Cubs make roster moves before non-tender deadline; Tree lighting on Thursday

As the MLB non-tender deadline approached Monday night, the Cubs had many decisions to make.  All in all, the team tendered 2014 contracts to the following arbitration-eligible players, including second baseman Darwin Barney, starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija, outfielder Nate Schierholtz, starting pitcher Travis Wood, relief pitcher Pedro Strop, reliever James Russell and third baseman Luis Valbuena.

Starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija was one of seven arbitration-eligible players to whom the Cubs tendered contracts to. (Chicago Tribune photo)

MLBTradeRumors.com projects Samardzija to get $4.9 million in 2014, while Schierholtz is projected to get $4.4 million; Wood $3.6 million; Barney $2.1 million; Russell $1.7 million; Valbuena $1.5 million; and Strop $1 million.

In addition, the Cubs signed fan favorite Donnie Murphy to a one-year $825,000 contract plus incentives.

The Cubs also reached an agreement with backup catcher George Kottaras (who was acquired last week from the Kansas City Royals) for a one-year, $1.075 million contract.

George Kottaras will be the Cubs' backup catcher in 2014 (photo from Chicago Sun-Times)

The Cubs non-tendered relievers Daniel Bard and Chang-Yong Lim and also infielder Mat Gamel.  All three are now free agents.

Former Cubs catcher Dioner Navarro agreed to a two-year, $8 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays.  We wish him the best.

The Cubs' 40-man roster currently stands at 37 players.

Former Cubs pitcher Ted Lilly has retired due to chronic neck pain.  "I am retiring," Lilly wrote.  "I don't want to, but I think it is the realistic decision."  Lilly had the nerve endings on the right side of his neck cauterized by a spine specialist recently, which allowed him to pitch in the Venezuelan Winter League, but the discomfort continued.  Besides the Cubs, Lilly also played for the Dodgers, Yankees, Blue Jays, A's and Expos during his 15-year MLB career.

The Cubs Christmas Tree Lighting will take place this Thursday, December 5th in front of the Wrigley Field marquee.  The Cubs have not yet announced the time of the event.

Cubs win 5-3 over the Padres as Kevin Gregg earns 4th save and Darwin Barney and Cody Ransom each with two RBIs

The Cubs opened their 10-game homestand with a 5-3 win over the San Diego Padres on a 70-degree spring night at Wrigley Field.  Jeff Samardzija was the starting pitcher and allowed three runs on four hits while walking four and striking out eight batters over five innings pitched. 

The Shark didn't have his best outing of the season as he walked Everth Cabrera to lead off the game and then allowed a single to Chase Headley.  Samardzija then threw two wild pitches and the runners advanced and Cabrera ended up scoring on that second wild pitch.

Michael Bowden earned the win and Kevin Gregg got James Russell out of an 8th inning jam and closed out the game to earn his fourth save of the season.  It sure is nice to see the Cubs have an effective bullpen that's actually doing the job they're there for. 

Scott Hairston and former Padre Cody Ransom hit back-to-back homers in the second inning and Ransom also had two RBIs, which included a go-ahead RBI single in the sixth inning.

Scott Hairston and Cody Ransom hit back-to-back homers in the second inning against the Padres (Chicago Tribune photo)

Second baseman Darwin Barney had two RBI doubles tonight as well, drew a walk and was 2-for-3.  It sure is good to have him back and see his bat come alive!

Darwin Barney had two RBIs against the Padres (Chicago Tribune photo)

Tomorrow the Cubs and Padres will play the second game of the four-game series at 7:05pm CT.  Edwin Jackson will start for the Cubs and try to earn his first win of the season.  Go Cubs Go!

Cubs win 6-2 over Rangers as offense comes alive at wet Wrigley Field

The Cubs were able to play all nine innings at Wrigley Field this afternoon and earn a 6-2 win over the Texas Rangers.  The two teams ended up splitting the two-game series (since Wednesday's night's game had to be postponed due to heavy rain and thunderstorms in Chicago).  A makeup date has yet to be announced.  Personally, I was glad they decided to postpone the game, since I had tickets and wasn't particularly looking forward to trudging to the Friendly Confines in the wet and windy weather.

