SP, Lucas Harrell from Triple A Charlotte


Los Angeles Dodgers:
3/31, 2B, Aaron Miles placed on 15 Day DL
3/31, Recalled SS, Dee Gordon
4/2, Sent RP, Blake Hawksworth to Triple-A Alburquerque
4/14 Activated 2B, Aaron Miles from the DL
4/14 Optioned 2B, Ivan De Jesus to Triple A Albuquerque

Minnesota Twins
4/3 Placed LF, Delmon Young on the 15 day DL (Fractured Wrist)
4/3 Recalled RF, Joe Benson from Triple-A Rochester

New York Mets
4/5 Placed SS, Jose Reyes on 15 Day DL (ACL Sprain)
4/5 Recalled SS, Ruben Tejada from Triple A

San Diego Padres:
4/2, Recalled RP, Enesto Frieri from Triple-A Tucson

Texas Rangers
4/9 Placed LF, Josh Hamilton on the 15 Day DL (Broken Forearm)
4/9 Recalled CF Engel Beltre from Triple A


Cubs Transactions: (All Minor and Major League Transactions)
4/2 Placed, 2B, Darwin Barney on 60 Day DL with Broken Arm
4/2 Recalled RP, Esmalin Caridad from Triple-A, Iowa
4/4 Optioned RP, Esmaliin Caridad to Triple A Iowa
4/4 Purchesd the Contract of 3B, Bobby Scales from Triple A Iowa
4/11 Sent LF, Matthew Spencer from Double A Tennessee to Single A Daytona
4/11 Promoted SS, Junior Lake from Single A Daytona to Double A Tennessee
4/11 Sent RP, John Gaub from Triple A Iowa to Double A Tennessee
4/11 Sent LF, Bryan LaHair from Triple A Iowa to Double A Tennessee
4/11 Promoted SS, Nate Samson from Double A Tennessee to Triple A Iowa
4/11 Promoted 2B D.J. Le Mahieu from Double A Tennessee to Triple A Iowa

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MLB Roster

Chicago Cubs Opening Day Roster
#	PITCHERS	POS	B/T	AGE	HT	WT	SALARY
46	Ryan Dempster	SP	R/R	33	6'2"	215	7.9M
38	Carlos Zambrano	SP	R/R	29	6'5"	255	7.9M
17	Matt Garza	SP	R/R	27	6'4"	215	3.6M
36	Randy Wells	SP	R/R	28	6'5"	230	740K
48	Andrew Cashner	SP	R/R	24	6'6"	210	320K
34	Kerry Wood	RP	R/R	33	6'5"	211	2.5M
45	Sean Marshall	RP	L/L	28	6'7"	220	560K
43	John Grabow	RP	L/L	32	6'2"	205	960K
29	Jeff Samadzija	RP	R/R	26	6'5"	220	270K
40	James Russell	RP	L/L	25	6'4"	205	200K
44	Jeff Stevens	RP	R/R	27	6'2"	205	100K
49	Carlos Marmol	CP	R/R	28	6'2"	215	10.5M
#	CATCHERS	POS	B/T	AGE	HT	WT	SALARY
18	Geovany Soto	C	R/R	28	6'1"	205	1.1M
55	Koyie Hill	C	S/R	31	6'0"	210	140K
#	INFIELDERS	POS	B/T	AGE	HT	WT	SALARY
22	Carlos Pena	1B	L/L	32	6'2"	225	4.2M
9	Blake Dewitt	2B	L/R	25	5'11"	190	460K
15	Darwin Barney	2B	R/R	25	5'10"	180	230K
16	Aramis Ramirez	3B	R/R	32	6'1"	215	5.4M
28	Jeff Baker	UTIL	R/R	29	6'2"	210	230K
13	Starlin Castro	SS	R/R	20	6'0"	190	420K
#	OUTFIELDERS	POS	B/T	AGE	HT	WT	SALARY
12	Alfonso Soriano	LF	R/R	35	6'1"	195	5.1M
5	Reed Johnson	LF	R/R	34	5'10"	180	490K
24	Marlon Byrd	CF	R/R	33	6'0"	245	3.6M
21	Tyler Colvin	RF	L/L	25	6'3"	210	430K
1	Kosuke Fukudome	RF	L/L	33	6'0"	200	750K

