Bradley appealed the suspension last week, and the Cubs heard during Thursday's game that the suspension was cut in half. From a practical standpoint, that upset the Cubs because they felt MLB could have called early in the day, and Bradley could have served the suspension Thursday, when he got a planned day off. Instead, he'll miss Friday's series opener with the Astros.

For his part, Bradley said he appealed the suspension on principle. He could have sat out while his hamstring was bothering him, but he vehemently disagreed with the suspension. His reaction to having the suspension halved was one of resignation.

"Figures," he said. "I never get treated fairly. It's just me. This is exactly what I expected." Bradley was referring to his history of run-ins with umpires.

Cubs GM Jim Hendry said Bradley did not curse or threaten Vanover and that he would have been disappointed if Bradley had not reacted the way he did. What apparently got Bradley suspended was that his helmet may have come in contact with Vanover, but the contact seemed incidental.

Bradley has come around of late with the bat. After a slow start, he has a seven-game hitting streak, during which he's gone 8-for-25.

CUBS 11, PADRES 3: The Cubs made extensive use of their bench, and the role players came through. Rookie Bobby Scales had a pair of two-run doubles. Reed Johnson doubled home two runs, and Aaron Miles had two hits and an RBI. Ryan Dempster (3-2) worked seven innings, giving up three hits and two runs. Cubs batters walked 10 times.