The Cubs' bats came alive with 13 hits in the team's best performance of the season.  Carlos Villanueva earned the win for his solid outing today.  He allowed two runs on four hits and walked one and struck out six batters.  Villanueva's ERA is 1.29 this season.

Anthony Rizzo and Alfonso Soriano had back-to-back home runs in the third inning.  Rizzo's homer went 475 feet, which is the longest homer in the majors this season. 

Welington Castillo was hot today as he went 4-for-4 with a double and a run.  Luis Valbuena had two RBIs in the game.

Welington Castillo and Carlos Marmol celebrate the Cubs' win over the Rangers on Thursday (photo from Chicago Tribune)

To top it all off, Carlos Marmol pitched in the ninth and was able to get three quick outs without any drama.  Way to go, Marmol!  It was really satisfying to have the Cubs' bullpen be effective (which hasn't happened that often this season).  Also worth mentioning is James Russell's excellent relief pitching this season as he made his eighth scoreless appearance in the eighth inning of today's game.

Tomorrow the Cubs will travel to Milwaukee to start a three-game series against the Brewers.  Jeff Samardzija will start for the Cubs and try to earn his second win of the season.  Tomorrow's game time is 7:10pm CT.

Jeff Samardzija leads Cubs to 3-1 win over Pirates to open the 2013 season

The Cubs opened their 2013 season by winning 3-1 against the Pirates in Pittsburgh.  Jeff Samardzija had an excellent start to the season by allowing just two hits and walking just one batter and striking out nine over eight shutout innings pitched.  This was the Shark's first career Opening Day start.

Cubs players lined up on the field before taking on the Pirates in Pittsburgh on Opening Day (photo from @Cubs on Twitter)

Maybe it was good luck that the pack of baseball cards I picked up this morning had this card in it:

My lucky baseball card on Opening Day!

Anyway back to the game: Anthony Rizzo connected with the first pitch that was thrown to him and gave the Cubs an early 2-0 lead in the first inning with a 438-foot home run to center field.

The Cubs held the lead the entire game, even after Dale Sveum sent in Carlos Marmol in the ninth inning and he allowed a run to score before being pulled for lefty reliever James Russell.  Russell got the second out and was followed by Kyuji Fujikawa, who made his MLB debut and threw two pitches to get the final out and the save.  Phew! 

In other Cubs news, second baseman Darwin Barney was placed on the 15-day disabled list (retroactive to Sunday) after suffering a deep laceration on his left kneecap during the exhibition game against the Astros on Saturday.  "I thought by sliding, I'd be protecting myself," Barney said. "There's a concrete corner and slab on the bottom [of the wall].  I ran right into that.  When I pulled my pant leg up, i was pretty freaked out, and didn't have any idea [the cut] was there."

Barney also added, "You spend your whole offseason thinking about today [Opening Day] -- when you're in the gym, when you're pushing yourself.  We had a good spring as a club.  We did a lot of things positively.  It's unfortunate, but the good thing is we have guys who can fill in like Lillibridge and Gonzalez, who are good players."  Get well soon, Darwin!

Infielder Alberto Gonzalez was added to the 40-man roster and Brent Lillibridge played second base in today's season opener.  The Cubs also officially added pitcher Scott Baker to the 60-day disabled list for a strained right elbow and starting pitcher Matt Garza (strained lat) and third baseman Ian Stewart (sore left quad) to the 15-day disabled list.

The Cubs optioned outfielder Brett Jackson to Triple-A Iowa and designated right-handed pitcher Robert Whitenack for assignment earlier today.

Tomorrow the Cubs have the day off (already!) before playing their first night game of the season against the Pirates on Wednesday at 6:05pm CT. 

