Cubs win 6-4 over the Royals in Surprise, AZ today; Cubs Ticket info; Bat Boys/Bat Girls needed

A crowd of 1,493 was on hand in Surprise, Arizona to watch the Cubs win 6-4 over the Royals today.  Jeff Samardzija allowed one hit over three scoreless innings, which helped to make his case for a starting rotation spot.  Samardzija said, "It was kind of fun, kind of like pitching at Wrigley today with that wind. Felt great. We're where we want to be right now."

The first round of roster cuts could come Friday or Saturday, according to manager Dale Sveum.

Chris Volstad will start in tomorrow's 2:05pm (CST) game against the Seattle Mariners, and Travis Wood will get things started against the Chicago White Sox on Friday.  Randy Wells and Rodrigo Lopez are also scheduled to pitch in Friday's game, which will be televised on WGN-TV.

The Cubs MasterCard Presale started at noon today on cubs.com.  If you feel like paying 20% over face value (or 15% if you pay with a MasterCard), here's a link to buy tickets:  http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/chc/ticketing/mastercard_presale.jsp?partnerId=aw-7447518881044792082-1023  The sale will end on Thursday, March 8, at 11:59 p.m.

Otherwise, single game tickets go on sale this Friday, March 9th.  Here's a link to ticket information from cubs.com:  http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/chc/ticketing/wristbands.jsp

Tickets for the Cubs' new patio section in the right-field bleachers range from $125 to $250.  Here's a Chicago Tribune article about the seats: http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/chi-cubs-new-patio-section-priced-from-125250-per-ticket-20120307,0,4740262.story

The Cubs and CareerBuilder have launched a search for the next Wrigley Field ball boys and ball girls. Qualified candidates are invited to submit their applications, including a video sample, now through March 12 at http://cubs.careerbuilder.com

The Cubs will be featured on MLB Network's 30 Clubs in 30 Days tonight at 6pm CST.  Here are a couple of photos from the show taping:

Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein being interviewed for MLB Network's 30 Clubs in 30 Days

New Cubs Third Baseman Ian Stewart being interviewed for MLB Network's 30 Clubs in 30 Days

29 more days to go until Opening Day!  Go Cubs Go!