Lovie Smith pretty much said it all when he admitted after this lackluster 14-9 loss to the Arizona Cardinals at Soldier Field that the Bears “are not playing good football yet, but we will”. Well,the fans in attendance,who booed much of the night,did not leave convinced.

The third NFL Exhibition game these days is always considered the most significant one of the four played. The Bears had the two best scoring chances in the opening period,but on the opening drive,Jay Cutler had a pass that was intended for Johnny Knox picked off by the Cardinals Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie at the Cards 31, and then a nice drive that was stalled when Cutler was sacked at the Arizona 20, came up empty when Robbie Gould had a 38 yard field goal try blocked by DE Calais Campbell.The quarter ended scoreless with Cutler getting sacked twice.Lance Briggs went off with an ankle injury during the quarter.

After the blocked field goal,Derek Anderson,who started for the Cardinals instead of Matt Leinhart,drove his team 72 yards in 10 plays and hit Stephen Williams at the ten and he outmaneuvered two Bears and ran into the end zone for a 27 yard touchdown play with 10:47 left in the half. Chester Taylor ran around right end for 32 yards which set up a 48 yard try by Gould that hit the left upright.After Cutler’s second interception of the half(by Greg Toler),Leinhart replaced Anderson for Arizona.The Cards drove to the Bears 7,but Beanie Wells fumbled and Zack Bowman recovered. That kept the score 7-0 at halftime.The Cardinals took advantage of a short field following a Brad Maynard punt and took over at the Bears 48. Leinhart took them the distance in five plays and hit Steve Breaston at the two,and he went airborne to score the Cards second TD with 6:38 to go in the third period.

Dan LeFevour took over from Cutler with six minutes left in the third quarter.He took the Bears on a 22 yard 9 play drive that ended with a Gould 22 yard field goal with 10:03 left in the fourth quarter.LeFevour then took the Bears 54 yards on a Cards defense that featured many who likely will be bagging groceries in a few weeks, and he hit Juaquin Iglesias for a three yard TD with 4:43 left,but the two point try was no good when LeFevour’s pass intended for Garrett Wolfe was incomplete.That ended the scoring.

NOTES—Attendance was 53,151 with 7683 no shows…..Parts of the field were in “mid-season” form–BAD! There were div-its between the hash marks,and it caused Cutler to slip and go down while trying to scramble midway through the first quarter. Oh that Park District!…Cutler left midway through the third quarter after hitting 10-20 passes for 129 yards, throwing two interceptions,getting sacked four times,and a QB rating of 31.0.

LES

The pitching was pretty awful for the most part, but CC Sabathia became the majors’ first 18-game winner, Marcus Thames hit two of New York’s four homers and the Yankees beat the White Sox 12-9 on Saturday night.Eduardo Nunez hit his first career homer and drove in four runs for New York, which remained tied with Tampa Bay for the AL East lead. Nick Swisher connected for a two-run drive and Robinson Cano had three hits.Sabathia (18-5) struck out nine in seven innings, but allowed five runs and nine hits. The big left-hander has won five consecutive starts and is 14-2 in his last 17 outings.It was a much-needed victory for New York, which was coming off an ugly 9-4 loss in the series opener and had dropped three of four overall. But the Yankees also lost Mark Teixeira after two innings to a bruised right thumb. The Gold Glove first baseman fielded Gordon Beckham’s routine grounder and slowly stepped on first for the final out of the second, then was taken down for a pinch hitter in the third.Paul Konerko hit his 32nd homer and finished with four RBIs for the White Sox, who had won three of four. The Sox fell 4½ games back of AL Central-leading Minnesota, which beat Seattle 1-0.Konerko hit an RBI single off David Robertson in the ninth to cut it to 12-9, but Mariano Rivera closed it out for his 26th save in 28 opportunities.After Carlos Quentin grounded into a double play, Rivera yielded a single to Ramon Castro and walked Andruw Jones before Mark Teahen lined out to second to end the game.The Yankees got off to a fast start against John Danks (12-9), belting two-run homers in each of the first three innings to build a 6-1 lead. Swisher hit his 24th in the first, connecting for the second straight day against his former team. Nunez got his first one in the second and Thames went deep in the third.Konerko and Andruw Jones each hit a two-run shot to get the Sox to within one, but the Yankees responded with four runs in the fifth. Posada hit a two-run double off Tony Pena and Nunez singled in a pair to make it 10-5.Danks allowed eight runs and six hits, walked four and struck out five in 4 1/3 innings. He was 5-1 with a 2.89 ERA in his previous nine starts.The eight runs tied a career high for the left-hander, who dropped to 2-2 with a 7.36 ERA in five career starts for New York.Alexei Ramirez also homered for the Sox, who finished with 16 hits. Jones went 3 for 3 and scored twice.Thames also connected in the ninth, helping Sabathia improve to 16-4 in his career against the White Sox.

NOTES—Yankees LHP Andy Pettitte (strained left groin) will throw another bullpen session Sunday. 1B Lance Berkman (right ankle sprain) is going to try to run Sunday and if all goes well he may begin a rehab assignment Monday. … Swisher also had an RBI single in the eighth.