Volstad strikes out six, but Cubs offense missing as they lose 3-0 to Astros in final night game

The Cubs lost 3-0 to the Houston Astros in the second to last game of the season, which was also the final night game of 2012 on Tuesday night.  I was at Wrigley to witness the non-eventful game, but was lucky enough to sit in the 2nd row behind the Cubs' bullpen.

Carlos Marmol warming up in the bullpen Tuesday night (photo by Karen Burchell)

It was pretty amazing to be watching the game right by James Russell, Shawn Camp, Carlos Marmol and the rest of the relief pitchers.  The highlight for us came in the 4th inning, when Alfonso Soriano's foul ball was hit to Andrew Lane, the Cubs bullpen catcher, who picked it up threw it to my friend, who had her one-year old baby with us at the game. 

Shawn Camp actually came over to us to tell us that he saw us on TV because we were holding the foul ball.  It was also my friend's first foul ball ever, which was perfect since it was also her birthday!

Glove, towels and Gatorade cooler in the Cubs bullpen (photo by Karen Burchell)

Anyway, back to the game.  Chris Volstad made his final start of the season and was impressive as he gave up two runs on five hits and struck out six batters, which was the most since his first start on April 9th, when he also struck out a half dozen.  Volstad said, "It did feel good to finish that way, just being myself.  I could've used a few more of those.  It felt good to have one that way, especially to end [the season] and go into the offseason with a positive."

Chris Volstad finished on a strong note, as he struck out six batters on Tuesday night (photo from cubs.com)

Too bad the Cubs couldn't get their offense going to back Volstad, as they only had four hits during the game, which came from Soriano, Castro (2) and Jackson. 

Today the Cubs will face off in their final game of the season against the Astros, who will play their final game as a NL Central team.  Travis Wood will start for the Cubs and try for his seventh win of the season.  I will be at Wrigley for the finale and hope to sing "Go Cubs Go!" for one last time as this tough season comes to an end.

Cubs win 4th in a row as Dave Sappelt leads 4-1 victory over Astros

The Cubs won their fourth game in a row when they beat the Houston Astros 4-1 at Minute Maid Park Monday night.  Chris Volstad started for the Cubs and allowed one run on four hits while striking out four batters and walking five over five innings pitched.  Volstad earned his third win of the season.

Dave Sappelt was hands-down the outstanding player of the game as he had a hand in all four Cubs runs and was 2-for-5.  His RBI double in the second inning put the Cubs on the board.  Then his two-run double in the seventh inning gave the Cubs a 4-1 lead, which was eventually the final score.

Dave Sappelt had a part in all four Cubs runs scored against the Astros on Monday night (photo from cubs.com)

Relief pitchers Miguel Socolovich, James Russell, Jaye Chapman and Shawn Camp held the Astros to just one hit and a walk over their three combined innings pitched.

By the ninth inning, there were more Cubs fans at Minute Maid Park than Astros fans.  Chants of "Let's Go Cubbies" could be heard as Carlos Marmol recorded his 19th save of the season.  Love it!

Tomorrow the Cubs and Astros will play the second game of the three-game series at 7:05pm CT.  Justin Germano will start for the Cubs and try for his third win this season.

Cubs win third game in a row and sweep the Pirates

The Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates for the third day in a row Sunday afternoon, which also completed the series sweep.  This was the Cubs first series win since August 1-4, 2011 in Pittsburgh, coincidentally.

Chris Rusin started for the Cubs and allowed one run on five hits while striking out four batters and walking three over five innings pitched.

Third baseman Josh Vitters homered in the fourth inning to break his 0-for-27 streak.  Catcher Anthony Recker then hit his first major league homer in the same inning to give the Cubs a 2-1 lead. 

James Russell balked in the seventh inning which allowed the Pirates to tie the game at 2-2 since a runner was on third.  

However, the game wasn't tied for long as Alfonso Soriano's two-run homer in the eighth inning gave the Cubs a 4-2 lead, which was eventually the final score.  Carlos Marmol threw 11 balls and 12 strikes in the ninth and loaded the bases with one out, but was able to survive and earned his 18th save of the season.  Russell earned his seventh win of the season. 