Pre-Season Outlook
Rotation: With the front 3 looking strong the Rotation should be solid, the question marks in the rotation are Randy Wells and Andrew Cashner, both of whom are relatively inexperienced though Wells has two years of service. If Wells and Cashner can hold up the back end of the Rotation it could be one of the strengths of the club.

Bullpen: Two of the top 5 players on the team are working out of the bullpen, those are Closer Carlos Marmol, and Setup Man, Kerry Wood. With two rookies working out of the pen and a third in Samardzija that is just over his first season the Cubs could be in for some rough calls to the bullpen if things don***8217;t go well.

Infielders: With Soto holding down the backstop and with Pena, Ramirez and Castro locking up spots in the infield the starters look pretty solid. The question mark is who plays second base and who takes on a bigger role when starters need the day off. Barney, Baker and Dewitt will be competing all season for the starting spot at second base. Koyie Hill will be the veteran behind the plate and while he can spot start at first base he will likely do nothing more than catch once per time through the rotation.

Outfielders: Soriano and Byrd are locking up Center and Left field and look to be the type of talent that can carry the team down the stretch. Reed Johnson is a capable backup at both spots with added speed off the bench. Colvin and Fukudome will be competing for the starting Right Field spot and if Manager Mike Quade feels the need to go young then Colvin will be the obvious choice.

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AAA Roster

Iowa Cubs Opening Day Roster (AAA)
#	PITCHERS	POS	B/T	AGE	HT	WT	SALARY
20	Thomas Diamond (40)	SP	R/R	27	6'3"	240	420K
27	Casey Coleman (40)	SP	L/R	23	6'0"	180	360K
68	Robert Coello (40)	SP	R/R	26	6'5"	250	270K
60	Chris Carpenter	SP	R/R	25	6'4"	220	160K
76	Alberto Cabrera (40)	SP	R/R	22	6'4"	210	155K
66	Rafael Dolis (40)	SP	R/R	23	6'4"	215	91K
33	Esmailin Caridad (40)	RP	R/R	27	5'10"	195	420K
64	Justin Berg (40)	RP	R/R	26	6'3"	230	420K
57	Scott Maine (40)	RP	L/L	26	6'3"	210	230K
78	Kyle Smit (40)	RP	R/R	23	6'3"	170	112K
62	Marcus Mateo (40)	RP	R/R	26	6'1"	160	100K
54	John Gaub (40)	RP	R/L	24	6'2"	210	136K
35	Ty'Relle Harris	CP	R/R	24	6'4"	235	404K
#	CATCHERS	POS	B/T	AGE	HT	WT	SALARY
53	Wellington Castillo	C	R/R	23	5'10"	200	420K
51	Max Ramirez	C	R/R	26	5'11"	175	50K
#	INFIELDERS	POS	B/T	AGE	HT	WT	SALARY
30	Scott Moore	1B	L/R	27	6'2"	195	53K
58	Matt Camp	2B	L/R	26	6'0"	200	30K
19	Bobby Scales (40)	3B	S/R	33	6'0"	185	33K
73	Marquez Smith	3B	R/R	25	5'10"	205	47K
#	OUTFIELDERS	POS	B/T	AGE	HT	WT	SALARY
4	Ty Wright	LF	R/R	26	6'0"	200	30K
7	Bryan LaHair	LF	L/R	28	6'5"	240	41K
41	Lou Montanez	LF	R/R	29	6'1"	200	30K
3	Fernando Perez (40)	CF	S/R	28	6'1"	195	311K
24	Tony Campana (40)	CF	L/L	24	5'8"	160	30K
56	Brad Snyder	RF	L/L	28	6'3"	200	170K

Outlook
Rotation: 6 Starters, 5 of whom are on the 40 man roster, 3 of whom have some Major League experience. Diamond looks to be the ace of the staff and could receive the first call up if Wells or Cashner struggles in the Majors.

