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National League Central

Chicago Cubs
1. Delino DeShields, 2B
2. Corey Patterson, CF
3. Sammy Sosa, RF
4. Fred McGriff, 1B
5. Moises Alou, LF
6. Alex S. Gonzalez, SS
7. Todd Hundley, C
8. Chris Stynes, 3B

Bench
Joe Girardi, C
Robert Machado, C
Augie Ojeda, IF
Mark Bellhorn, IF
Roosevelt Brown, OF
Darren Lewis, OF

Rotation
1. Jon Lieber
2. Kerry Wood
3. Juan Cruz
4. Jason Bere
5. Matt Clement

Bullpen
Closer: Antonio Alfonseca
Setup: Kyle Farnsworth
Lefty: Jeff Fassero
L2: Jesus Sanchez
Long Relief: Donovan Osborn
Middle Relief: Joe Borowski

Injury Notes

Bill Mueller had to have a second knee surgery this spring because he rushed his return from the first. He will start the season on the DL and is not currently expected to return to the team until mid-May. Stynes and Bellhorn will start in his absence.

Tom Gordon will start the season on the DL after tearing his teres muscle. While he has said that he feels great and will return early, the original diagnosis said that he would miss three months and be back mid-June at the earliest. I think he will likely try to rush his recovery, so though he may return sometime between June and the All-Star break, he will probably head back to the DL shortly thereafter.

Offense Notes: Hundley has not yet been named the Opening Day starter for the Cubs. At least to start the season, his playing time will be closely split with Girardi, who could still very easily be given the Opening Day start. Hundley will need to impress Baylor during his part-time at-bats to receive a greater portion of the playing time; something with which he had difficulty last season. However, he's a healthier, happier player this season and has a better idea of what to expect, so he may be able to capture the at-bats he needs to have a great season.

Bellhorn spent time in the outfield this spring so Baylor would have the option of subbing him there during the season. He's also the primary backup for 1B.

Pitching Notes: Zambrano pitched himself off the roster on Thursday allowing 6 R, 4 H, and 2 BB in .1 IP. Borowski is the only other pitcher still in camp, so he will likely make the team, though they could pull someone off waivers.

The Cubs received RHP Matt Clement and RHP Antonio Alfonseca from the Marlins on Wednesday in return for RHP Julian Tavarez, RHP Jose Cueto, LHP Dontrelle Willis, and C Ryan Jorgensen.

Alfonseca will close for the Cubs. Farnsworth and Fassero will return to setup work. Clement will take the rotation spot opened by Tavarez's departure. Jason Bere is now the most likely member of the Cubs' staff to move out of the rotation when Mark Prior is called up. Provided he doesn't struggle with the minor league hitters, Prior could be up by May and will almost certainly be in the majors by the All-Star break.

More detailed analysis of the trade is included in this week's "Good Chicago Sports".

Cincinnati Reds
1. Todd Walker, 2B
2. Barry Larkin, SS
3. Ken Griffey, Jr., CF
4. Sean Casey, 1B
5. Aaron Boone, 3B
6. Adam Dunn, LF
7. Juan Encarnacion, RF
8. Jason LaRue, C

Bench
Kelly Stinnett, C
Juan Castro, IF
Wilton Guerrero, UT
Robin Jennings, OF, 1B
Brady Clark, OF

Rotation
1. Joey Hamilton
2. Elmer Dessens
3. Jose Acevedo
4. Chris Reitsma
5. Jimmy Haynes

Bullpen
Closer: Danny Graves
Setup: Scott Sullivan
Middle Relief: Scott Williamson
Lefty: Gabe White
Middle Relief: Jim Brower
Middle Relief: Jose Rijo
Middle Relief: Luis Pineda

Injury Notes

Larkin has been bothered by irritation in his groin all spring. He should be fine to start the season, but it is something that could come back and bother him during the year.

