Hunter Pence is making Cecil Cooper’s transition a lot easier.Houston’s rookie center fielder hit two homers and had a career-high five RBIs Friday to help the Astros beat the Chicago Cubs 6-1 for their third win in four games since Cooper became interim manager.

“What can I say? He’s a pretty special player. He’s a young man who will eventually be the face of our franchise, I think,” Cooper said.

“He’s not afraid to go up there (and) if he sees something he likes, he lets it go. Just a baseball player, a throwback kind of a baseball player. … He’s my kind of guy.”

Pence’s first career multihomer game featured a three-run shot in the fourth and two-run drive in the sixth. The homers gave the standout rookie 14 for the season, while helping Wandy Rodriguez (8-12) win for the first time since July 26.

The Orioles have traded RHP STEVE TRACHSEL to the Chicago Cubs for 3B SCOTT MOORE and RHP ROCKY CHERRY.
Trachsel, 36, went 6-8 with a 4.48 ERA (140.2IP, 70ER) in 25 starts for the Orioles this season. He allowed 3 earned runs or less in 17 of his 25 starts and missed 3 weeks while on the disabled list with a strained gluteus muscle. Trachsel was signed by the Orioles as a free agent on February 14, one day before pitchers and catchers reported to camp.

Moore, 23, has spent most of the season at AAA Iowa, batting .265 (85-321) with 19 home runs and 69 RBI. He appeared in 2 games for the Cubs this season, going 0-for-5. Moore also played 16 games for Chicago in 2006, batting .263 (10-36) with 2 home runs and 5 RBI.

Moore was originally selected by Detroit in the first round (8th overall) of the 2002 First Year Player Draft. He was traded to Chicago in 2005 and was selected to the Major League Future’s Game that season. He was named the Cubs’ 7th best prospect by Baseball America following the 2006 season.

Cherry, 28, has also spent most of the season at Iowa along with several stints with the Cubs. He went 2-0 with 7 saves and a 4.59 ERA (51.0IP, 26ER) in the minors, averaging 9.9 strikeouts per 9.0 innings. Cherry made 12 relief appearances for the Cubs this season, going 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA (15.0IP, 5ER) while holding opponents to a .224 batting average.

Cherry was named to the Southern League All-Star team in 2006, going 4-1 with 2 saves and a 2.22 ERA for AA West Tennessee. He was originally selected by the Cubs in the 14th round of the 2002 First Year Player Draft.

Moore and Cherry will report to the Orioles this weekend and be added to the roster on September 1.

Material from the Baltimore Orioles was used in this report

Matt Murton’s just glad to play any role for the Chicago Cubs as they go after a playoff berth, especially since he spent time in the minors this season.

And Alfonso Soriano is relieved to be back from the disabled list, even if he’s not completely healthy.

They teamed up Thursday night, hitting back-to-back homers off Chris Capuano with two outs in the sixth inning as Chicago beat the Milwaukee Brewers to go up 2 1/2 games in the NL Central.

Here are some value picks for your upcoming fantasy draft, and remember it’s the under valued picks that win championships.

QB- Rex Grossman (CHI). ADP 149, QB21.  In 2006 Grossman led the league in QB rating games over 100.  He also led the league in games with a QB rating lower than 50.  Grossman has as many NFL starts as many 2^nd year starters.  All he has to do is cut his mistakes by 25% - 33% and he will be a top 10 QB; pretty conservative.  Most QB’s with talent do this between their 20^th and 30^th start.  Grossman will too.  As the 21^st best QB taken, he is a steal.  Just like he will for the Bears, Grossman will win games for your fantasy team.

RB- Tatum Bell (DET). ADP72, RB32.  Kevin Jones has an injured foot.  He will most likely start the season on the PUP list meaning that Tatum Bell starts for the Lions for at least 6 games.  If your league rewards points for each reception, then Bell is a steal at this point of your draft.  Detroit will move the ball this year, and giving Bell a chance to score, along with 4-6 catches per game. 

WR- Patrick Crayton (DAL).  ADP 184, WR61Very talented receiver and Terry Glenn is more hurt than people realize leaving Crayton as the #2 receiver on the Cowboys.  Tony Romo will throw a healthy amount in Wade Phillips’ offense and Terrell Owens gets doubled more often than not leaving Crayton as the man.  Look for 6 to 8 TD’s this season. 

TE- Daniel Graham (DEN).  ADP 212, TE21.  Graham departs the Patriots crowded receiving corps to join Denver.  Great choice.  Denver’s defense will give the offense plenty of opportunities to score.  Jay Cutler is a young QB who utilized the TE plenty last year when he took over as the starting QB.  Mike Shanahan was recently quoted as saying that Graham will be an every down player on Denver’s offense, because he is a dominating blocker.  Denver has a very established #1 receiver in Javon Walker, but not much else has been established yet as a #2 guy.  Look for Graham to get plenty of chances this year.  A steal as the #21 TE.  

DEF- Minnesota ADP165 DEF12. Spent a great deal of money on free agents two years ago.  This unit has gelled and will be taking several turnovers to the house.  They also have a very favorable schedule.  Let someone else pick a defense in round #10.  Grab the Vikings in the 15^th round and enjoy the benefits.

K- Josh Scobee (JAX) ADP 219, K14.  Strong leg and plays for an offense that can move the ball between the 20’s.  Problem is they have trouble getting the last 20 yards which means plenty of chances for Scobee to make Field Goals. 

 Ben Sheets pitched like the ace he is for the Milwaukee Brewers, pushing aside a long layoff and giving his slumping team a needed lift.Carlos Zambrano, however, finished August without a victory.

Sheets came off the disabled list and outpitched the Cubs’ ace in a 6-1 victory Wednesday night that moved the Brewers within 1 1/2 games of NL Central-leading Chicago.

The Sportzmobs prediction for the 2007-2008 NFL SEASON! 

 AFC Champ Patriots

NFC Champ Bears

Superbowl Champions:  Patriots

 Jacque Jones‘ dog days came earlier this season when he was benched and nearly traded. Now that August is almost over, he’s a starter and playing a big role as the Chicago Cubs make their run for the playoffs.Jones hit a game-tying two-run double in the seventh and scored the go-ahead run on an error by reliever Scott Linebrink as the Chicago Cubs rallied to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 5-3 on Tuesday night.

Chicago Bears linebacker Lance Briggs was charged with leaving the scene of an accident after crashing his Lamborghini and abandoning it alongside an expressway on the city’s North Side, Illinois State Police said.After meeting with police Monday afternoon, Briggs was also cited for failure to give immediate notice of an accident and improper lane usage, said Master Sgt. Luis Gutierrez.

Briggs was released after posting $100 bond and is scheduled to appear Oct. 4 in a Cook County court. Leaving the scene of a property damage accident is a Class A misdemeanor that carries a maximum 364 days in jail and a $1,000 fine, Gutierrez said.

The Red Sox outscored Chicago 46-7 in the series. Boston scored at least 10 runs in each game, only the fourth time that has happened in a four-game series since 1900, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. It’s the first time it has happened in the American League in 85 years.

Ownership could have have enjoyed this pounding especially since the majority of fans in US Cellular Field were cheering for the Red Sox and not the White. 

Chris Young homered in the first and second innings and drove in four runs as the Diamondbacks defeated the Chicago Cubs 5-4 on Sunday to take the three-game series between NL division leaders.

 Derrek Lee hit his second career inside-the-park homer for the Cubs, whose lead in the NL Central remained at 1 1/2 games over Milwaukee. Chicago opens a three-game series with the Brewers Tuesday night in Wrigley Field. Cliff Floyd also homered for Chicago.