Bullpen: Caridad and Berg highlight the bullpen and just missed making the Major league roster, along with Scott Maine and Marcus Mateo they are the only four with Major experience, thus continuing the young Bullpen that is seen the bigs.

Infielders: Castillo behind the dish will either be the catcher of the future or great trade bait near the deadline as he could compete with Hill for the backup spot in the Majors but we felt he should play everyday to get experience. Ramirez will catch a couple times a week to progress a little as he has seen Major league time with the Rangers previously. Moore, Camp, Smith and Scales will be playing everyday unless someone is called up to give them relief as they are the only four infielders on the roster.

Outfielders: LaHair will get added playing time as he is able to play in the infield, Wright and Montanez will be competing for the rest of the playing time in Left. Both Perez and Campana will have a shot to make it to the Majors sometime this year depending on how things go in AAA and in the bigs. Brad Snyder will hold down the Right Field spot unless Colvin or Fukudome is sent down or a trade is made.

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Tennessee Smokies Opening Day Roster (AA)
#	PITCHERS	POS	B/T	AGE	HT	WT	SALARY
71	Trey McNutt	SP	R/R	21	6'4"	220	396K
33	J.R. Mathes	SP	L/L	29	6'3"	210	53K
8	Austin Bibens	SP	R/R	25	6'2"	190	91K
36	Hung-Wen Chen	SP	R/R	25	5'11"	210	53K
28	Polin Trinidad	SP	L/L	26	6'3"	195	53K
37	Angel Guzman (40)	RP	R/R	29	6'3"	200	630K
25	Marco Carillo	RP	R/R	23	5'11"	215	91K
9	Blake Parker	RP	R/R	25	6'3"	225	43K
39	Ryan Buchter	RP	L/L	24	6'3"	185	34K
22	James Leverton	RP	R/L	24	6'2"	185	34K
29	Jake Muyco	RP	R/R	26	6'0"	190	78K
38	David Cales	CP	R/R	23	5'11"	200	396K
#	CATCHERS	POS	B/T	AGE	HT	WT	SALARY
75	Chris Robinson	C	R/R	26	6'0"	220	30K
74	Steve Clevenger	C	L/R	24	6'0"	195	155K
#	INFIELDERS	POS	B/T	AGE	HT	WT	SALARY
34	Blake Lalli	1B	L/R	27	6'1"	205	30K
41	Rebel Ridling	1B	R/R	24	6'4"	230	30K
31	D.J. Le Mahieu	2B	R/R	22	6'4"	185	30K
21	David Macias	2B	S/R	25	5'9"	175	30K
61	Josh Vitters	3B	R/R	21	6'2"	200	218K
6	Marwin Gonzalez	SS	S/R	21	6'1"	185	30K
7	Nate Sampson	SS	R/R	23	6'0"	170	30K
#	OUTFIELDERS	POS	B/T	AGE	HT	WT	SALARY
12	Ryan Flaherty	LF	L/R	24	6'3"	220	30K
40	Matthew Spencer	LF	L/L	25	6'4"	230	30K
59	Brett Jackson	CF	L/R	22	6'2"	210	404K
11	Matt Szczur	CF	R/R	21	6'1"	190	396K
63	James Adduci	CF	L/L	25	6'2"	210	39K

Outlook:
Angel Guzman is one of the best players in the minors for the Cubs, he is currently listed as the 8th best player in the organization but the problem is that he is coming off major elbow surgery. Odds are he is going to move up to Triple A rather quickly and have a shot at reaching the Majors if no signs of injury reappear. Brett Jackson and Josh Vitters are both former number one picks for the Cubs and both have the opportunity to move up the organization quickly this season.