Lance Davis has inflammation in his right shoulder. He was shut down in mid-March and probably won't be allowed to even begin throwing on flat ground for another two weeks. He may be able to return by mid-May depending upon the progress of his rehab. When he is able to rejoin the team, he'll bump someone from the rotation, though the specifics will depend on the performance and health status of the other pitchers.

Reitsma experienced tightness in his elbow earlier this week. He will stay in extended Spring Training an extra day and make a start on Sunday to determine whether he will be ready to start the season with the team or need to go on the DL.

John Riedling will start the season on the DL. He's not quite recovered from shoulder surgery early last September to repair tears in his labrum and rotator cuff. He's been pitching to batters and will begin throwing in game situations soon, so he's expected back by the end of April, at which point he'll probably bump Pineda from the pen.

Jose Silva, who had surgery to remove bone chips and spurs from his elbow in early March, will start the season on the DL. He's making good progress, so he should be ready for rehab starts in mid-April and could be set by May. If he gets called up, he would likely bump Rijo from the bullpen.

Brian Bohanon, who had elbow surgery to repair a stress fracture in mid-March, will start the season on the DL. He's making good progress and expects to be ready by mid-April, though early May is a more realistic timetable. Depending on the success and health of the starters, Bohanon may or may not join the rotation when he returns.

Offense Notes: If Larkin is out for an extended period of time, the Reds will likely call up prospect Gookie Dawkins.

Pitching Notes: Williamson is not yet back to full strength following Tommy John surgery last April and the Reds want to bring him back slowly. Consequently, he will start the season in the pen, though he could move to the rotation near the end of the year, especially if other pitchers are injured.

Chris Piersoll is ineligible to be called up until May 15th because he was released and then re-signed. The Reds liked his stuff last season, so he may join the pen. However, the fact that most of these other pitchers should be available before him dims his chances unless there are additional injuries.

Houston Astros
1. Craig Biggio, 2B
2. Daryle Ward, LF
3. Jeff Bagwell, 1B
4. Lance Berkman, CF
5. Richard Hidalgo, RF
6. Morgan Ensberg, 3B
7. Adam Everett, SS
8. Brad Ausmus, C

Bench
Gregg Zaun, C
Jose Vizcaino, IF
Geoff Blum, UT
Julio Lugo, UT
Brian L. Hunter, OF
Orlando Merced, LF/RF, 1B

Rotation
1. Wade Miller
2. Roy Oswalt
3. Shane Reynolds
4. Dave Mlicki
5. Carlos Hernandez

Bullpen
Closer: Billy Wagner
Setup: Octavio Dotel
Middle Relief: T.J. Mathews
Middle Relief: Nelson Cruz
Long Relief: Tim Redding
Middle Relief: Scott Linebrink

Injury Notes

Ausmus hasn't caught for over a week because of an elbow injury. He likely won't go on the DL, but he may not be ready for Opening Day and could see limited playing time for a few weeks. He was having troubles with a sore shoulder earlier this spring.

Doug Brocail had Tommy John surgery last April. He's making good progress with his rehab and should be ready to join the pen sometime in May. Brocail would likely displace Linebrink.

Nelson Cruz missed a large portion of Spring Training with a hamstring injury, but appears ready to start the season. The same goes for Dotel, who missed the same amount of time with a groin injury.

Carlos Hernandez opted for rehabbing his partially torn rotator cuff after last season rather than surgery. He's been fine this spring, but it is something with which he will have to be a bit cautious.

Greg Miller is returning from October shoulder surgery. He's progressing well and has begun throwing to live batters. He should be able to return to his normal minor league work sometime in May.

Hipolito Pichardo will start the season on the DL with elbow tendinitis. At this point there is no set schedule for his return.

Offense Notes: Jeff Bagwell had off-season surgery to repair a torn labrum and remove bone fragments from his right arm. While his hitting doesn't appear to have been affected at this point, his defensive progress has been slow and he's still having trouble with his throws. There's almost no chance he'll go on the DL unless he suffers a serious setback, but it's going to be a problem for the first month or so of the season.

Pitching Notes: Ricky Stone still has a chance to beat out Linebrink for the final slot in the bullpen.