CINCINNATI—Kosuke Fukudome hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer off Bronson Arroyo, and the Cubs finally ended years of futility against the right-hander by beating the Cincinnati Reds 3-2 on Saturday night.Fukudome’s homer in the fifth inning sent Arroyo (14-8) to his first loss against the Cubs since 2007. Arroyo had won his last five decisions against the Cubs, including his two starts this season.Randy Wells (6-12) got a victory on his 28th birthday — his first win since July 23. Wells limited the NL’s top offense to five hits and a pair of runs in six innings, including Joey Votto’s solo homer. The Cub’s bullpen allowed only one hit, with Carlos Marmol pitching the ninth for his 24th save in 29 tries.It was only their fourth win in 15 games against Cincinnati this season.Despite the loss, the Reds remained in first place in the NL Central for the 14th straight day. They’ve gone 10-4 since getting swept by second-place St. Louis.Nobody on Cincinnati’s staff handles the Cubs as well as Arroyo, who has dominated the middle of their lineup. Arroyo made two other starts against the Cubs this season and didn’t allow a run in 13 innings, going 2-0.Nobody in the Cubs’ lineup had worse career numbers against Arroyo than Fukudome, who was 1 for 16 coming in. On Saturday, he hit everything hard.Fukudome sent Jay Bruce to the right-field wall to catch his fly ball in his first at-bat. The next time up, there was no doubt about the distance. His two-run shot landed deep in the Cubs’ bullpen in right field and put the visitors up 3-1. Fukudome also singled in the seventh, giving him more hits in one game against Arroyo than he had previously in his career.Xavier Nady also hit a solo homer off Arroyo, who gave up five hits in seven innings. It was Nady’s first homer since June 10.Votto hit his 32nd homer off Wells in the fourth inning — he trails the Cardinals’ Albert Pujols for the NL lead. Ryan Hanigan also singled home a run in the sixth off Wells, who had gone 0-5 with a 6.23 ERA in his last six starts.There were thousands of blue-shirted Cubs fans in the crowd of 41,292, the eighth capacity crowd at Great American Ball Park this season.

NOTES—The Cubs are 4-1 under manager Mike Quade, who took over when Lou Piniella retired on Sunday. … The Cubs have played 47 one-run games, most in the NL. They’re only 17-30 in those games. … The Reds moved RHP Edinson Volquez into the bullpen, giving him a chance to fix flaws in his delivery. Rookie Travis Wood will start in his place Sunday in the final game of the series. … SS Orlando Cabrera has been told to rest for a few days, giving strained abdominal muscles more healing time. He’s been on the DL since Aug. 2. Cabrera has been hitting and running, but the injury still bothers him when he throws.

The White Sox got off to a fast start in a 9-4 victory over the New York Yankees on Friday. A.J. Pierzynski hit a two-run double in a four-run first, Freddy Garcia threw seven solid innings and the White Sox roughed up A.J. Burnett.Omar Vizquel had two hits and two RBI for the Sox who have won three of four after returning home following an ugly 2-4 road trip. Juan Pierre went 2 for 4 and scored twice. Kickstarted by a rousing pregame ceremony that included championship trophies from Chicago teams in the four major sports, the White Sox banged out nine hits one night after they had 14 in an 8-0 victory over Baltimore that gave them their first series victory in three weeks. They improved to 25-7 at U.S. Cellular Field since June 9, outscoring their opponents 196-105 during the impressive stretch.And more help could be on the way.The Sox were awarded a waiver claim on Manny Ramirez, giving the White Sox exclusive bargaining rights for the Los Angeles Dodgers slugger.The White Sox and Dodgers have until 1:30 p.m. EDT on Tuesday to complete a trade, which Ramirez would have to approve. The Dodgers also could let him go — with his consent — and the White Sox would simply assume his salary. Or, Los Angeles could keep Ramirez and try to make a run at the playoffs with him. Former White Sox outfielder Nick Swisher hit a two-run homer in the ninth for the Yankees, who have dropped three of four but remained tied with Tampa Bay for the AL East lead. Brett Gardner had two hits and drove in a run.Burnett (9-12) struggled once again, dropping to 0-4 with a 7.80 ERA in five starts this month and putting his spot in the rotation in jeopardy.Five of the first six White Sox batters reached. Pierre hit a leadoff double and scored on Vizquel’s single. Carlos Quentin also singled in a run and Pierzynski capped the scoring with a drive into the right-field corner, delighting the crowd of 38,596.Burnett retired the side in order in the second but Quentin scored on a wild pitch in the third and the Sox added four more in the fourth to make it 9-2.Burnett was charged with nine runs, eight earned, and eight hits in 3 1/3 innings. The right-hander, who also walked three and threw two wild pitches, is 3-10 with a 6.86 ERA in his last 15 starts overall.While Burnett struggled, Garcia (11-5) snapped out of his rut by yielding two runs, one earned, and five hits for his first win since July 29 against Seattle. The right-hander was 0-1 with a 6.97 ERA in his previous four starts.Sergio Mitre replaced Burnett and threw 4 2/3 innings of one-hit ball to save the Yankees’ bullpen.

