The Cubs are now back on my radar screen after Mark Prior and Kerry Wood won back to back games against the San Diego Padres. With 50 games to go for Chicago, they trail Houston by 2 1/2.

Pitching with a solid four man group of Wood. Prior, Matt Clement, Carlos Zambrano, and even an occasional acceptable start from Juan Cruz or Shawn Estes, gives the Cubs a real shot of making it through August still in contention.

Funny, but in 1969, the Mets did exactly that to the Cubs, trailing the Cubs by 8 in August, the Mets rotation of Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, Gary Gentry, Don Cardwell, and Jim McAndrew finally clicked at the same time, and the Mets won the division by 8 games, picking up 16 games on Chicago in two months.

Joe Borowski is still closing for the Cubs, but lately he has gotten some help from Kyle Farnsworth, Dave Veres, and Antonio Alfonseca.

Cubs-Red Sox, it’s not impossible.

Bizland has had trouble with its server, so the Dish is abbreviated today. Let’s hope for better computer luck tomorrow.