Everyone, I'm really sorry. Last Tuesday I wrote the following in an attempt to make myself feel better about the then-paltry 2-game losing streak:

"Unlike the Cubs, the Brewers have managed winning streaks of 3 and 4 games this season, not just back to back wins. Unlike the Brewers, the Cubs have managed not to lose 7 in a row (burned!)"

That's the last time I mention an opposing team's losing streak, that's for sure. Anyway, Carlos Zambrano carried the team on his back to victory today in a scant two hour duel with Brett Myers. After an agonizing week, seeing things turn around in a quick couple of hours is a refreshing change of pace.

There's a lot of news floating around cubs.com and elsewhere that have caught my attention. Let's start with...this one:

• "Ryan Dempster was originally scheduled to start Monday night for the Chicago Cubs. Instead, the right-hander is now the Cubs' new closer."

  Al Yellon at Bleed Cubbie Blue speculates that the move was dictated by Jim Hendry to Dusty. The idea certainly has legs, since Dusty has shown himself incapable of making, well, a good decision. The man taking Dempster's place in the rotation is Jon Leicester.

  Will the decision pan out? Surely it can't get worse: the throwing error by LaTroy Hawkins in his last appearance showed that nothing at all is working in Hawkins' favor when he "closes" a game, not even dumb luck.

• As Dempster becomes the new closer, Jason Dubois becomes the starting left fielder:
  

  Jason Dubois will get a shot at becoming the everyday left fielder, beginning Monday. The Cubs have decided to make Todd Hollandsworth a backup and aren't currently seeking outfield help.

  Maybe there is something to that Hendry handing down commands to Dusty theory. Look, Dubois might not do well initially and it wouldn't surprise me if he struggled to adjust to starting every day. His upside, however, is much higher than Hollandsworth's. It's a darn good move, but it might take a while to pay off.

• Mark Prior launched a preemptive strike on steroid accusations when it was revealed that his former pitching coach Tom House admitted to steroid use. Nothing earth-shaking, but there was a bit about his Achilles Heel injury last year:
  

  Prior also responded to charges by former Cubs assistant trainer Sandy Krum that the pitcher's Achilles injury last spring was dummied.

  "My response to that is I've had an ankle problem since late 2003," Prior said. "I had an MRI on my ankle within the first two weeks of Spring Training [in 2004]. The bottom line is, I wouldn't sit in an MRI tube for 45 minutes on a Friday night if I didn't have something wrong with me.

  "[Krum's] accusation that there never was an ankle injury is false," Prior said. "Obviously, he has an axe to grind with the Tribune [which owns the Cubs] or the Cubs. I'm not going to comment on that. There was an ankle injury, there is an ankle injury, and everybody's known it."

  My instinct says believe Prior (how could you not trust someone with an arm like that?), but given the cryptic nature of the Cubs organzation when it comes to injuries, I can't help but be skeptical. Then again, maybe they were cryptic because their boneheaded trainer thought Prior's ankle was fine. Who knows?

• Todd Walker is almost ready to return:
  

  If Todd Walker continues to progress, the second baseman will go to Phoenix next week to step up his rehab program and could be back in the Chicago Cubs lineup by May 20.

  I'm very much ready to see Walker back in action because Hairston has been unremarkable in all ways, except how remarkable is unremarkableness is (try saying that 5 times fast). .244/.347/.329 AVG/OBP/SLG with 1 RBI makes me happy that at least Walker's groin didn't try to secede from the union.

• In the same article we are informed that some of the Cub players are shaving their heads to mix things up.
  

  Is this a good thing? Jose Macias, who has sported a shaved head all season, applauded his teammates and gave Wuertz a congratulatory handshake.

  Now they're all like Macias? Quick, break out the toupees!

The weather forecast for today is particularly gloomy (80% chance of showers), especially since I have excellent tickets to the game. If things stay clear we'll get to see Jon Leicester's first start of the season. Is anyone else bothered by the Cubs wealth of lousy relievers? They're all so similar Hendry stores some in AAA. Even though he's not starting anymore, let's hope we see Dempster in action.

(Originally posted at Old Style Cubs. Please read responsibly.)