Alfonso Soriano's 2-run homer put the Cubs ahead against the Pirates on Sunday (photo from cubs.com)

Next the Cubs will travel to Houston to play a three-game against the Astros starting at 7:05pm CT. Chris Volstad will start for the Cubs and try to earn his third win of the season. 

Chris Volstad gets first win as a Cub and ends winless streak on a soggy Sunday at the Friendlly Confines

After a 2 hour and 23-minute rain delay plus another 30-minute delay, and a game that was called after eight innings, the Cubs ended up shutting out the Colorado Rockies 5-0 and also won the series. 

Chris Volstad started for the Cubs and finally earned his first win as a Cub, which also ended his 24-game winless streak that dated back to July of 2011 when he was on the Marlins.  Manager Dale Sveum said, "I know that's a huge monkey off his back.  The team was incredibly happy for him.  When the game got called, you could see the emotion from the players." 

Chris Volstad finally earned his first win as a Cub and ended his 24-game winless streak against the Rockies on Sunday (photo by Karen Burchell)

Volstad's teammates got a chance to prepare for his victory shower during the 30-minute delay after the eighth inning.  "It was fun," said Darwin Barney.  "He was real excited.  The thing about it, when you're an offensive position player and you have that game when your team wins and you contribute and have a couple knocks, you go home feeling pretty good about yourself.  He hasn't had one of those days in a while — a day where everything worked out.  They didn't get a cheap hit off him today, and the defense picked him up.  I was really happy for him.  He's been pitching really consistent of late and he's just been getting some bad luck here and there.  I think he liked that little shower we gave him."

Volstad allowed just three hits and no runs while striking out three batters and walking three over 6-2/3 innings pitched.  It also helped that Volstad received more than three runs of support today, since the Cubs had scored one or no runs in eight of his 12 starts before today.  As he exited the field in the sixth inning, he received a standing ovation from the crowd at Wrigley Field.

I was at today's game and can say it was definitely a long day, since we arrived when the gates opened and watched the Cubs take batting practice before it was cut short, and ended up staying until the game was called after eight innings (and over seven hours since we had arrived at Wrigley).  It was a bummer not being able to sing "Go Cubs Go", though.

Following are some photos I took at the game:

First base coach Dave McKay and second baseman Darwin Barney during batting practice (photo by Karen Burchell)

It was a soggy Sunday at the Friendly Confines (photo by Karen Burchell)

David DeJesus warms up after the two hour and 23-minute rain delay (photo by Karen Burchell)

Anthony Rizzo uses eyedrops before the rain-delayed game started on Sunday (photo by Karen Burchell)

Maybe Samardzija and Russell have been hanging out a little too much? (photo by Karen Burchell)

Chris Volstad received a standing ovation after he was pulled in the sixth inning (photo by Karen Burchell)

Rain delay, take two - the tarp is back on after 8 innings (photo by Karen Burchell)

Tomorrow the Cubs will start a four-game series against the Brewers at Wrigley Field starting at 7:05pm CT.  Justin Germano will start for the Cubs and try to earn his third win.

Cubs open 10-game homestand with 5-3 win over Rockies

The Cubs returned to Wrigley Field and beat the Colorado Rockies 5-3 this afternoon to start a three-game series and 10-game homestand.  Jeff Samardzija started for the Cubs and allowed three runs over six hits and walked two batters and struck out seven over seven innings pitched.

Although Samardzija ended up with a no-decision, he said, "If you look at all of my starts this year, that's probably one of the more proud starts I can say that I had.  There's been times when I've had good stuff and it's gone smoothly.  To come out early and scuffle, really not have fastball command or my slider all game, to get through the seven innings felt really good.  Felt like a starting pitcher."

Alfonso Soriano, Wellington Castillo and Brett Jackson all hit homers and Joe Mather had the go-ahead RBI single in the eighth inning.  Relief pitcher James Russell ended up with the win today.