Milwaukee Brewers
1. Eric Young, 2B
2. Jeffery Hammonds, CF
3. Geoff Jenkins, LF
4. Richie Sexson, 1B
5. Matt Stairs, RF
6. Tyler Houston, 3B
7. Jose Hernandez, SS
8. Raul Casanova, C

Bench
Paul Bako, C
Mark Loretta, IF
Ron Belliard, IF
Lenny Harris, UT
Alex Ochoa, OF
Alex Sanchez, OF

Rotation
1. Ben Sheets
2. Jamey Wright
3. Ruben Quevedo
4. Glendon Rusch
5. Nick Neugebauer

Bullpen
Short Relief: Mike DeJean
Short Relief: Luis Vizcaino
Setup: Jose Cabrera
L1: Ray King
L2: Takaki Nomura
Middle Relief: Mike Buddie

Injury Notes

Hammonds seems likely to break camp with the team rather than to head to the DL. However, he has been bothered by a strained quad and soreness in the shoulder that he had repaired last season. He's a prime candidate to spend time on the DL later in the season.

Mike Buddie has had trouble with a bone chip in his ankle, though with the assistance of a cortisone shot, he is still expected to break camp with the team.

Chad Fox will start the season on the DL with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament and strained flexor tendon in his right elbow. He will need two to three months to recover, so he might be back by the All-Star break assuming he suffers no setbacks.

Curt Leskanic will start the season on the DL after shoulder surgery in the off-season to repair a torn rotator cuff and labrum. He's progressing slowly, so he shouldn't be expected back until mid-May or June.

Jose Mieses will start the season in AA. He is still recovering from a crack in his fifth vertebra, as well as surgery to repair a slap lesion and a torn labrum and rotator cuff.

Neugebauer appears ready to start the season after off-season surgery to repair a partial rotator cuff tear.

Wright appears to have recovered from his strained oblique. However, he seems to be a bit rusty after missing the Spring Training prep time.

Offense Notes: Alex Ochoa may be very pinched for playing time this season unless Hammonds and/or another outfielder goes down for an extended period of time. Sanchez is even the current favorite to start in center if Hammonds goes down.

Luis Lopez is still in competition with Loretta and Belliard for a bench position. Milwaukee will continue attempting to trade one of the three.

Pitching Notes: Valerio de los Santos, who had Tommy John last April, will start the season in AAA to work on his control.

Quevedo has been bothered by fatigue, which has caused a drop off in his velocity this spring. The cause is unknown, though he seems to have improved slightly in the last week.

Paul Rigdon will likely start the year in AAA, though he should be first in line if someone is injured in the rotation.

Pittsburgh Pirates
1. Adrian Brown, CF
2. Pokey Reese, 2B
3. Brian Giles, LF
4. Aramis Ramirez, 3B
5. Kevin Young, 1B
6. Jason Kendall, C
7. Armando Rios, RF
8. Jack Wilson, SS

Bench
Keith Osik, C
Pat Meares, MI
Mike Benjamin, IF
Rob Mackowiak, 2B, LF/RF
Craig Wilson RF against left-handed pitchers, C, 1B

Rotation
1. Ron Villone
2. Kip Wells
3. Jimmy Anderson
4. Dave Williams
5. Josh Fogg

Bullpen
Closer: Mike Williams
Setup: Mike Fetters
Middle Relief: Brian Boehringer
L1: Scott Sauerbeck
L2: Joe Beimel
Swingman: Sean Lowe

Injury Notes

Mike Benjamin, who had Tommy John surgery last June, has had some problems with the elbow this spring and developed a sore back. He will probably break camp with the team, but if he goes on the DL the team could delay the decision on whether to cut Pat Meares or demote Abraham Nunez. They are still trying to trade Meares, but there are no takers for his large contract and the organization is reportedly operating under a new directive to carry the best 25 players regardless of contracts.

