Excitement's missing in crosstown series opener

There was a chill in the air Wednesday at Wrigley Field, but something else was missing: a buzz.

The Minnesota Twins brought a legion of fans down from the Land of 10,000 lakes this past weekend, but Wednesday's delayed opener of the Cubs-White Sox series was marked by a noticeable lack of excitement and intensity in the stands.

Maybe it's because the Cubs aren't hitting, or maybe it's because both clubs are mired in mediocrity. But the players did notice.

"Even in the stands, it seemed a little flatter than normal," said Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee, a veteran of Cubs-Sox wars since 2004. "I don't know if it was because of the rain last night. It just didn't seem to have the same energy."

Newcomer Milton Bradley noticed it, too.

"It felt more energetic when we played the Twins, to tell you the truth," Bradley said.

Ramirez update: Third baseman Aramis Ramirez, who has been on the disabled list since early May with a dislocated left shoulder, reported good results after taking some soft-toss pitches with a fungo bat.

"Every day I take a step forward," he said. "My shoulder feels good. Hopefully, I won't get any setbacks. Hopefully, I'll keep going forward.

"It's a lighter bat. We're going to do that for the next 3-4 days, and then we're going to use one of my bats."

Ramirez said he wants to be back before the all-star break and that he most likely will go on a minor-league rehab stint to get the timing of his swing down.

Dempster doings: Pitcher Ryan Dempster had his five-game home winning streak snapped. The streak dated to last Sept. 16.

Dempster's command was off all day, as witnessed by the 6 walks he issued.

"What a grind," he said. "I could have done a lot better job than I did today. At times, I didn't attack the strike zone very well."

Asked whether other teams are playing the Cubs differently because the Cubs are struggling, he flashed his sense of humor.

"I don't know," he said. "I don't have an answer for that. I'll ask them. I'll ask them tomorrow if they're going to play us any differently than they normally would."

Rotation roulette: The Cubs will open the weekend series with Cleveland by starting Rich Harden on the mound. Ted Lilly and Randy Wells will follow, with Ryan Dempster pitching Monday's makeup game in Atlanta before the Cubs head to Detroit.

Blast from the past: Former Cub Keith Moreland will sit in for TV analyst Bob Brenly for the July 10 and July 12 games. Brenly will take the weekend off to watch his son, Michael, play for the Cubs' Class A Peoria team.