The Cubs have now scored two runs in their last 3 games, and after yesterday's 8-0 debacle, they've now gone 20 straight innings without scoring a run on my birthday, dating back to 2003. Both of those things are fairly depressing, because it doesn't look like any significant help is coming in the short term.

On the other hand, even though they've been pretty bad themselves over these last four games, things are looking up for the starting rotation with the upcoming return of Wood and Prior. Here's a pitcher-by-pitcher rundown of where things stand:

Greg Maddux: The surprise ace of the staff this year, Maddux is pitching like it's 1994 all over again. Bob Brenly has speculated - endlessly - that it's due to Maddux's remodeled offseason conditioning program, and while I don't know about that, I have to agree that his pitches do look just a little bit "crisper," to use Brenly's term.

That said, there's two key differences between Maddux this year and Maddux circa 2004, when he put up a 4.02 ERA. First, even though his BB and K rates are about the same, hitters are hitting over 70 points worse against him (.197 this year vs. .269 in 2004). History suggests that he will not be able to sustain this. Second, and more encouragingly, he's only given up 1 HR in 33.1 IP this year, compared to 35 in 212.2 IP in 2004. That's a huge difference, more than I would think could be attributed to him just being lucky over a small sample size. And I think it does actually suggest that his pitches are "crisper"; plainly hitters are not getting the same swings against him that they've gotten over he previous few years.

So, the final verdict is that Maddux sure seems like he's a better pitcher than he was last year, or the previous few years to that. While I don't think he'll continue on like it's 1994, I wouldn't be all that surprised to end up with something similar to a 2000 version of Maddux (minus about 30-40 innings over the course of the season), which would be pretty awesome.

Sean Marshall: My biggest regret so far this season is that I haven't gotten to see Marshall pitch very much at all. The only game I did see was his first start against the Cardinals, in which he looked exactly like what he was: a very talented pitcher who had never pitched above AA ball.

Obviously, though, he's pitched very well in his last two starts, giving up only one run on six hits in 14.1 IP. It's true that those two starts have been against poor offensive teams, and I think it's fair to expect that there are some bumps in the road still to come. But he's earned his spot in the rotation, and I'm very excited to have him there.

Carlos Zambrano: I briefly commented on Zambrano's struggles last week, and although I didn't see his start against the Brewers on Sunday, I feel pretty much the same way as I did then. In short, Zambrano seems to have lost his baseball mind, in much the same way that Kerry Wood does now and again: poor pitch selection punctuated by emotional breakdowns. I think he'll fight through it and come out OK, but it's enormously frustrating to watch in the meantime.

Angel Guzman: I saw some of Guzman's first start against Florida, and came away with the impression that he could have used a bit more time in Iowa. He clearly has great, even brilliant stuff, but his command was shaky and he just didn't seem comfortable in general. I can easily believe that his discomfort is due to pitching so little over the last few years, and I don't think a little more time to get used to pitching again in the relatively low-pressure environment of Iowa would have hurt.

On the other hand, it's very easy to see why the Cubs are eager to get him in the majors, because the talent is obviously there. And it's hard to blame them for preferring to watch him struggle over giving his spot to ...

Jerome Williams: I've never really understood what the upside of Williams was supposed to be. Even his minor league career is marked with inconsistent control and low strikeout rates, traits that were present even in his successful rookie season with the Giants. In his favor, he's been very young for his level at every step of his career, from his debut at 17 in A ball to his Giants debut at 21. But his control has been simply unacceptable, and until he gets better there's simply no reason to have him on the big-league club.

Glendon Rusch: Glendon's been pretty bad all year, but let's face it. He's a pitcher that has struggled most of his career to be average. I'm not saying that I expected him to be this bad, or would expect him to continue being this bad going forward. But quite simply, putting him in the rotation is a waste of time for an organization that has minor league talent ready to take over. Prudently, then, the Cubs have taken Rusch out of the rotation and given his spot to ...

Rich Hill: ... who is scheduled to start tomorrow, I believe. This seems like make-or-break time for Hill, who over the last two years has seen exactly the improvement in control that Jerome Williams needs to go looking for. After never walking fewer than 4 batters per nine in the low minors, Hill suddenly posted a 3.28 BB/9 in AA last year, before making the jump to Iowa and cutting that to 1.94 BB/9. In the meantime, he continued to strike batters out at a very impressive rate (13.35 K/9 combined at both levels).

Now, though, he's 26, and even though he's continued to pitch well at Iowa this year (1.44 ERA, 11.88 K/9, 4.7 K/BB), he's too old to consider a "prospect" per se. It's time for him to make the jump successfully, if he's going to do it.

Kerry Wood and Mark Prior: Wood looks to return in a little over two weeks, with Prior maybe two weeks or so after that. It's an open question as to what we can expect from them, and I won't even try to speculate. I just hope they're healthy, because a rotation consisting of Maddux, Zambrano, Wood, Prior and Marshall/Hill/Guzman really sounds great.

Either way, though, it's an exciting time right now, having known quantities Williams and Rusch out of the rotation, and Marshall, Guzman, and Hill, three guys with significant upside, in. While I've been very quick to criticize the Hendry's, and especially Baker's, handling of young players in the past, I have to give them credit for the willingness they're showing to give these guys a chance now.