When the Cubs bring home their first-half report card, look for a lot of A’s.

Unless they get stuck with a stingy teacher grading on a curve against the ‘27 Yankees, how could they not?

Eight all-stars, a 4-game lead in the NL Central, league-leading run-differential and on-base percentage - it all adds up to sharing the best record in baseball with the Los Angeles Angels (57-38).

“We’ve had a lot of adversity to overcome,” Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. “(Alfonso) Soriano has been on the disabled list twice, (Carlos) Zambrano was on the DL, we lost (Rich) Hill for basically the whole first half. And the team is still functioning and holding its own. It’s a credit to our players. There’s some chemistry here and it’s shown in our performance.”

All those wins cover up some numbers that aren’t so pretty.

“I think winning solves a lot of problems. I know myself personally when I look at some of those numbers they are mind-blowing,” said Mark DeRosa, calling his 71 strikeouts ‘ridiculous.’ “Winning cures all that.”

Feeling better: Closer Kerry Wood, out with a blister on his right index finger, hopes to be back Friday against Houston. He said he felt better Sunday after soaking his finger again Saturday night.

“It started three weeks ago and gradually got worse,” Wood said. “I’m dealing with it every day, trying to get it ready.”

He ripped the blister open last weekend against St. Louis, and it has “been pretty sensitive since.”

Numbers game: Already with a 13-man pitching staff, the Cubs face another decision after left-handed reliever Scott Eyre continued his rehabilitation assignment by pitching 2 innings for Western Michigan on Sunday.

Manager Lou Piniella said he isn’t sure what the Cubs will do with a bullpen that already has lefties Sean Marshall and Neal Cotts.

Piniella is more certain about his rotation. Ted Lilly, Carlos Zambrano and Ryan Dempster will start the second half, followed by Rich Harden and Jason Marquis.

The rotation is lined up for the two teams chasing the Cubs in the NL Central. Lilly, Zambrano, Dempster and Harden are scheduled to face Milwaukee July 28-31, and Lilly, Zambrano and Dempster will get St. Louis Aug. 8-10.

Blame the wind: The Cubs haven’t lost much at Wrigley Field this year. Their 37-12 start at home is their best since they started playing at Wrigley in 1916.

But when they do lose, it usually is with a crosswind, either blowing from the southeast or northwest. The wind blew from the northwest Sunday and the Cubs lost, dropping them to 5-5 with a cross wind.

They are 10-3 when the wind blows out and 22-4 when it blows in.

No place for anyone else in this corner of a hotel ballroom on All-Star media day. Sort of like the game itself — there’s a bunch of Boston Red Sox, a cluster of Chicago Cubs, and a few stragglers.

Seems that way, anyhow.

“You feel kind of bad. There are some guys here who don’t have any teammates here,” Cubs closer Kerry Wood said, glancing in the direction of Pittsburgh outfielder Nate McLouth. “I have seven of them.”

A National League record-tying eight Cubs players will be at Yankee Stadium for Tuesday night’s game. Add in their manager, with Piniella serving as an NL coach.

Ortiz was among seven Red Sox players on the AL side. Throw in AL manager Terry Francona and a half-dozen Boston coaches.

“We’re honored, as a staff and as the players, to represent not only the Red Sox but the American League,” Francona said.

At this rate, maybe the Cubs and Red Sox should just hold their own game. They’re tied, along with the Los Angeles Angels, for the most wins in the majors.

There are other links between them, too.

“Two lovable franchises that have been around a long time. Two old ballparks. A big fan base that follows them around. Really, there are a lot similarities between us,” Piniella said.

“There’s only one thing that’s not similar: They’ve won a couple of championships in the last few years and we’re still searching,” he said.

They haven’t seen each other much, either.

Since the advent of interleague play 10 years ago, they’ve met for only one series, in 2005 at Wrigley Field. The Cubs haven’t visited Fenway Park since Babe Ruth and Boston beat them in the 1918 World Series.

“That’s a place I’d like to see,” Wood said. “I’m not sure how they set up the interleague schedules, but maybe they could flip-flop so we got to go there. It’d be huge, us and the Red Sox.”

The Red Sox drew a rough reception when they took batting practice Monday night. Boston’s J.D. Drew, Jason Varitek and Dustin Pedroia heard plenty of boos from the rival Yankees fans. So did the Red Sox mascot.