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Single A Roster
RP, Aaron Shafer
SP, Hayden Simpson
SP, Brett Wallach
SP, Jeffry Antigua
RP, Jay Jackson
RF, Michael Burgess
RP, Scott Rice
RF, Nelson Perez
RF, Kyler Burke
SS, Junior Lake
1B, John Urick
2B, Jonathon Mota


Note: You can now feel free to post.

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Cubs Lose close one on Opening Day

Chicago (AP) - The Cubs came out and fought for this one but couldn't squeak one away from the Pirates. The only real offense the Cubs had was two home runs by Byrd and Soriano with no other RBIs in the game. Despite a leadoff hit in the 9th the Cubs went down with 3 strikeouts to Hanrahan right after the hit.

PIT at CHC - Wrigley Stadium
Apr 1, 2011	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Pittsburgh Pirates (0-0)	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	3	8	1
Chicago Cubs (0-0)	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	2	9	0
W: Veras (1-0) L: Dempster (0-1) S: Hanrahan (1)

Scoring Summary
SCORING DETAILS			PIT	CHC

Pittsburgh Pirates
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
McCutchen	4	0	0	0	0	0		.000
Walker	4	0	1	0	0	0		.250
Doumit	4	2	3	0	0	1		.750
Jones	4	0	2	1	0	1		.500
Alvarez	4	0	2	2	0	0		.500
Overbay	4	0	0	0	0	1		.000
Tabata	4	0	0	0	0	1		.000
Cedeno	3	0	0	0	0	2		.000
McDonald	3	0	0	0	0	0		.000
Presley	1	0	0	0	0	1		.000
TEAM TOTALS	35	3	8	3	0	7
BATTING: 2B: Jones 2 (2) RBI: Jones (1), Alvarez 2 (2) HBP: Cedeno
FIELDING: E: Cedeno (1)

Chicago Cubs
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
Castro	4	0	3	0	0	1		.750
Fukudome	4	0	1	0	0	1		.250
Byrd	4	1	1	1	0	2		.250
Pena	4	0	0	0	0	1		.000
Ramirez	4	0	1	0	0	0		.250
Soriano	4	1	3	1	0	1		.750
Soto	4	0	0	0	0	4		.000
Barney	3	0	0	0	0	1		.000
Colvin	1	0	0	0	0	1		.000
Dempster	3	0	0	0	0	0		.000
TEAM TOTALS	35	2	9	2	0	12
BATTING: 3B: Castro (1) HR: Byrd (1), Soriano (1) RBI: Byrd (1), Soriano (1)
BASERUNNING: SB: Fukudome (1), Johnson (1), Soriano 3 (3)

Pittsburgh Pirates
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
McDonald	6.0	7	2	2	0	7		3.00
Veras (W, 1-0)	1.0	0	0	0	0	1		0.00
Meek (H, 1)	1.0	1	0	0	0	1		0.00
Hanrahan (S, 1)	1.0	1	0	0	0	3		0.00
TEAM TOTALS	9.0	9	2	2	0	12

Chicago Cubs
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Dempster (L, 0-1)	7.2	7	3	3	0	5		3.52
Wood	1.1	1	0	0	0	2		0.00
TEAM TOTALS	9.0	8	3	3	0	7

Game Notes: Byrd and Soriano start off the season hot with 1 Homer each.....Castro had three hits in the leadoff spot one being a triple...Soriano swiped 3 bases with ease.... The Pirates bullpen gave up 2 hits in 3 innings of work....The Bottom four in the Pirates lineup went a combined 0-15 on the day.
Writers Note: Will be adding pictures and maybe even videos once I get caught up to where I am right now in the franchise.