Brett Jackson is congratulated by third base coach Pat Listach after hitting his homer against the Rockies on Friday (photo from Chicago Tribune)

Relief pitcher James Russell earned the win on Friday against the Rockies (photo from Chicago Tribune)

In other Cubs news, the Cubs selected right-handed pitcher Miguel Socolovich off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles.  Socolovich was optioned him to Triple-A Iowa. In a corresponding move catcher Blake Lalli was designated for assignment.

The Cubs also selected left-handed pitcher Alex Hinshaw off waivers from the San Diego Padres earlier this week.  Hinshaw is with the team, but hasn't appeared in a game with the Cubs yet.

Tomorrow the Cubs and Rockies will play the second game of the series at 12:05 CT.  Brooks Raley will start for the Cubs and try to earn his second win. 

Cubs win 7-1 over Astros; Darwin Barney extends errorless streak to franchise-leading 100 games

The Cubs beat the Houston Astros, 7-1 at Wrigley Field tonight.  Jeff Samardzija started for the Cubs and earned his eighth win of the season.  The "Shark" allowed one run on four hits and struck out 11 over seven innings pitched.

Jeff Samardzija earned his 8th win of the season and struck out 11 against the Astros on Monday night (photo from cubs.com)

I'm glad the Cubs offense finally came back tonight, as Darwin Barney and Alfonso Soriano both homered and Anthony Rizzo had four singles.

Darwin Barney also extended his club-record errorless streak to 100 games.  He has only one error in 110 games.  Manager Dale Sveum said, "Right now there's no doubt in my mind he should win the Gold Glove.  I know there are other guys out there that have done good jobs but I'd hate to see anybody that's done a better job on every facet of the game.  It's hard to think anybody's better at pop ups down the right field line that people forget about the way he goes after those."

Cubs second baseman Darwin Barney has a 100-game errorless streak, which leads the club's all-time record

“Turning the double play, he's been unbelievable.  It's not just making errors or not having any errors.  It's the range he's showed, the ability to have everything in his tool box going to his right, going to his left.”  Go, Darwin!

Barney said, “I put a lot of work into it and getting another year under my belt at the second-base position I think was big.  I reflected and thought about what are the plays I got in trouble on and what plays were tough for me.  Coming out early and having four or five coaches that played the infield helps.”

In other Cubs news, the team optioned pitcher Brooks Raley to Triple-A Iowa and called up Michael Bowden.  They also moved third baseman Ian Stewart to the 60-day disabled list.  Stewart had wrist surgery on July 10th and will be out for the rest of the season.

Raley's trip to Iowa is just temporary, since the Cubs will need him to start one of the games during Saturday's doubleheader against the Reds.  The team plans to recall Raley then.  New this season, teams can have a 26-man roster for doubleheaders so Raley will be the 26th man on Saturday and a relief pitcher will most likely be sent down before Sunday's game.  Bowden was called up to help out James Russell and Shawn Camp in the bullpen.

Starting pitcher Brooks Raley was sent down to Triple-A Iowa temporarily (Getty Images photo)

Tomorrow the Cubs and Astros will play the second game of the series at 7:05pm CT.  Chris Volstad will make the start for the Cubs and will hopefully be able to finally earn his first win as a Cub and also end his streak of 22 winless starts.

Brett Jackson and Josh Vitters make Cubs debut; Jeff Baker traded as Cubs lose 7-6 to Dodgers in crazy game

The Cubs lost 7-6 to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the final game of the three-game series this afternoon.  This was also the Cubs' fifth loss in a row.  Justin Germano made the start for the Cubs and allowed two runs over three hits while walking none and striking out three batters. 

There was a little bit of excitement before the game as the news came out that the Cubs traded utility player Jeff Baker to the Detroit Tigers for two players to be named later and also optioned outfielder Tony Campana to Triple-A Iowa.  In corresponding moves, the Cubs called up outfielder Brett Jackson and third baseman Josh Vitters from Triple-A Iowa.

