Chicago

With back-to-back wins against the San Diego Padres this week, the Chicago Cubs are now 21-11 under interim manager Mike Quade.

The impetus for this resurgence has been the team's much-improved starting rotation: Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster, and Randy Wells have combined to win 13 times during the span, and Zambrano is 6-0 under Quade.

The Padres have quite a bit on their minds right now as they are making a playoff push into the postseason. But it seems like Adrian Gonzalez wants to bring more attention to the team as he announces that he wouldn't mind listening to what the Cubs have to offer when he becomes a free agent after 2011. 

Who says you can't go home?

Kerry Wood, the sometime Cub who remains beloved of the team's fanbase, will be a free agent this winter.

After signing a two-year contract in December 2008 with the Cleveland Indians, Wood struggled to stay healthy and effective. He posted a 4.80 ERA in 81 games with Cleveland before a July trade to the New York Yankees.

The Chicago Cubs will be among four teams most eager to sign free agent-to-be Carl Crawford this offseason, according to ESPN's Buster Olney (via Twitter).

If true, this is a stunning development for a team with a bloated payroll to which owner Tom Ricketts has thus far seemed unwilling to add substantial amounts.

On August 17, 2007, it was difficult to see exactly how stable the Chicago Cubs would be in the long-term.

There were still seven years left on Alfonso Soriano's contract, four left on Aramis Ramirez's, and three on Derrek Lee's and Ted Lilly's, but Soriano, Lee, and Lilly were all heading into their age 32 seasons. Young players like Rich Hill, Sean Marshall, Carlos Marmol, Angel Guzman, and Ryan Theriot had shown some promise but weren't far enough into their careers to even approach status as a known quantity.

I would imagine there is a lot of pressure on a rookie to get his first major league hit right away. The more AB’s that go by without getting a hit, the more the pressure mounts.

The Chicago Cubs proved on Tuesday night that Cy Young candidate Adam Wainwright is beatable.

They managed to get five runs off him to set up their second victory in as many nights in Busch Stadium. They beat the St. Louis Cardinals by a final score of 7-2.

At the same time, they prevented Wainwright from becoming the National League pitcher with the most wins this season.

October can't come any sooner for fans of the New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, Minnesota Twins, and Texas Rangers. The American League has little to no excitement on the postseason hunt in September with teams like the Red Sox and White Sox playing for any realistic hope that just isn't there to be had. 

This might be hard to believe, but Sean Marshall has probably been better than most Chicago Cubs fans think this season.

Marshall, who turned 28 last month, has had a marvelous season in the Cubs' bullpen in 2010.

His 6-5 record reflects the confidence both Lou Piniella and Mike Quade have shown in Marshall, using him in tie games 21 times and on back-to-back days 25 times.

Yet there are numbers in Marshall's stat line this season that leap off the page unexpectedly.

With the athleticism that made him an All-American wide receiver, a frame suitable for a future workhorse, and an arm that's both live and fresh, he fits the physical standards for your prototypical major league pitcher.

With a focused demeanor on the mound that could become a formidable presence in the coming years and the kind of work ethic that can only come from within, he has the intangibles you wish for too.