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Cubs Blow Early Lead, lose to Pirates

Chicago (AP)- The Cubs were up 3-1 going into the 6th inning when Zambrano got himself into some trouble. Mike Quade came out and called on Sean Marshall to get the team out of the jam, instead Marshall gave up the runners on base as well as one of his own and picked up the loss. He was noticably upset after the game.
"I can't believe it, coach counts on me to get us out of jams when a lefty is up especially and instead I gave up the lead. All I can do is go back out there and keep pitching and get back on the right track of things."

Quade was not as upset after the game,
"Things happen, when you have a young club like we do there are going to be ups and downs, today was a down day but there are up days coming."

PIT at CHC - Wrigley Stadium
Apr 2, 2011	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Pittsburgh Pirates (1-0)	0	0	0	1	0	4	0	0	2	7	10	0
Chicago Cubs (0-1)	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	9	0
W: Ohlendorf (1-0) L: Marshall (0-1)

Scoring Summary
SCORING DETAILS			PIT	CHC

Pittsburgh Pirates
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
McCutchen	5	0	0	0	0	0		.000
Walker	4	2	2	1	0	2		.375
Doumit	4	0	0	0	0	0		.375
Jones	4	1	2	1	0	1		.500
Alvarez	4	1	1	3	0	0		.375
Overbay	4	1	2	0	0	2		.250
Tabata	4	1	1	2	0	1		.125
Cedeno	4	0	1	0	0	0		.142
Ohlendorf	3	1	1	0	0	0		.333
Presley	0	0	0	0	1	0		.000
TEAM TOTALS	36	7	10	7	1	6
BATTING: 3B: Overbay (1) HR: Walker (1), Alvarez (1), Tabata (1) RBI: Walker (1), Jones (2), Alvarez 3 (5), Tabata 2 (2) GIDP: McCutchen (1)
FIELDING: E: Cedeno (1)

Chicago Cubs
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
Castro	4	1	1	0	0	1		.500
Fukudome	4	1	2	2	0	0		.375
Byrd	4	0	1	0	0	1		.250
Ramirez	4	0	0	0	0	1		.125
Pena	4	1	1	0	0	2		.125
Soto	4	0	1	0	0	0		.125
Soriano	4	0	2	0	0	1		.625
Barney	2	0	0	0	0	0		.000
Dewitt	1	0	0	0	1	0		.000
Zambrano	2	0	1	0	0	0		.500
Colvin	1	0	0	0	0	0		.000
TEAM TOTALS	34	3	9	2	1	6
BATTING: 2B: Soriano (1) 3B: Pena (1) HR: Fukudome (1) RBI: Fukudome 2 (2) GIDP: Byrd (1)
BASERUNNING: SB: Castro (1), Soriano (4)

Pittsburgh Pirates
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Ohlendorf (W, 1-0)	7.0	7	3	3	1	5		3.85
Moskos (H, 1)	1.0	1	0	0	0	0		0.00
Hanrahan	1.0	1	0	0	0	1		0.00
TEAM TOTALS	9.0	9	3	3	1	6

Chicago Cubs
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Zambrano	5.2	5	4	4	0	3		6.35
Marshall (L, 0-1)	1.1	2	1	1	0	1		6.75
Stevens	1.1	3	2	2	1	2		13.50
Grabow	0.2	0	0	0	0	0		0.00
TEAM TOTALS	9.0	10	7	7	1	6

Game Notes: Alvarez is hot for the Pirates already with 5 RBI's....The Cubs cut their strike out numbers from 12 to 6....Fukudome hit a 1 out line drive down the left field line that a Diving Tabata couldn't glove, because of it he was able to scamper around for an Inside the Park Home Run...The Cubs had 9 hits for the second day in a row...Darwin Barney went out with a broken arm on a routine ground out, he will be out for up to 3 months and was put on the 60 Day DL....Esmailin Caridad was called up immediately following the game as the Bullpen has been overworked in the first two days of the season.

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Bucs pull out Brooms!