Jackson and Vitters were on a 6am flight from Des Moines to Dallas, then arrived in Los Angeles just in time to get in a quick batting practice session.  "I can promise I'm going to play the game as hard as I always do, and I play to win, and that's the type of player I am and that's the type of player I'll always be," Jackson said.  I like the sound of that!

The long awaited call-up of outfielder Brett Jackson finally happened on Sunday against the Dodgers (photo from cubs.com)

Jackson was batting .256 with 15 home runs, 22 doubles, 12 triples, and 158 strikeouts in 106 games at Iowa, while Vitters was hitting .304 with 17 home runs, 32 doubles and two triples in 110 games.

Both Jackson and Vitters made their major league debuts in today's game.  Jackson grounded out to first in his first at-bat, was walked in the third inning and singled in the fifth inning.  Vitters flied out while pinch-hitting in the seventh.

Scott Maine blew the Cubs' lead by allowing three runs in the fifth.  However, the Cubs regained the lead when Alfonso Soriano hit a 2-run double in the seventh inning.  Then James Russell gave up a 2-run double to Andre Ethier in the seventh, which gave the Dodgers a 6-5 lead.

But it wasn't over yet, as Anthony Rizzo hit a game-tying home run to start off the ninth, but unfortunately Hanley Ramirez hit a walk-off RBI to win the game for the Dodgers in the ninth with one out.  Shawn Camp was tagged with today's loss.


In other Cubs news, Matt Garza will not start on Tuesday and is instead headed to the disabled list, which will be retroactive to 16 days because of elbow stiffness.  Casey Coleman or Chris Rusin will start for the Cubs on Tuesday in San Diego.  Ugh.

Tomorrow the Cubs will start a three-game series against the San Diego Padres at 9:05pm CT.  Travis Wood will start for the Cubs and try to earn his fifth win of the season.  I'm excited for the future of this team, but a win would be nice!

Anthony Rizzo's first career walk-off homer gives Cubs 4-2 win over Cardinals

What an exciting game today as the Cubs beat the Cardinals 4-2 after Anthony Rizzo's 2-run walk-off homer in the 10th inning.  The Cubs also take the series after winning 2 out of 3 games this weekend. 

Anthony Rizzo came through with his first career walk-off homer to give the Cubs the win against the Cardinals on Sunday (photo from cubs.com)

Paul Maholm started for the Cubs and allowed one run on four hits and also walked four batters and struck out five over 6.2 innings pitched.  The one run Maholm allowed was in the seventh inning and then he was pulled with the bases loaded.  Manny Corpas came into the game and got the last out.

Maholm set a record for the first Cubs left-handed pitcher since 1900 to have six straight start at least six innings long and allowing one or less runs in each.

Paul Maholm received a no-decision today, but set a Cubs franchise record in today's win against the Cardinals (photo from Chicago Tribune)

The Cardinals tied the game at 2 when Carlos Beltran hit a homer against relief pitcher Shawn Camp in the 8th inning.

Starlin Castro singled in the 10th inning and then Rizzo belted an 0-1 pitch into the left field bleachers for his first career walk-off homer.  James Russell earned his second straight win in relief in two consecutive days, which is his 5th of the season. 

The Cubs now have a record of 14 wins and 9 losses in July and are having their first winning July since they were 18-9 in 2009.  Last season, they were 9-17 this month.

Cubs manager Dale Sveum said, "Going into the second half, it was a goal to win a lot of baseball games and do whatever we could to get back to .500.  Obviously, it's an uphill battle to do it when we're, what, 17 games under .500.  Besides a pretty good hiccup against St. Louis [last weekend] against a really good offensive team, it's been a pretty good run of playing good baseball and winning a lot of games."

In other Cubs news, Ryan Dempster threw a side session today and for the time being, is still scheduled to start on Tuesday against the Pirates.  When Sveum was asked if he was looking forward to Wednesday, August 1st (after the trade deadline passes), he said, "Well, Tuesday at 3 o’clock will be fine, too.  Not that I know the time [of the Trade Deadline] or everything.”  Haha!

