There are only eight days left in the regular season, barring any one-game playoffs, and aside from the AL Central, most races are all but over. The Red Sox have a chance to make up ground on the Yankees, but the Yanks have already clinched a playoff berth. Here are your power rankings this week….

1. New York Yankees (98-56)—If they sweep the Sox this weekend, the AL East race will officially be over. But both teams appear certainly headed to the big dance.

2. Los Angeles Dodgers (92-62)—Quietly moving up and close to clinching the NL West while their cross-town pals are struggling.

3. Boston Red Sox (91-62)—This team has got to be making the Yankees and their fans nervous, even if the Yanks have made the playoffs, because they just keep winning. But, see #1.

4. Los Angeles Angels (90-63)—It’s a good thing the Rangers are playing like crap, otherwise the Angels would be looking in the rear view mirror.

5. Philadelphia Phillies (89-64)—Getting hot as the weather cools down.

6. St. Louis Cardinals (89-65)—The magic number still at one.

7. Colorado Rockies (87-67)—Some days the Rockies look like they might catch the Dodgers, but lately they are trying to fend off the Braves and Giants for that wild card.

8. Detroit Tigers (82-71)—The Twins remain 2 games back, and the Tigers have not exactly set the world on fire the past month.

9. Atlanta Braves (83-70)—Bobby Cox’s teams never quit and they are hanging tough in the wild card race.

10. San Francisco Giants (82-72)—Now the clock is really ticking. The Cubs, of all teams, hurt the Giants’ chances badly again last night.

According to a report by the Chicago Tribune, the Cubs plan to shop starter Carlos Zambrano this winter.

Despite the fact that Zambrano has a full no-trade clause, the Cubs plan on shopping him this off-season, sources said, believing he’ll waive the clause to go to the right team, as Jake Peavy eventually did when the Padres consummated a deal this summer with the White Sox.

Zambrano said recently he’s weary of the media scrutiny after being criticized for playing softball on a scheduled day off during his rehab stint.

“Maybe if I go to a different city next year, if I get traded, I can do what I want,” Zambrano told the Tribune.

Zambrano later said he was kidding and has veto power over any trade.

Zambrano is only 28, but he’s already stated that he wants to retire after the 2013 season when his contract is up. So it makes sense that the Cubs are thinking about moving him while his value is still somewhat high.

That said, good luck trying to move him, Jim Hendry. Big Z still has over $50 million remaining on his contract and there probably won’t be many clubs that will want to take on his salary plus give up multiple prospects.

Even though they officially put a waiver claim on him last week, the Twins are unlikely to land Cubs’ starter Rich Harden according to a report by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

As of late Sunday night, the Twins had yet to request Cubs pitcher Rich Harden’s medical records, a person close to Harden told the Star Tribune, adding that a deal by today’s noon deadline appeared unlikely.

Harden, 27, has been on the disabled list seven times since 2005, so it would be uncharacteristic for the Twins to trade for him without first examining those medical records.

Then again, in eight starts since July 16, Harden is 3-1 with a 1.80 ERA, so it’s possible the Twins could roll the dice, giving the Cubs the prospects it would take to land Harden for the season’s final five weeks. Harden is a pending Type A free agent, so a team could offer him arbitration after the season and be compensated with two high picks in the 2010 draft if he signed with another team.

If the Cubs were to trade Harden, there’s no doubt that they would want a major package of prospects in return. Considering the Twins covet young prospects (all young prospects), a deal seems unlikely.

Still, if a trade were to go down, Minnesota would be adding a quality (albeit injury-prone) starter to their rotation. Chicago would lose Harden, who they acquired mid-season last year in hopes he would form a great 1-2 punch with Carlos Zambrano at the top of their rotation, but would go a long way in restocking their farm system.

The two sides have until 1:00 p.m. ET today to get a deal done.

Update: ESPN Chicago is reporting that Harden is staying in Chicago.

Answer: yes. After the best rookie season posted by a catcher since Mike Piazza hit 35 home runs in 1993, Geovany Soto has mutated into a bench player making a B line straight for the minors. This isn’t just a sophomore slump — this is Puff Daddy’s Forever, “Caddyshack II,” season 2 of “Heroes.” This is Daniel Baldwin.

