Cubs

Four Cubs homered Thursday against the Philadelphia Phillies, leading to an 11-2 victory and some crazy predictions.

With the team's ERA skyrocketing, pitching has been one of many low points for the Cubs this season. Manager Dusty Baker seems to have the bullpen on speed dial, frequently going to the pen each game. In an effort to show that they are still trying real hard, the Cubs released transcripts of Baker's emergency calls to the bullpen. Below are selected transcripts of his calls.

The last time Matt Murton hit a game tying homer, the Chicago Cubs played an 18-inning marathon that lasted well over five hours. With his team down 1-0 in the eighth Wednesday, the redheaded left fielder again hit an opposite-field homer to even the score.

New Cubs shortstop Cesar Izturis injured his hamstring early in Monday's 6-5 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies and will likely hit the DL. If Neifi Perez hadn't been traded over the weekend to the Detroit Tigers, he would have gone in at shortstop and Ronny Cedeno would have to stayed at second. Instead, Cedeno moved to short and Ryan Theriot came in at second.

Pat Burrell and the Phillies defeated the Cubs 6-3 Tuesday, and Cubs starter Ryan O'Malley left after 4 2/3 innings with a strained elbow.

Nearing the end of a season that has alternated between meaningless and annoying, the Cubs had a chance to do something important: Shut the St. Louis Cardinals out in Chicago. Before the weekend series, the Cardinals were 0-10 in the city, swept twice by the Cubs and once by the White Sox. But as the Cubs usually do when the games actually matter, they came unglued.

Conceding that their farm system is incapable of producing anything of value in baseball terms, the Cubs have sold the entire system to ConAgra, the North American behemoth food production company, who will turn the operation into a working farm.