Reese has been bothered by a sore elbow most of Spring Training. The Pirates don't think it's serious and want him to break camp, but the elbow flared up twice now so it may become a problem later in the season.

Chad Hermansen will start the season on the DL with a strained left buttock. The injury doesn't appear to be serious, but Hermansen is out of options and this delays the Pirates' need to make a decision on whether to try to send him through waivers, which they don't want to do as they'll almost certainly lose him.

Kris Benson, who had Tommy John surgery last May, will start the season on the DL. He has progressed to pitching in minor league starts but is still trying to increase his pitch count. He may be able to join the team in May. While there was some talk of the Pirates bringing him back slowly in the bullpen as the Cardinals did with Matt Morris, Benson will likely step right into the rotation. Since it will have been only around a year since the surgery, he isn't likely to be back to his pre-surgery form until next season.

Mike Fetters has been troubled by a strained oblique muscle in his left side. As of now, it doesn't look as though he will spend any time on the DL, but that would give the Pirates a chance to carry Tony McKnight, another Pirate out of options, for a few additional weeks.

Ryan Vogelsong had Tommy John surgery last September. While he wants to be pitching in game situations by August, it is unlikely he will be able to return this season.

Offense Notes: It doesn't look like we'll get to witness "Operation Shutdown". The Pirates will release Derek Bell.

Pitching Notes: The Pirates traded LHP Demaso Marte and MI Edwin Yan to the White Sox for RHP Matt Guerrier. For more information on the trade see today's "Good Chicago Sports".

Mike Lincoln still has a chance to make the team but will likely be demoted and become the Pirates' first alternate in case of injury.

St. Louis Cardinals
1. Fernando Vina, 2B
2. Placido Polanco, 3B
3. J.D. Drew, RF
4. Albert Pujols, LF
5. Jim Edmonds, CF
6. Tino Martinez, 1B
7. Edgar Renteria, SS
8. Mike Matheny, C

Bench
Mike DiFelice, C
Eli Marrero, C, 1B, LF/RF
Miguel Cairo, IF, LF
Eduardo Perez, CR, LF
Kerry Robinson, OF

Rotation
1. Darryl Kile
2. Matt Morris
3. Woody Williams
4. Garrett Stephenson
5. Andy Benes

Bullpen
Closer: Jason Isringhausen
Setup: Dave Veres
Setup: Mike Timlin
L1: Steve Kline
L2: Mike Matthews
Middle Relief: Gene Stechschulte
Middle Relief: Luther Hackman

Injury Notes

Drew will wear a sock-like brace for the duration of the season after spraining his left ankle early in Spring Training. The ankle sprain is not overly serious but he wants to prevent it from becoming serious enough to require surgery. As he has also had trouble with sprains of his right ankle, he may wear braces on both.

Rick Ankiel will start the season on the DL with a strained flexor muscle and elbow tendinitis. There is no timetable for his return, though he was pitching well in camp before the injury.

Kile had surgery in November to repair a frayed labrum. He hasn't had any problems with the shoulder this spring, but his workload has been kept low. Therefore, he will start the season as the Cardinals' fifth starter to reduce his workload.

Stephenson, who had Tommy John surgery late last April, has recovered very quickly. He's had no reported troubles with the elbow this spring and will start the season as the fourth man in the Cardinals' rotation.

Veres has been troubled by a pulled muscle in his side. He is expected to break camp with the team but could start the season on the DL.

Offense Notes: Mike DiFelice is expected to split time behind the plate evenly with Matheny at least to start the season. Marrero is being carried as a utility player and pinch hitter.

Mike Coolbaugh may still beat out Perez for the bench spot. He also has a chance to make the team if the Cardinals decide to only carry 11 pitchers.

Pitching Notes: Bud Smith was sent down in order to give Benes a shot at the rotation. I don't expect this to last long Smith is a far superior pitcher. He'll work on his arm strength in the minors and be up when the Cardinals notice Benes is ineffective.

Division Ranking:
St. Louis
Houston
Chicago
Cincinnati
Milwaukee
Pittsburgh