Cubs News

It's been a crazy summer for Daniel Bard, who found himself throwing a bullpen session at Wrigley Field on Friday, ending a week in which he'd been in four states in five days. Bard, claimed off waivers from the Red Sox, will work with pitching coach Chris Bosio on the side for now, and there is no timetable as to when he will get in a game.

Chang-Yong Lim was a teammate of Brewers outfielder Norichika Aoki for three seasons in Japan, so who better to give a scouting report on the right-hander? "He has a lot of confidence in his pitches," Aoki said prior to Friday's game. "He wouldn't try to miss bats, he'd just go right after you."

Chang-Yong Lim was a teammate of Brewers outfielder Norichika Aoki for three seasons in Japan, so who better to give a scouting report on the right-hander? "He has a lot of confidence in his pitches," Aoki said prior to Friday's game. "He wouldn't try to miss bats, he'd just go right after you."

Sept 6 (Infostrada Sports) - Standings from the MLB on Thursday AMERICAN LEAGUEEASTERN DIVISION W L PCT GB 1. Boston 85 57 .599 - 2. Tampa Bay 77 62 .554 6 1/2 3. NY Yankees 75 65 .536 9 4. Baltimore 74 65 .532 9 1/2 5. Toronto 64 76 .457 20 CENTRAL DIVISION W L PCT GB 1. Detroit 81 59 .579 - 2. Cleveland 74 65 .532 6 1/2 3. Kansas City 73 67 .521 8 4. Minnesota 61 77 .442 19 5. Chicago White Sox 56 83 .403 24 1/2 WESTERN DIVISION W L PCT GB 1. Texas 80 59 .576 - 2. Oakland 80 60 .571 0 1/2 3. LA Angels 65 74 .468 15 4. Seattle 63 77 .450 17 1/2 5. Houston 47 93 . ...

Schedule favors Cardinals down the stretch

What became of the various players exchanged in the pair of trades the Cubs made involving starting pitcher Matt Garza? Taking a look at where those guys are now and where they could be heading.

Thanks in part to their big advantage in head-to-head matchups, the Milwaukee Brewers hold a slight edge over the Chicago Cubs in the fight to stay out of the NL Central cellar.

The Atlanta Braves appear in no danger of losing their sizable NL East lead, and only a collapse for the ages - one even bigger than their 2011 debacle - would prevent them from securing a second straight postseason berth.

Los Angeles keeps rolling to take top spot from the Atlanta Braves.

September is evaluation time, and there are players on the Cubs' roster now, like Donnie Murphy, who are hoping to impress the front office to give them a chance next year. There are also youngsters, like Zac Rosscup, who may not get many innings but will benefit from the experience of being in the Major Leagues. And there is Kevin Gregg, who doesn't consider September to be any different than May, June, July or any other month.

COMMENTARY | Let's face it: The Pittsburgh Pirates will be in the playoffs come October, either as a division winner or a wild-card participant.

Javier Baez (37 homers, 111 RBI) put the baseball world on notice with his excellent campaign and represents the overall success of the Cubs' minor-league system throughout the 2013 season.

C.J. Edwards and Ryan Searle combined on a two-hitter and Kris Bryant drove in two runs to lead Class A Daytona to 4-0 win over Dunedin Wednesday and clinch the Florida State League best-of-three North Championship Series, two games to none.

Sept 4 (Sports Xchange) - Highlights of Wednesday's Major League games: - - - - Red Sox 20, Tigers 4 The Red Sox tied a franchise record with eight home runs, including two by David Ortiz and a grand slam by Will Middlebrooks, in a potential playoff preview between the teams atop the American League standings. By winning, the Red Sox, winners of five of their last six and nine of their last 11, closed a 7-2 homestand with the best record in the American League. Boston led 5-4 entering the bottom of the sixth where their offense exploded for eight runs. ...

Sept 5 (Infostrada Sports) - Standings from the MLB on Wednesday AMERICAN LEAGUEEASTERN DIVISION W L PCT GB 1. Boston 84 57 .596 - 2. Tampa Bay 77 61 .558 5 1/2 3. NY Yankees 75 64 .540 8 4. Baltimore 73 65 .529 9 1/2 5. Toronto 64 76 .457 19 1/2 CENTRAL DIVISION W L PCT GB 1. Detroit 81 59 .579 - 2. Cleveland 74 65 .532 6 1/2 3. Kansas City 72 67 .518 8 1/2 4. Minnesota 61 77 .442 19 5. Chicago White Sox 56 82 .406 24 WESTERN DIVISION W L PCT GB 1. Oakland 80 59 .576 - 2. Texas 80 59 .576 - 3. LA Angels 64 74 .464 15 1/2 4. Seattle 63 76 .453 17 5. Houston 46 93 . ...

Sept 5 (Infostrada Sports) - Results from the MLB games on Wednesday (home team in CAPS) NY Mets 5 ATLANTA 2 HOUSTON 6 Minnesota 5 CHICAGO CUBS 9 Miami 7 OAKLAND 11 Texas 4 ARIZONA 4 Toronto 3 (10 innings) San Francisco 13 SAN DIEGO 5 CLEVELAND 6 Baltimore 4 NY YANKEES 6 Chicago White Sox 5 Washington 3 PHILADELPHIA 2 BOSTON 20 Detroit 4 St. Louis 5 CINCINNATI 4 (16 innings) Seattle 6 KANSAS CITY 4 MILWAUKEE 9 Pittsburgh 3 COLORADO 7 LA Dodgers 5 Tampa Bay 3 LA ANGELS 1

BOSTON (AP) -- One after another, the baseballs cleared the fences at Fenway Park - a franchise record-tying eight home runs in all for the Boston Red Sox.

Alvarez fine after tweaking hamstring

As their up-and-down season continues, the Brewers will visit Wrigley Field on Friday, with the hopes of snapping out of a recent funk and, in turn, staying out of the National League Central cellar.

Middlebrooks catching fire down the stretch