Chicago (AP)- The Pirates swept the Cubs today in Chicago, Matt Garza was only able to pitch three innings and needed the bullpen to take over from there. The Cubbies tried to get back into the game but were unable to do so and ended up losing 11-7.

PIT at CHC - Wrigley Stadium
Apr 3, 2011	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Pittsburgh Pirates (2-0)	3	0	3	3	0	2	0	0	0	11	17	0
Chicago Cubs (0-2)	1	0	2	1	0	0	0	3	0	7	13	1
W: Maholm (1-0) L: Garza (0-1)

Pittsburgh Pirates
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
McCutchen	5	1	2	0	0	1		.142
Walker	5	1	1	1	0	2		.307
Doumit	5	1	1	1	0	0		.307
Jones	5	4	3	0	0	1		.538
Alvarez	5	3	5	4	0	0		.615
Overbay	5	1	2	4	0	1		.307
Tabata	5	0	1	0	0	1		.153
Cedeno	3	0	1	1	1	0		.200
Maholm	3	0	1	0	0	1		.333
TEAM TOTALS	41	11	17	11	1	7
BATTING: 2B: Walker (1) 3B: Alvarez (1) HR: Doumit (1), Alvarez (2), Overbay (1) RBI: Walker (2), Doumit (1), Alvarez 4 (9), Overbay 4 (4), Cedeno (1) SAC: Maholm (1) GIDP: Overbay (1), Tabata (1)

Chicago Cubs
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
Castro	5	2	2	0	0	0		.461
Fukudome	4	1	1	0	0	0		.333
Byrd	4	1	1	2	0	1		.250
Ramirez	4	1	2	2	0	0		.250
Pena	4	2	2	2	0	0		.250
Soto	4	0	1	0	0	1		.166
Soriano	4	0	3	0	0	0		.666
Baker	4	0	1	0	0	2		.250
Garza	0	0	0	0	0	0		.000
Johnson	1	0	0	0	0	0		.000
Hill	1	0	0	0	0	0		.000
Colvin	1	0	0	0	0	0		.000
DeWitt	1	0	0	0	0	0		.000
TEAM TOTALS	37	7	13	6	0	4
BATTING: 2B: Ramirez (1) HR: Byrd (2), Ramirez (1), Pena 2 (2) RBI: Byrd 2 (3), Ramirez 2 (2), Pena 2 (2) GIDP: Baker (1)
BASERUNNING: SB: Castro 2 (3), Soriano (5)
FIELDING: E: Castro (1)

Pittsburgh Pirates
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Maholm (W, 1-0)	7.2	11	6	6	0	3		7.04
Meek	1.1	2	1	1	0	1		3.85
TEAM TOTALS	9.0	13	7	7	0	4

Chicago Cubs
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Garza (L, 0-1)	3.0	10	6	4	1	3		12.00
Samardzija	1.0	4	3	3	0	1		27.00
Marshall	3.0	2	2	2	0	1		6.23
Russell	2.0	1	0	0	0	2		0.00
TEAM TOTALS	9.0	17	11	9	1	7

Cubs Corner: Alvarez was a Cub killer all series with 9 RBIs....Sean Marshall pitched again today and again gave up runs....James Russell held down the fort allowing only 1 hit in the 8th and 9th inning combined for the Cubs...Despite giving up 6 earned on 11 hits Maholm gets the win...Cubs will stay at home to host a 3 game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

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Re: Breaking the Curse--A Chicago Cubs Franchise

League Roundup

3/31-4/3 Transactions
Chicago Cubs
4/2 Placed, 2B, Darwin Barney on 60 Day DL with Broken Arm
4/2 Recalled RP, Esmalin Caridad from Triple-A, Iowa

Los Angeles Dodgers:
3/31, 2B, Aaron Miles placed on 15 Day DL
3/31, Recalled SS, Dee Gordon
4/2, Sent RP, Blake Hawksworth to Triple-A Alburquerque
Minnesota Twins
4/3 Placed LF, Delmon Young on the 15 day DL (Fractured Wrist)
4/3 Recalled RF, Joe Benson from Triple-A Rochester

San Diego Padres:
4/2, Recalled RP, Enesto Frieri from Triple-A Tucson

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Re: Breaking the Curse--A Chicago Cubs Franchise

Cubs Lose another one at home, go 0-4 for the season.

