The Rundown: Cubs Drop 4th in a Row, Javy Baez Expected to be Called Up on Tuesday

A rough 7th inning  was the deathblow to the Cubs last night, as they dropped their fourth straight game.

Jon Lester was sailing along until that point but ended up giving up all five runs in six innings of work. His up-and-down season continues.

Jake Arrieta will act as a stopper today. The Cubs really need to pick up a win.

Sept. 1 call-ups

Javier Baez is expected to be called up on Tuesday when rosters expand, according to Gordon Wittenmyer.

Not a huge surprise here. Baez has been hitting well in Triple-A and brings a lot to the table for the Cubs, including defense, versatility and power.

Wittenmyer says we can also expect the recently signed Quintin Berry and Emilio Bonifacio to be added Tuesday, as well as RHP Rafael Soriano and possibly Jason Motte.

In terms of a fifth starter call-up, Jesse Rogers says the Cubs won’t turn to any Double-A options, but may look at LHP Tsuyoshi Wada to fill in for a struggling Dan Haren. Wada hasn’t been great at Iowa, but he has had success at the big-league level, albeit not a ton.

Other notes

* Guess who won last night? That’s right, the Pirates and Cardinals. Again. It’s becoming a pretty tired theme.

* Cardinals starter Lance Lynn left the game after 7 innings yesterday due to an ankle injury. We’ll see if he needs to miss a start or two. But really, even if he does, the Cards will just keep on winning anyway right?

* Pierce Johnson, one of the Cubs’ most promising pitching prospects, pitched well yesterday for Double-A Tennessee. He went 7 innings, giving up only one run on five hits. He struck out eight. Johnson’s ERA is down to 2.15 on the year.