Monday Windy City Roundup

Bears: As this pitiful-looking team prepares for the annual preseason finale against Cleveland, there is a lot of work to be done. As tough as Chicago fans are on quarterbacks, playing a game in Soldier Field has to be easier than playing Cleveland. Last week's game was at home against the 49er's. The true test of Kyle Orton's ability will come on Thursday night at the Browns. Normally Cleveland fans would be pretty mellow compared to say, Packers fans in Lambeau, but there is the little issue of the Dawg Pound, and Orton's history at Cleveland (29-47, 258 yds, 1 td, 1 int). Even with all of that, it's still the defense that worries me. After what J.T. O'Sullivan did last week, Oregon State grad Derek Anderson could absoutely torch this secondary. Well, we will see.

Cubs: Open a three-game series in Pittsburgh tonight, and have a four-game series at home against Philadelphia this weekend. The Pirates series is Jeff Karstens, Ian Snell and Zach Duke vs. Ted Lilly, Carlos Zambrano and Jason Marquis. Karstens shut out the Cubs through six innigns on August 1st, which was his major league debut, and was the day after the Cubs finished their four-game sweep of the Brewers. Snell and Duke should be fairly easy wins, and I predict a sweep. Against the Phillies, Ryan Dempster vs. Cole Hamels on Thursday is the only sure thing, with Rich Harden going on Friday expect to see Lilly and Zambrano finish up the series this weekend. My prediction is 6-1 this week.

Wait...What Just Happened?

This is going to be end up being the best week that the Cubs have had all season! They just steamrolled the Brewers in Milwaukee, and now they have to face the Pirates at home. The Pirates. At home. The Cubs are 9-3 against the Bucs. They're 5-1 at home. One of the road losses only happened because Alfonso Soriano dropped a routine fly ball with 2 outs in the bottom of the ninth. The Cubs are going to be on an eight game winning streak. Woo-hoo!!!
...
Wait...
The Cubs lost? They got shut out by the Pirates? Jeff Karstens, the Pirates starter had never even thrown a major league pitch in his life. He went 6 shutout innings against the highest scoring team in the National League. He surrendered only 5 singles. What happened here? The Cubs had rolled past C.C. Sabathia and Ben Sheets in Milwaukee. And now they can't beat Jeff Karstens? Well, hopefully Ted Lilly and Carlos Zambrano can get the Cubs turned around.