Houston Astros defeat Chicago Cubs, 11-5

Tick, tock. That's the sound of the Cubs' agonizing season counting down to those inevitable summer trades that seemed almost possible to consider mere figments of rumor-mongering during that Prozac weekend against the Phillies.

It didn't take long for Carlos Silva to send the Cubs crashing back to reality Monday against Houston with a five-run, seven-hit first inning he probably wouldn't have finished if the bullpen had time to react.

Tick, tock.

That's also t...

Cubs outfielder Tyler Colvin says it never crosses his mind.

''Not at all,'' he said.

But Colvin has put himself, with more than two months left in the season, in possible position to challenge for the team's second Rookie of the Year award in three years.

It's still a long shot. Atlanta's Jason Heyward is the early favorite from spring-training hype through an All-Star selection, and Florida's Gaby Sanchez and New York's Ike Davis have put up impressive numbers w...