Chicago (AP)- Despite the Cubs getting out to an early 5-2 lead in the 3rd inning, the D-Backs were able to claw back with an outstanding 5 homeruns. The Cubs on the other hand hit 4 deep two coming from hot upstarts Marlon Byrd and Carlos Pena.

ARI at CHC - Wrigley Field
Apr 4, 2011	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Arizona Diamondbacks (2-1)	0	2	0	3	1	3	0	1	0	10	18	0
Chicago Cubs (0-3)	1	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	6	10	0
W: Kennedy (1-0) L: Wells (0-1)

Arizona Diamondbacks
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
Upton	5	1	1	1	0	1	1	.388
Johnson	5	1	1	0	0	2		.125
Montero	5	2	2	3	0	0	2	.222
Branyan	5	2	2	1	0	1	1	.294
Drew	5	3	4	2	0	0	1	.375
Nady	5	1	2	0	0	3		.375
Mora	5	0	3	2	0	0		.533
Young	5	0	2	0	0	1		.176
Kennedy	3	0	1	1	0	2		.333
Bloomquist	1	0	0	0	0	0		.500
Blum	1	0	0	0	0	0		.333
BATTING: 2B: Branyan HR: Upton, Montero (2), Branyan, Drew RBI: Upton, Montero 3, Branyan, Drew 2, Mora 2, Kennedy

Chicago Cubs
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
Fukudome	5	0	0	0	0	1	0	.235
DeWitt	4	0	2	0	0	1	0	.333
Byrd	4	2	2	1	0	1	1	.312
Ramirez	4	0	1	0	0	1	0	.250
Pena	4	1	1	2	0	1	1	.250
Soriano	4	0	0	0	0	2	0	.500
Baker	3	1	1	0	0	0	0	.285
Hill	4	1	1	2	0	1	1	.200
Wells	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Castro	2	0	1	0	0	1	0	.455
Colvin	1	1	1	1	0	0	1	.250
BATTING: 2B: DeWitt (1) HR: Byrd (3), Pena (3), Colvin (1), Hill (1) RBI: Byrd (4), Pena 2 (4), Colvin (1), Hill 2 (2)
BASERUNNING: SB: Castro (4)

Arizona Diamondbacks
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Kennedy (W, 1-0)	6.0	7	5	5	0	6		7.50
Kroenke (H, 1)	2.0	1	0	0	0	2		0.00
Heilman	1.0	2	1	1	0	1		5.40

Chicago Cubs
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Wells (L, 0-1)	6.0	16	9	9	0	9	5	13.50
Caridad	3.0	2	1	1	0	1	0	3.00

Cubs Corner: Marlon Byrd and Carlos Pena both hit their 3rd Homerun today.... Both Byrd and Pena have 4 RBIs....Esmalian Caridad who was recently called up made his first appearnce and lasted 3 innings in relief.....Caridad was sent down after the game for utility infielder Bobby Scales....Koyie Hill hit a home run in his first plate appearance of the season....

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Re: Breaking the Curse--A Chicago Cubs Franchise


Scales gets the call

Chicago (AP)-Bobby Scales has been recalled from Triple A Iowa. Due to the recent injury to Darwin Barney the Cubs are a man short on their bench and Scales looks to be the man to replace the injured Barney. Scales can play every position in the field except for catcher.

In a corresponding move Esmalian Caridad has been sent down to Triple A Iowa. Caridad appeared in 1 game with the Cubs and pitched for 3 innings. (0-0, 3.00ERA)