Pennant Fever
Not for the major league team, but some of the lil' Cubs are making a push for minor league post-season glory.
AAA - Iowa Cubs
There are four divisions in the 16-team PCL and they play a full season, as opposed to some lower levels splitting their season into halves. The Iowa Cubs are making a bid for a second straight playoff appearance and trail the Memphis Redbirds (St. Louis Cardinals affiliate) by two games and the Nashville Sound (Brewers) by a game and a half as of this writing. Iowa will have 20 games to close the gap, 14 of them at home. The season ends on September 7th, so they'll have to deal with September call-ups raiding the roster. Don't be surprised if the Cubs make some minor league free agent signings to help them out, plus some Double A promotions.
AA: Tennessee Smokies
No surprise that a team with many of the 2008 Florida State League Champions would be doing well as a team at the next level. The Tennessee Smokies are tied with the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx (Mariners) atop the North Division thanks to a 5-game winning streak. There are 17 games left in the season and they finish with a 5-game set at West Tennessee.
Hi-A: Daytona Cubs
They finished the first half in second place, but 7.5 games back in their division. The second half has been unkind though and it doesn't look like a two-peat is going to happen as they're in last place, 14.5 out.
A - Peoria Chiefs
It was a strong 38-31 first half for the Chiefs, but that was only good for third place. They second half has gone even better though and they sit at 31-20 with a 3.5 game lead in the division. Carlos Zambrano pitches for them tonight in a rehab outing, probably the closest he'll get to post-season fever. The Chiefs have 18 games left on the year.
Lo-A: Boise
The good news is that Boise is in second place...the bad news is they're 7 games back and 4 games under .500.
Some other Cubs-related notes after the jump...
- The sale of the Cubs to the Ricketts has now been classified as "imminent". In a couple of days, it should move to "a sure thing", and by next week, "just need to cross the t's and dot the i's" and by the end of the season we may reach, "there's nothing stopping it now".
- Speaking of Z's rehab start, Bruce Miles is there instead of L.A., and says Z took batting practice and knocked 6 out of the park. Way to tone it down, Z!
- The rain-out on Sunday will be made up as part of a day-night doubleheader on September 30th. If you had tickets for Sunday, they'll be good for the day game.
- The Cubs are in my neck of the woods, but with my new work schedule, I'll actually not be able to watch them. Blackout rules will keep them off my computer screen, but I am going to the game Saturday and may try to go on Sunday depending on how the series is going.
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