In 2009, Soto played in 141 games, hitting .285 and racking up 23 dingers, 86 RBIs, and 66 runs. He quickly established himself as the fourth offensive threat on the Cubs behind Derek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, and Alfonso Soriano. As of this writing, Soto is hitting .218 with nine long balls, 31 RBIs, and 21 runs. He’s also losing playing time to a guy named “Koyie,” who has a career batting average of .211 and had never played over 36 games in a season before 2009. Sweet Lou has even lost faith in young Geo, sitting him every other game.

So what’s wrong? Is it a nagging oblique strain? Is it all that pot he was smoking? Even the fantasy experts are at a loss, citing that Soto is still hitting for contact and working better counts. Personally, I think it’s a confidence issue. Chicago is a tough place to play. Though Cubs fans are affectionate to those who earn it, they can be ruthless if you are currently the definition of “suck.” I specifically remember them booing Kosuke Fukudome in last year’s NLCS. (Yet, this year they love him, despite putting up mediocre numbers. Beats me.) Milton Bradley is another fine example. However, it seems like Cubs fans want Soto to succeed and are holding out hope that he can get it going down the stretch. After all, it’s damn hard to come by a consistent, young catcher who’s skilled both offensively and defensively. Look at how many teams employ a rotating duo of catchers based on their opponent that day. That irritates me and it’s a pain in the ass for fantasy owners. Even though Russell Martin is working through some struggles this year, the kid has the genuine talent that will carry him through. He, Joe Mauer, Jorge Posada, and Brian McCann are the definition of what a premier catcher should be in the MLB. I like Soto, and I want him to get back to this level.

For the record, there’s a big difference between “disappointment” and “bust.” People had high expectations for Soto and he’s not meeting them. Milton Bradley and Pat Burrell are inconsistent, overpaid busts.

I apologize to Daniel Baldwin. He was cool in “The Sopranos.”

According to a report by the Chicago Tribune, the sale of the Cubs to the Ricketts family appears to be imminent.

Sources close to the matter described the execution of a definitive agreement as “imminent,” saying the expected a signing could come within days.

The completion of a definitive agreement would mean Tribune Co. would not be able to solicit any other bids for the team, sources said.

Tribune Co., unhappy with the pace of final negotiations with the Rickettses after selecting the family in January as the winning bidder of a protracted auction, opened discussions with another potential buyer several weeks ago. The prospective buyer wasn’t new to the process. It was a group led by New York investor and former Chicagoan Marc Utay, which was one of three finalists in the auction for the team.

The Rickettses have agreed to pay about $900 million for the team, Wrigley Field and a 25 percent stake in Comcast SportsNet Chicago, which broadcasts many Cubs games.

Maybe now that the Cubs will have owners who actually care about the success of the team, the North Siders will open up payroll this winter and spend to win.

Of course, it doesn’t help that the club will have Alfonso Soriano and Milton Bradley’s ridiculous salaries still on the books. Even so, it’ll be interesting to see if the Ricketts can have a positive influence on the Cubs over the next couple of years.

Cubs’ starter Carlos Zambrano admitted that he’s been lazy in his conditioning over the years, which is one of the reasons he can’t seem to stay healthy.

From the Chicago Tribune:

“My problem is I’ve been lazy,” a contrite Zambrano said. “There are things in life you don’t like to do, but you have to do them. I don’t like abs [abdominal muscle workouts], but I have to do them. I have to start doing them every day and be serious about it.”

Doctors are convinced stronger abdominal muscles will ease the pain on back discs, one of which is bulging and has caused Zambrano pain on and off for a few years.

“I’ve got to be honest with me and with you [media] guys and the fans. I’m 28 years old, I’m not 16 anymore,” Zambrano said. “I’m a big guy and I work hard every day, [but] one of the things I don’t like to do is my abs, my core work. If I do abs every day and keep doing my job and be serious about my abs, I’ll be OK.”

I’m sure the Cubs and their fan base are thrilled to hear that Big Z hasn’t being working as hard as he could have been over the years, especially when you factor in how much he’s making.

I’m a little surprised that Zambrano wasn’t working on his core up until this point, given how important it is in baseball. Then again, there are a lot of players that rely solely on their God given talents and not strive to become a more complete player, so maybe this news shouldn’t come as a surprise

During the Phillies’ 12-5 trouncing of the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Wednesday night, Philadelphia outfielder Shane Victorino received a beer shower from some idiot fan while trying to catch a fly ball on the warning track.