Mostly what they expected.

“I don’t think it’s going to be real positive,” Drew predicted earlier.

Making themselves at home in the Yankees’ home clubhouse, that was the odd part for the Bosox.

Ortiz moved into Jorge Posada’s locker, Varitek got Kyle Farnsworth’s cubicle, Jonathan Papelbon took over Brian Bruney’s space and Dustin Pedroia dressed in Wilson Betemit’s spot.

Manny Ramirez? He got the locker used by former Yankees batting practice pitcher Charlie Wonsowicz, now the team’s director of video operations.

While Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis predicted it would be weird walking into the Yankees turf, Varitek said it wasn’t so strange.

“I think it would be different if it were a clubhouse full of Yankees,” Varitek said. “It was really nice.”

Ortiz will merely be a spectator come gametime. The big DH is out with a bad wrist, even though he connected for eight straight home runs during BP on Monday night.

Wood and Chicago teammate Alfonso Soriano also are sidelined with injuries. That still leaves lots of room for other Cubs — outfielder Kosuke Fukudome and catcher Geovany Soto will start, and the NL roster includes pitchers Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster and Carlos Marmol and third baseman Aramis Ramirez.

The 1958 New York Yankees hold the All-Star record with nine representatives.

Without much crossover between the teams, Wood said he didn’t know any of the Red Sox very well. He’d like a chance to see that classic “B” hat again — in person, in October.

Same for Piniella.

“It’d really be something,” he said. “But it’d be great to get to the World Series against anyone.”

Monday: Ted Lilly v. Barry Zito

Tuesday: Jason Marquis v. Matt Cain

Wednesday: Ryan Dempster v. Kevin Correia

Thursday: Sean Gallagher v. Tim Lincecum

Friday: Carlos Zambrano v. Braden Looper

Saturday: Ted Lilly v. Kyle Lohse

Sunday: Jason Marquis v. Todd Wellemeyer

Should be a fun, and exciting week for the Cubs!

Zambrano, 8-3 with a 3.13 ERA, went on the 15-day disabled list earlier this month with a right shoulder strain and likely will be activated to start July 4 in St. Louis.

He’ll throw one more session on the side Tuesday in San Francisco.

“I feel great today. I guess ‘Z’ is back,” Zambrano said, adding that he threw with no limitations. “I’m ready to go out there and do my job.”

Zambrano had to leave a game against the Rays on June 18 with discomfort in the shoulder and tests revealed no structural damage. He was placed on the DL June 21, retroactive to June 19 — just the second trip to the DL in his career for Zambrano.

The Cubs have struggled with injuries lately. Outfielders Alfonso Soriano and Reed Johnson and reliever Scott Eyre are also on the disabled list.

The Cubs made a little run, and how about Jim Edmonds and another 3 run bomb!?  Sean Marshall was roughed up a bit, but that’s expected from a guy that gets jerked from minors to bullpen to minors to majors, and thrown in as a starter.

Like I said, time for a new streak tonight!

Rampant offseason trade rumors had him on the verge of joining the Chicago Cubs—and whether they were on target or not—he showed Tuesday night why he attracted so much interest.

Roberts had three hits to reach 1,000 for his career, closer George Sherrill struck out the side after the Cubs loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth and the Orioles ended Chicago’s 14-game home-field winning streak with a 7-5 victory.

“It’s a great atmosphere,” Roberts said. “The fans love their baseball. … What we dealt with for four months you think about it a little bit. It’s just a fun night to be part of.”

The Orioles led 7-1 before it got tense over the last few innings, especially the ninth.

Chicago loaded the bases off Sherrill on Geovany Soto’s single, a walk to Mark DeRosa and Ryan Theriot’s infield single before the left-hander found his strikeout pitch and got his 26th save in 29 chances.

He struck out Ronny Cedeno, Kosuke Fukudome and Henry Blanco to end the game.

“It makes it a little more stressful, but I don’t get nervous out there,” Sherrill said. “I get nervous when it’s someone else, not me.”

Cubs manager Lou Piniella, whose team lost at home for the first time since May 17, wasn’t happy with his team’s final three at-bats.

“It was a good comeback. We got too far behind. … We didn’t have three good at-bats with the bases loaded. We didn’t swing at strikes,” Piniella said.