Pitcher Ryan Dempster looks onto the field from the Cubs dugout during Sunday's game against the Cardinals (photo from Chicago Tribune)

The Cubs will play the first game of a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates, starting tomorrow night at 7:05 CT at Wrigley Field.  Newly acquired pitcher Justin Germano will start for the Cubs.  Germano was acquired from the Boston Red Sox, where he was a Triple-A starter.  He made his Cubs debut last Saturday against the Cardinals and gave up one run on five hits over three innings.

Reed Johnson's bunt single leads Cubs to a 3-2 win against the Cardinals

I was lucky enough to be at Wrigley Field Saturday afternoon to watch the Cubs beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 in the second game of the three-game series.  Thanks to the generosity of Stanley's Kitchen and Tap, I got to watch the game from the best seats I've ever sat in at the Friendly Confines.

Jeff Samardzija started for the Cubs and allowed two runs on three hits and walked six batters and struck out seven over six innings pitched.  The Shark didn't get off to a good start when he threw seven straight balls and walked the bases loaded in the first inning.  Luckily, he was able to get out of the inning with just one run scored by the Cardinals.

Jeff Samardzija at bat in Saturday's game against the Cardinals (photo by Karen Burchell)

"There were spurts when I couldn't miss and I was making all my pitches, and there were times when I was battling myself," Samardzija said.  "It almost took having runners on to really get my head on straight and make big pitches."  Perhaps the best part about not knowing where your pitches might go is that neither does the opponent, which worked out nicely for the Cubs.

"You really can measure yourself against these teams," Samardzija said about facing the Cardinals and Pirates, who will face the Cubs at Wrigley Field next.  "We don't know our record, we don't know where we're at [in the standings].  Just every day, we know the guy we're facing and who's pitching for us.  I really like how we're playing baseball now.  It's fun to come to the park.  Everybody's excited and happy and wants to play all nine innings.  It's a lot of fun."

Bryan LaHair on-deck in Saturday's game against the Cardinals (photo by Karen Burchell)

The game was tied at 2 in the seventh inning when Bryan LaHair walked and Tony Campana came into the game to pinch run for LaHair.  Campana stole second base and reached third when Geovany Soto singled.  Then Jeff Baker lined out and Luis Valbuena struck out.

Reed Johnson then bunted towards third with what ended up being the game-winning RBI which scored Tony "wheels" Campana.

Reed Johnson before his game-winning RBI in the seventh inning (photo by Karen Burchell)

Tony Campana scores on Reed Johnson's 2-out bunt single to give the Cubs the lead against the Cardinals (photo by Karen Burchell)

“That was all on his own,” Cubs manager Dale Sveum said of Johnson's decision to bunt.  “Reed is one of those baseball players that has those kinds of things in his tool box.  He is one of those guys who gets picked up now or even after the deadline because he is a valuable guy to a team that is vying for a championship.”

Also in the seventh inning, when Sveum came on the field to challenge the call of Castro being called out at first on Daniel Descalso's throw, he was ejected for the third time this season.  Which is just ridiculous since the replay showed that Castro clearly beat the throw to first.

Oh well, another argument for instant replay in MLB games.  Relief pitcher James Russell earned the win and Carlos Marmol earned the save today.

Here are some of my photos from the game:

Starlin Castro at bat against the Cardinals (photo by Karen Burchell)

Anthony Rizzo at bat against the Cardinals (photo by Karen Burchell)

Relief pitcher James Russell earned the win against the Cardinals (photo by Karen Burchell)

Cubs players celebrate their win against the Cardinals on Saturday (photo by Karen Burchell)

Cubs players celebrate their win against the Cardinals as Wrigley Field is singing "Go Cubs Go" (photo by Karen Burchell)

Tomorrow the Cubs and Cards will play the rubber game of the series at 1:20pm CT.  Paul Maholm will start for the Cubs and try to earn his 10th win of the season which would also be his sixth straight win.