Here’s a complete breakdown of the scene, including how security busted the wrong guy:

Couple thoughts:

1. What concentration shown by Victorino to still make the play while the beer (and cup) was being poured on him. It wasn’t like he caught the ball after the beer bath – he caught it during it.

2. It’s a crime against humanity that the ass clown in the white T-shirt and novelty wristband (did he think if he wore a wristband to the stadium that they would let him into the game or something?) didn’t get tossed from the game, but the innocent bystander to his left did. Gotta love how he allowed someone else to receive blame for the incident while he got to stay and watch the rest of the game.

3. Any fan that intentionally throws something onto the field (save for an opposing team’s home run ball) or touches a ball along the side of the field while it’s still in play deserves to be thrown off the top of the stadium. I can’t for the life of me figure out why you would pay upwards of $75 to go to a game and either throw something at a player or touch a ball while it’s still in play.

4. That fan deserved to watch the Phillies lay the wood to his hapless team. And any time he goes to Wrigley from here on out, may the Cubs lose.

Pedro Martinez gave up three runs on seven hits over five innings in his Phillies debut on Wednesday as Philadelphia crushed the suddenly lifeless Cubs 12-5 at Wrigley. Pedro also struck out five to earn his first win of the season.

From ESPN.com:

Pitching in a major league game for the first time since last September, Martinez mixed it up, changed speeds and lasted five innings to get the victory for his new team, the Philadelphia Phillies, in a 12-5 rout of the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night.

“It was really fun to actually get back to the game. Last year was a horrible year. It was a very tough year,” Martinez said of his final injury-slowed season with the New York Mets. “I actually feel good and it shows.”

Pedro threw 64 of his 99 pitches for strikes and topped out at 93 mph on the radar gun. A 30-pitch fifth inning ended his night but overall, he looked sharp for a guy that could immediately help a World Series contender.

- Bullz-Eye.com reviews the latest Madden NFL 10 game, which they gave four (out of five) stars.

- SPORTSbyBROOKS calls out Giants fans for being hypocrites in how they treated Manny Ramirez during last night’s San Fran-L.A. game (i.e. they booed Manny, but cheered for Barry Bonds). Of course, the author fails to mention that Dodgers fans are hypocrites themselves for booing Bonds, yet cheering for Manny. Just sayin’…

- DEADSPIN tries to explain and evaluate SportsCenter anchor Neil Everett’s pet phrase, “Hotter than a fox in a forest fire.”

- TONY BLOGS.NET shares the news that Jay Mariotti will write for the Chicago Tribune on September 1.

- YARDBARKER discusses whether or not Cubs’ starter Carlos Zambrano is the most overrated player in baseball.

The St. Louis Cardinals have finally found slugger Albert Pujols some protection in the lineup, as the Red Birds traded three minor league prospects to the A’s in exchange for outfielder Matt Holliday according to ESPN.com.

One of those three minor leaguers was Brett Wallace, who was Baseball America’s 40th-best prospect entering the season, while the other two were 24-year old right-hander Clayton Mortensen and outfielder Shane Peterson, who was a second rounder in 2008. Apparently Oakland will also chip in $1.5 million to help pay for some of the $6 million still left on Holliday’s contract.

After a slow start, Holliday is now hitting .286 with 11 home runs and 54 RBI. He instantly makes the Cardinals the favorites to win the NL Central and challenge the Dodgers and Phillies for the NL Pennant by adding much-needed protection behind Pujols in the lineup. His presence in the order should also make players like Mark DeRosa and Ryan Ludwick better as well.

Billy Beane once again did well in a trade. The Oakland GM wanted to get Holliday’s contract off the books (or as much of it as he could), but he also didn’t want to just stick a for sale sign in Holliday’s forehead and give him away for free after trading multiple players to acquire him from Colorado last winter. With Holliday set to become a free agent at the end of the season, Beane did well to not only shed salary, but also get one of the Cards’ best prospects in Wallace.

What will be interesting to keep an eye on over the next two weeks as the trade deadline approaches, is whether or not the Cubs or Brewers will make a big move to counter this trade. Chicago doesn’t have much to offer in its farm system, but Milwaukee, as usual, is stacked and could look to add a pitcher. Although it would require giving up a haul, it’ll be interesting to see if the Brew Crew makes a run at Roy Halladay or the Tribe’s Cliff Lee.