A Diamond In The Rough?

Carlos Silva is scheduled to make Sunday night's start against the Dodgers, but Lou Piniella said Friday that Silva is questionable because of a sore right knee.

The Daily Herald's Bruce Miles speculated that the start might go to Mitch Atkins, but that now has to be ruled out after Atkins worked 1 1/3 innings in Friday's game.

Miles' Plan C for Sunday's start is Thomas Diamond, a 6-3, 240-pound right-hander, who is 5-3 with a 2.96 ERA in 17 starts at Triple A Iowa this season. Diamond, who is not on the Cubs' major league 40-man roster, was a first-round pick of the Texas Rangers in 2004.

In 2005, Diamond was ranked by Baseball America as the No. 3 prospect in the Rangers system and the fourth best prospect in the Double A Texas League. His career, however, was stalled in 2006 when he tore a ligament in his pitching elbow and underwent Tommy John surgery.