Hoffpauir, Castillo Latest Iowa Cubs To Be Promoted

With Derrek Lee tending to family matters and on the bereavement list, and Geovany Soto on the DL with shoulder trouble, Micah Hoffpauir and rookie Welington (correct with one “L”) Castillo have been recalled from Triple-A Iowa for tonight’s game. Here’s how they have been doing, via Paul Sullivan of the Tribune:

Hoffpauir had a poor start at Iowa, but is now up to .273 with 32 doubles, 20 home runs and 87 RBI. He also has a personal 18-game hitting streak, the longest in the Pacific Coast League.

But Hoffpauir is 30, and hasn’t been considered a “prospect” for quite some time. He has played first and the corner outfield spots at Iowa since 2005, with a cameo appearance in ’04.

Castillo, 23, was signed out of the Dominican Republic in December 2004, and came into 2010 with a career minor league average of .266 with 27 home runs and 39 RBI in 95 games. This year, he’s hit .251 at Iowa with 13 home runs and 57 RBI. Castillo has a strong arm and occasional power, and could get a chance to gain a foothold on the back-up job in 2011.

Cubs' Marcos Mateo, 11th Rookie Pitcher This Year, Loses Game In 11th Inning

Carlos Zambrano returned to the Cubs’ rotation Monday night in San Francisco and issued seven walks in a five-inning appearance. He had the help of two double plays, so he only allowed three runs and the Cubs scored in the sixth, taking him off the hook for a loss.

The Cubs bullpen held the line through nine and the game went into extra innings. Both teams squandered many scoring opportunities; the Cubs left 12 men on base, the Giants 13, and the Cubs threw out the potential tying run at the plate to end the bottom of the 10th.

The Giants got three hits off rookie Marcos Mateo, who was making his major league debut, and won in the 11th. After the game it was announced that Geovany Soto would go on the disabled list with shoulder trouble and that Derrek Lee would go on the bereavement list. Welington Castillo and Micah Hoffpauir will be recalled from Triple-A Iowa.

Cubs' Carlos Zambrano Returns To Rotation Against Giants

The Cubs, having played much of the summer in the hot, humid Midwest and Northeast, will experience a bit of fall-like weather in this four-game series in San Francisco, where the weather has been cooler than normal this summer.

Perhaps that will cool down the hot-headed Carlos Zambrano, who will make his first start tonight since he blew up during a start against the White Sox on June 25.

The Cubs have lost 10 of their last 11 games and are in free-fall through the NL Central division. Meanwhile, the Giants are only two games out of first place in the NL West behind the Padres and lead the National League wild card by half a game over the Phillies. 21-year-old Madison Bumgarner will start tonight for San Francisco.

The game will begin at 9:15 CDT and will be televised on CSN Chicago Plus. The primary CSN channel will carry the game after the White Sox/Orioles game ends.