Dear Randy -

You could do a lot worse.

I bet you didn't know that Forbes Magazine ranked Des Moines the #1 city in America for young professionals. And you gotta be the only one around here pulling down $2.7M per annum. You should get out more and explore. That's probably advice you're not used to getting but since you may be here for a while...

Yasiel Balaguert singled, doubled, and walked, drove-in three runs, and scored another, and Xavier Batista drilled a two-run double, walked twice, scored a run, and notched another outfield assist (he now has five in 17 EXST games), leading the Cubs to a 9-4 victory over the Giants in Cactus League Extended Spring Training action this morning at Indian School Park Field #4 in Scottsdale, AZ.

Wilson Contreras tripled twice, singled, scored two runs, and drove-in another, and Eduardo Gonzalez ripped a two-run triple and a single, but the Angels rallied for two runs in the bottom of the 8th and two more in the 9th, as the Cubs and Angels played to a 6-6 tie in Cactus League Extended Spring Training action this morning at Diablo Park Field #3 in Tempe, AZ.

The game was called after the Angels tied the game in the bottom of the 9th.

Soriano sits because of a sore knee and an OPS in the .500's.

Ryan Dempster, he of a 0.95 ERA on the season, goes tonight in search of his first win in his last 13 starts. That win was versus the Nationals last year on August 11th. It's his 5th start of this season and he hasn't given up an earned run in 14.1 straight innings.

Taking advantage of two costly Cub errors, the Angels rallied for three runs in the top of the 8th and edged the Cubs 4-3 in Cactus League Extended Spring Training action this morning at Fitch Park Field #3 in Mesa, AZ.

Freddy Sanchez (2011 shoulder surgery rehab) had three hits and Jonathan Jones blasted a three-run home run, leading the Giants past the Cubs 6-4 and 3-2 in a Cactus League Extended Spring Training doubleheader this morning at Indian School Park in Scottsdale, AZ.

Both games were seven-inning affairs.

As Cubnut pointed out on Twitter the other day, the Cubs have fallen into an alternating win-loss pattern since April 24th. Unfortunately, today is the day to bet against them.

IF-OF Blake DeWitt was Designated for Assignment on Sunday to make room on the Cubs 25-man roster for LHP Travis Wood, and in the process DeWitt (at least temporarily -- see below) has been removed from the Cubs MLB Reserve List (40-man roster), although he will continue to get paid and accrue MLB Service Time while he is on the Designated List.

The Cubs now have ten days to decide his fate.

While many Cub fans couldn't care less and probably just wish he would go away, here are the Cubs options (and DeWitt's options):

There was a big, bad moon rising tonight over Principal Park about the time New Orleans' Luke Montz boomed a Randy Wells s(t)inker through the teeth of the brisk zephyr blowing in off the Des Moines River to break a 1-1 tie and launch the visitors to a 7-3 series-evening win.

The Giants swept the Cubs by scores of 3-1 and 2-1 in a Cactus League Extended Spring Training Cinco de Mayo doubleheader this morning at Fitch Park in Mesa, AZ.

Both games were pre-scheduled as seven-inning contests, but the game on Field #2 was extended an extra half-inning so that Alvido Jimenez could throw a second inning.

Denied the walk-off RBI by his once-burned, twice-shy skipper, Anthony Rizzo instead scampered across with the game's only tally in the bottom of the 9th tonight at Principal Park to give the I-Cubs a 1-0 win over New Orleans.

Right now, the Cubs have 14 Home Runs on the year, Matt Kemp 12...the race is on. If you're in the area, apparently there are some $4 tickets available thanks to the wonders of dynamic pricing. I'd certainly pay that to see Kemp and Castro play.