NOTES—White Sox reliever Erick Threets departed in the ninth with a balky left elbow. X-rays were negative and he is scheduled for an MRI on Saturday….Yankees LHP Andy Pettitte (strained left groin) threw 25 pitches at about 75 percent during a bullpen session. “It was a relief,” he said. The next step will depend on how the 38-year-old Pettitte feels Saturday….Girardi said DH-1B Lance Berkman (sprained right ankle) is feeling good. “He’s supposed to run some time here in Chicago if he’s up for it,” Girardi said…..Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville brought the Stanley Cup to home plate as part of the pregame ceremony honoring Chicago’s recent championships in the major sports, and threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

Edwin Jackson struck out 10 in eight dominant innings, Alex Rios hit a two-run homer and the White Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-0 on Thursday night for their first series victory in three weeks.Jackson allowed three hits and walked two, improving to 2-0 with a sparkling 0.96 ERA in four starts since he was acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 30. The right-hander, who threw a no-hitter on June 25 at Tampa Bay, has struck out 34 in 28 innings with the Sox, who ended a streak of five consecutive series losses, winning a set for the first time since they took three of four at Detroit from Aug. 3-5. They had lost seven of their last 10 games and 11 of 16 overall.Rios finished with three hits and three RBIs for the Sox, who had 12 singles among its 14 hits. Carlos Quentin, Paul Konerko, Alexi Ramirez and Mark Teahen each singled in a run.Tony Pena got three outs to finish the four-hitter as Baltimore was shut out for the 10th time this season. Jake Arrieta (4-6) lasted just four innings for the Orioles, yielding four runs and seven hits. The 24-year-old right-hander is 0-3 with a 4.32 ERA in his last three starts.Now, the White Sox go from the bottom of the AL East to the top, with the New York Yankees coming to town for a three-game series. New York, tied with Tampa Bay for the division lead, is scheduled to send A.J. Burnett to the mound Friday night against Freddy Garcia.The Orioles dropped to 13-10 since Buck Showalter took over as manager on Aug. 3, then headed to the West Coast for a weekend series against the Los Angeles Angels.Arrieta walked three during a 35-pitch first inning but allowed only one run, on Quentin’s single to center. Ramirez left the bases loaded when he hit a fly ball to right on a 3-1 pitch for the final out.Ramirez bounced back in the third, driving in Konerko with a base hit to make it 3-0. Konerko singled in Rios and moved to second on A.J. Pierzynski’s hit before Ramirez came to the plate.Rios finished the scoring with a drive to left off Armando Gabino in the eighth. It was his 18th of the season.Jackson, who struck out 11 in his previous start against Detroit on Aug. 14, has recorded 10 or more Ks in consecutive starts for the first time in his career. He became the first White Sox pitcher to accomplish the feat since Javier Vazquez in 2007.Jackson was supposed to pitch against Kansas City last Friday but the game was rained out and manager Ozzie Guillen decided against starting him in Sunday’s doubleheader

NOTES—Orioles CF Adam Jones was scratched with a bruised left shoulder and is day to day. Felix Pie moved from left to center and Corey Patterson was inserted into the lineup in left. … In the midst of a roller-coaster season, Guillen said he loves managing in Chicago and was shopping for a house in the area on Thursday morning. … White Sox general manager Kenny Williams was mostly quiet about potential waiver claims but acknowledged he was keeping a close eye on the budget. “We are stretched right now and, quite frankly, we’re looking at walk-ups every day to see exactly what we’re going to have available to us,” Williams said. “But he (owner Jerry Reinsdorf) certainly hasn’t given me any reason to think that there are any restrictions right now on dollars.” The White Sox have been linked to Dodgers slugger Manny Ramirez. … The announced attendance Thursday night was 23,898.

NOTES—Before the game, the White Sox put relievers Matt Thornton and J.J. Putz on the 15-day disabled list, leaving their bullpen a bit short on experience. They recalled right-hander Lucas Harrell from Triple-A Charlotte and reinstated lefty Erick Threets from the disabled list following a rehab assignment in the minors. Threets pitched two scoreless innings. … Beckham homered in his second straight game. 

　

NOTES—Nationals RHP Stephen Strasburg, on the DL with a right strained forearm tendon, will have a second MRI Thursday to determine the extent of the injury. His scheduled spot in the rotation Thursday will be filled by RHP Jordan Zimmermann. Zimmermann has not pitched in the majors since undergoing Tommy John surgery last August. … OF Nyjer Morgan was suspended seven games for hitting a fan with a ball thrown into the stands at Philadelphia Saturday. Morgan appealed the suspension and played Wednesday. … OF Josh Willingham had left knee surgery Wednesday and is unlikely to play again this season. …Soriano is one of five players to have at least 20 home runs in each of the nine seasons. The others are Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols, Adam Dunn and David Ortiz.