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Thursday thoughts: For the third day in a row Thursday, the Chicago Cubs will not score a run. On the bright (?) side, they do have a day off after being shut out 5-0 by the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday on the heels of losing 4-0 in San Francisco on Tuesday.
A photo of Catrinel Marlon that has nothing to do with anything.
* If it’s any consolation to Cubs fans (and the guess here is that it is to a small group of them), the Cubs — who were two-hit Wednesday — did maintain the longest current streak of not being no-hit (the last one was by Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Sandy Koufax — in a perfect game — in 1965).
* First baseman Anthony Rizzo had one of the Cubs hits. He is their No. 3 hitter, generally a spot in the lineup reserved for the team’s best hitter. He is batting .264, third-best behind leadoff hitter Emilio Bonifacio (.273) and cleanup hitter Starlin Castro (.272). Meanwhile in the Cubs’ minor leagues … oh, never mind.
* The Cubs very well could lead the major leagues in one category (other than futility): focusing on their minor leaguers. In part the team does so because of the projected talent on the farm and in part to keep folks from fixating on how much the big-league ballclub needs fixing.
* Speaking of futility, White Sox right-hander Hector Noesi is doing his best to become the South Side equivalent of Cubs pitcher Jeff Samardzija (who recently won his first game of the season). Although his numbers this season are not as impressive as Samardzija’s, Noesi still is looking for his first victory after pitching 7 1/3 innings of five-hit, one-run ball with five strikeouts. The Sox eventually won 3-2 with a run in the ninth after reliever Ronald Belisario allowed a run in the top of the ninth. Noesi is 0-4 in six starts and six relief appearances this season. He is 0-14 in his last 40 games. Maybe the Sox can deal him to the Cubs where he would become a folk hero at Wrigley Field.
* Speaking of basketball (OK, so we weren’t), author Roland Lazenby — whose Michael Jordan: The Life was published this month — will be the sole guest on Thursday’s “Sports & Torts” at noon Central time on Talkzone.com. Co-hosts David Spada and Elliott Harris spend the entire hour talking about the man and the myth that is Michael Jordan. A fascinating interview, if I may say so myself (and I can because this is my web site the last time I looked).
* Cubs third baseman Mike Olt went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts Wednesday. On the bright (?) side, he did have two at-bats in which he did not strike out. He is batting .168. He does lead the team in home runs (nine). At some point, you’d think he’d be a leading candidate for some tutoring under the watchful eye of Class AAA Iowa player/coach Manny Ramirez.
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