1. Lou vs. La Russa: The two old friends and rivals are both on edge, for various reasons. Tony La Russa dropped his lawsuit against Twitter Inc., so Cubs fans should refrain from mentioning it in mixed company. Lou Piniella doesn't want to discuss his sagging offense, so please don't ask him. Piniella has the overall edge since coming to the Cubs, with a 23-17 record vs. La Russa's Cardinals.
2. Soriano vs. Carpenter: Alfonso Soriano is sore after sitting Wednesday without a heads-up from Piniella, while Chris Carpenter's arm problems apparently are past and he has returned to form. Soriano is a .387 career hitter vs. the Cardinals ace, with two home runs in 31 at-bats.
3. Bradley vs. world: Cubs hitting coach Von Joshua broke down Bradley's left-handed swing and made some recommendations. But is Bradley listening? Piniella may drop him to the No. 6 spot against right-handers until he proves he's out of his left-handed funk.
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Chicago Cubs will use Jake Fox as backup catcher
Geovany Soto out at least till Thursday; Koyie Hill to start
Geovany Soto's MRI showed some minor damage in the lower left oblique, but the Cubs aren't expected to make a decision on his status until after this weekend.
Jake Fox will serve as the backup catcher for the four-game series against St. Louis, which begins Friday at Wrigley Field.
Soto, who was working out with trainer Mark O'Neal at Wrigley on Thursday, will be sidelined at least through the All-Star break.
The Cubs will opt to play a man short this weekend to get to the All-Star break and see if Soto's condition improves before the start of the second half Thursday in Washington.
By then he will have had eight days of rest, and the Cubs could back-date him on the disabled list if he still is unable to hit.
Fox is pumped about the possibility of returning to his former position, though he played only two games behind the plate at Triple-A Iowa this season.
"It came back pretty quickly," Fox said. "The biggest thing is not really throwing from behind the plate. It's just receiving the ball, keeping the ball in front of you and making sure the pitcher is comfortable. The throwing is an afterthought."
Koyie Hill is likely to start all four games of the Cardinals series, but if Piniella needs to pinch-hit in the late innings, or make a double switch, Fox should be able to handle the role. He was drafted as a catcher out of the University of Michigan but gradually switched positions in the minors, playing first base and the corner outfield spots.
The Cardinals rank 11th in the league in stolen bases, so it's unlikely they would run much on Fox if he did get a start behind the plate.
Roster moves: Kevin Hart was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Thursday, while right-handed reliever Jeff Stevens, who was acquired from Cleveland in the Mark DeRosa deal, is expected to be called up Friday.
Hart, who allowed one run in five innings and was charged with the loss Wednesday against Atlanta, probably will be recalled after the All-Star break to start the fifth game of the second half in Philadelphia. Because the Cubs will need another reliever for the four-games-in-three-days series against St. Louis, Hart was expendable.
Stevens is 0-3 with a 2.18 earned-run average at Iowa. He could stick with the team in the second half if he shows anything this weekend.
The Cubs also removed left-hander Jason Waddell from the disabled list and optioned him to Iowa.
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2. Soriano vs. Carpenter: Alfonso Soriano is sore after sitting Wednesday without a heads-up from Piniella, while Chris Carpenter's arm problems apparently are past and he has returned to form. Soriano is a .387 career hitter vs. the Cardinals ace, with two home runs in 31 at-bats.
3. Bradley vs. world: Cubs hitting coach Von Joshua broke down Bradley's left-handed swing and made some recommendations. But is Bradley listening? Piniella may drop him to the No. 6 spot against right-handers until he proves he's out of his left-handed funk.
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Chicago Cubs will use Jake Fox as backup catcher
Geovany Soto out at least till Thursday; Koyie Hill to start
Geovany Soto's MRI showed some minor damage in the lower left oblique, but the Cubs aren't expected to make a decision on his status until after this weekend.
Jake Fox will serve as the backup catcher for the four-game series against St. Louis, which begins Friday at Wrigley Field.
Soto, who was working out with trainer Mark O'Neal at Wrigley on Thursday, will be sidelined at least through the All-Star break.
The Cubs will opt to play a man short this weekend to get to the All-Star break and see if Soto's condition improves before the start of the second half Thursday in Washington.
By then he will have had eight days of rest, and the Cubs could back-date him on the disabled list if he still is unable to hit.
Fox is pumped about the possibility of returning to his former position, though he played only two games behind the plate at Triple-A Iowa this season.
"It came back pretty quickly," Fox said. "The biggest thing is not really throwing from behind the plate. It's just receiving the ball, keeping the ball in front of you and making sure the pitcher is comfortable. The throwing is an afterthought."
Koyie Hill is likely to start all four games of the Cardinals series, but if Piniella needs to pinch-hit in the late innings, or make a double switch, Fox should be able to handle the role. He was drafted as a catcher out of the University of Michigan but gradually switched positions in the minors, playing first base and the corner outfield spots.
The Cardinals rank 11th in the league in stolen bases, so it's unlikely they would run much on Fox if he did get a start behind the plate.
Roster moves: Kevin Hart was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Thursday, while right-handed reliever Jeff Stevens, who was acquired from Cleveland in the Mark DeRosa deal, is expected to be called up Friday.
Hart, who allowed one run in five innings and was charged with the loss Wednesday against Atlanta, probably will be recalled after the All-Star break to start the fifth game of the second half in Philadelphia. Because the Cubs will need another reliever for the four-games-in-three-days series against St. Louis, Hart was expendable.
Stevens is 0-3 with a 2.18 earned-run average at Iowa. He could stick with the team in the second half if he shows anything this weekend.
The Cubs also removed left-hander Jason Waddell from the disabled list and optioned him to Iowa.
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