Blaming Osama Bin Laden and Other Bullets – May 15, 2011

The Giants’ offense is far from a powerhouse, so I suppose it is possible that Carlos Zambrano could hold them down enough today to give the Cubs an ever-so-tiny chance to win against Tim Lincecum. Over/under on Lincecum strikeouts today? Let’s go with eight.

  • Geovany Soto’s groin is already feeling “much better,” and he’ll head to Mesa to work out while the Cubs go on their upcoming road trip. He’s not expected to be on the disabled list more than the required 15 days. Given Koyie Hill’s recent performance, let us collectively say, “Thank Jeebus.”
  • Aramis Ramirez was supposed to play last night, but his flight back from the Dominican Republic was delayed. Did congested air travel cost the Cubs a game last night? His replacement, Blake DeWitt, made a run-scoring error, and left two on base. I blame 9/11, and am even more pleased that Osama is dead.
  • The Cubs removed Thomas Diamond from the 40-man roster when Doug Davis was activated. By my count, the move wasn’t mathematically necessary, but Diamond had done nothing at AAA this year to suggest he would be an appropriate call-up should the Cubs need another arm. Unless he’s claimed by another team, he’s likely to remain on the AAA Iowa roster.
  • Lincecum comes into today’s game with a 17-inning scoreless streak. Orel Hershiser and Jeff Samardzija, beware.
  • No surprise: Reed Johnson has a good attitude about being a utility outfielder.
  • Also no surprise: the Cubs never walk.
  • written by

    Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

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