“We got to put the ball in play and we couldn’t,” Blanco said. “You do the best you can. This guy has 26 saves in the big leagues and you knew it wouldn’t be easy.”

Roberts had two singles and his sixth triple of the season, giving him 1,000 hits.

“I didn’t really think about it. But if it is a big hit, it makes it a little more significant,” Roberts said. “It didn’t seem like it at the time, but later in the game it turned out to be.”

Roberts, for sure, heard the trade rumors. He couldn’t help but do so during the offseason.

“I thought I was going to be a Cub in December,” Roberts said before the game. “I didn’t know what was going to happen. … Once the season started you just kinda go out and play your spot and the rest will take care of itself. I really haven’t thought about in a long time.”

Jeremy Guthrie (4-7) allowed only four hits and a run over the first six innings as the Orioles took a 7-1 lead.

But he was driven out in the seventh when Jim Edmonds hit a three-run homer after singles by Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez, slicing the lead to 7-4. After a walk, reliever Jim Johnson got DeRosa to hit into Chicago’s fourth double play of the night to douse the rally.

Ramirez hit an RBI single in the eighth and the Cubs still had two on before Sherrill relieved and got pinch-hitter Matt Murton to fly out.

Cubs’ starter Sean Marshall (0-1)—just recalled from Triple-A—lasted only 4 2-3 innings, giving up seven hits and four runs. The Orioles went up by six with three unearned runs in the sixth off reliever Michael Wuertz.

Luke Scott hit a two-run triple, a liner that got by right fielder Kosuke Fukudome in the fourth. It followed a walk and single by Ramon Hernandez.

Fukudome hit his sixth homer leading off the fourth to make it 2-1.

Roberts singled in the fifth and scored on Nick Markakis’ RBI double. Markakis moved up on a fly ball and scored on Kevin Millar’s RBI single that finished Marshall and made it 4-1.

Scott was initially credited with a double in the sixth when he hit a high pop that shortstop Theriot signaled was his. But when left fielder Eric Patterson called him off late, Theriot got out of his way and the ball dropped. The official scorer changed the ruling to an error on Patterson and one out later, Alex Cintron hit an RBI double.

He scored when Roberts drove one into the gap in right center for a triple. Markakis then delivered an RBI single.

The Crosstown rivalry series is here! The Cubs!  The Sox! Two first place teams. The Cubs come into the series, losers of three straight, and 45-28 overall, 3.5 games in the National League Central. The Sox come in, 41-31, winners of three straight, and 4.5 games up in the AL Central.

Friday afternoon, will feature John Danks for the White Sox, who is 4-4 on the year with a 2.90. The lefthander has been off and on this season, and has never faced the Cubs in his career. For the Cubs, they will throw another lefthander, Ted Lilly, who is 7-5, with a 4.76 era. Lilly struggled with his command in his last start, but has had some nice outings lately.

Saturday, another afternoon game, will feature Jose Contreras, 6-5, 3.24 for the Sox, against Jason Marquis, 5-3, 4.24 for the Cubs.

Sunday, the last of the three game set at Wrigley, will feature Javier Vazquez 7-5 with a 4.13 era, against Cubs righthander, Ryan Dempster, 8-2 with a 2.76.

It should be a FUN weekend the ole friendly confines of Wrigley!

Hurry back Alfonso!

Tuesday’s game was a pitcher’s duel throughout. The Rays scored first with a single tally in the second, but the Cubs then countered with one in the fifth. The Rays picked up a pair of tallies in the 6th and 7th, to make it 3-1. Troy Percival surrounded one run in the top of the ninth, but was able to keep the Cubs at bay, and hold on to a 3-2 win. Neal Cotts picked up the loss for the Cubs.

On Wednesday, Carlos Zambrano was roughed around a bit, as the Cubs threatened again late, scoring in the ninth, but coming up on the short end once again, 5-4. Percival once again picked up the save, his 17th of the year. The loss dropped Zambrano to 8-3. Let’s  hope his shoulder is okay, after leaving with discomfort.

Thursday, a 7 run 7th was enough for the Rays, as they finished the sweep, picking up Grant Balfour’s second win in the series, as the Cubs’ Carlos Marmol took the loss, giving up a grandslam to Carl Crawford. The loss dropped the Cubs to 45-28 overall, while the wins gave the Rays a 43-29 overall record.

The Cubs get set to take on the cross town rival, White Sox this weekend for a tough three game set at the friendly confines.

The series will have two great offenses, and it looks like the pitching matchups will be impressive as well. Of course, our boy Alfonso Soriano will be out. Soriano was only 1-6 off today’s starter Scott Kazmir, in his career. Kazmir is 6-2 with a 1.74 era, he will face Ryan Dempster who is 8-2, with a 2.81 era. What a great matchup.

Tomorrow’s matchup includes Carlos Zambrano 8-2, 2.98 vs. Andy Sonnanstine 7-3 with a 4.89. Cubs look to have the advantage in this one.

Thursday will be the final game of the three game set. The matchup for Thursday shows Sean Gallagher 3-3, 4.54 facing James Shield 4-5, 3.91.
This should be a good series. I doubt the Cubs sweep, but with the way they are playing, you never know. We’ll see how that stop in Cooperstown yesterday effected this Cub team!

Get well soon Alfonso!

Ted Lilly gave up one hit in six scoreless innings, Derrek Lee drove in three runs and the Chicago Cubs won for the sixth time in seven games with a 7-4 victory over the Toronto

Soriano broke a bone in his left hand when he was hit by a pitch from Atlanta’s Jeff Bennett on Wednesday and is expected to miss at least six weeks. That was supposed to leave the Cubs with a gaping hole in their lineup, but so far that hasn’t happened.

Chicago has won three of four since Soriano’s departure and averaged five runs per contest against a Toronto team whose starting staff entered Sunday’s game ranked third in the major leagues with a 3.61 ERA.

“We’ve got a good enough team to get by,” third baseman Aramis Ramirez said. “We’re playing great. I thought we should have won all three games here but we left a lot of guys on base during the first game. We can get by without Soriano.”

Ramirez added his 10th homer of the season for the Cubs, who haven’t lost a series since May 25 at Pittsburgh. Much of that success has to do with Lilly, who won for the sixth time in seven decisions dating to May 3 and has a 3.81 ERA over that span.

“I think he has been improving as the season goes on,” Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. “I think the pop on his fastball is better. He has got a little more sharpness on his curveball and it makes his changeup a whole lot better.”

Lilly (7-5) struggled with his control but allowed just one hit. He walked the bases loaded in the third before getting Vernon Wells to pop out to second base and end the inning.

The Cubs led 3-0 in the sixth when Lilly again found himself in trouble. After Wells reached base on an error to shortstop Ryan Theriot, Lilly walked Scott Rolen to bring the tying run to the plate. Rod Barajas hit a deep fly that Reed Johnson caught at the warning track, and Brad Wilkerson grounded out to second base to end the threat.

“I feel like against a club like this I got away with a few pitches,” said Lilly, who played for the Jays from 2004-06. “I know I only gave up a hit but there were some hard-hit balls hit right at guys, and especially with the walks being able to come out of that without the damage they could have done I’m pretty fortunate.”

Lilly struck out six and walked five, departing after six innings having thrown 110 pitches. The only hit he surrendered was to Wilkerson with two out in the fourth.

“Whether he has his best stuff or not, he’s going to have the same attitude of trying to beat you every day,” Johnson said. “He’s a competitor and you can see how bad he wants it, and I think that also can become contagious and run throughout the team.”

The Cubs’ offense clicked in the third off starter Jesse Litsch. With runners on the corners and two out, Kosuke Fukudome singled past a diving Wilkerson at first base to score the game’s first run. Lee and Jim Edmonds added RBI singles to give the Cubs a 3-0 lead.

Chicago added four more in the seventh on a two-run single by Lee and Ramirez’s two-run homer. Litsch (7-3) was charged with five runs and eight hits over 6 1-3 innings.

Rolen was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning after he fouled a pitch off his left foot during his previous at-bat. He went for X-rays, which came back negative.

Cubs reliever Scott Eyre had his scoreless streak snapped at a franchise-record 33 games when he allowed a sacrifice fly to Alex Rios in the seventh. It was Eyre’s first earned run since last Aug. 16.

Gregg Zaun added a two-run homer in the eighth off Chicago right-hander Neal Cotts. Kerry Wood surrendered another run in the ninth before closing things out.