Matt Garza leaves in 4th inning with cramps and Cubs bullpen gets blown out 12-0 by Cardinals; Ron Santo's HOF induction and soccer match at Wrigley on Sunday

The Cubs lost 12-0 to the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium tonight.  The Cards scored all 12 runs in the seventh inning, which tied the Cubs record for most runs allowed in an inning.  Matt Garza started for the Cubs and pitched three scoreless innings, but had to leave the game early with cramps in his right triceps.  X-rays on his arm were negative and his status is day-to-day.

Matt Garza had to leave the game against the Cardinals in the third inning due to cramping in his right triceps (photo from Chicago Tribune)

Newly acquired right handed pitcher Justin Germano came into the game to replace Garza in the fourth inning and pitched three scoreless innings before allowing an infield hit to lead off the seventh inning and was pulled from the game.

After that, the Cardinals took advantage of James Russell, Manny Corpas and Rafael Dolis to score a dozen runs.  The last time the Cubs gave up 12 runs in an inning was on July 30th, 2010 against the Rockies.

Justin Germano made his Cubs debut when he came into the game to replace Garza (photo from Chicago Tribune)

In other Cubs news, FOX Sports reported that the Dodgers are "very unlikely" to come up with a package for Ryan Dempster, which is a change from yesterday, when the Cubs were supposedly weighing a package from the Dodgers for Dempster.  Reporter Ken Rosenthal said the Dodgers prefer not to trade their better prospects for a rental player, since Dempster will be a free agent after this season.

The Dodgers may not be interested in trading for Ryan Dempster after all (photo from Chicago Tribune)

However, there are still rumors of the Dodgers having interest in Garza, but that's all they are at this point - rumors.  Manager Dale Sveum talked about players being concerned about the rumors and said, "You just nip it in the bud.  You're like, 'Guys, there are going to be rumors.  All it takes is somebody to think this team needs a kind of player like you are and your name is going to be mentioned, and there's no substance to anything.'  Obviously there might be substance, but 90 percent of the time (there isn't), and out of nowhere it's 'Wow.'"

Cubs GM Jed Hoyer also weighed in and said, "All the guys on your team sit there and look over their shoulder.  I think everyone exhales after the Deadline for that reason.  I think every player on that field has been part of some rumor at some point this year, even Starlin [Castro] for a while -- that rumor was out there, which was unfounded."

Tomorrow the Cubs and Cardinals will play the final game in the three-game series at 1:15pm CT in St. Louis.  Travis Wood will start for the Cubs and try to earn his fifth win of the season.  Here's to hoping the Cubs don't get swept by the redbirds.

Ron Santo will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame along with Reds shortstop Barry Larkin tomorrow at 1:30pm ET in Cooperstown, NY.  Live coverage will start on MLB Network and will also be simulcast on MLB.com an hour earlier.  For more information about Ron Santo's induction, here's a link to the article on cubs.com.

Ron Santo's banner at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY

Also, back in Chicago, Wrigley Field will host the international "Friendly at the Confines" match tomorrow between Italy's AS Roma and Poland's Zaglebie Lubin at 2:30pm CT.

Soccer players practice at Wrigley Field on Saturday to get ready for Sunday's match (photo from @Cubs on twitter)

Travis Wood pitches the Cubs to a 6-1 win against the Mets; The Anthony Rizzo era is about to begin

The Cubs won 6-1 over the New York Mets at Wrigley Field tonight.  Travis Wood started for the Cubs and pitched seven shutout innings and allowed five hits, one walk, and threw six strikeouts on 93 pitches.  Wood had excellent command of his pitches and led his team to a win.

Travis Wood pitched seven shutout innings against the Mets (photo from cubs.com)

Joe Mather got the Cubs on the board with a hard-hit two-run homer in the fourth inning.  The Cubs then scored four runs in the seventh inning when the Mets made three errors.  Shawn Camp pitched in relief in a scoreless eighth inning, but the Cubs were one out from a shutout in the ninth inning when Ike Davis hit a solo home run off of James Russell.

Joe Mather is congratulated by Geovany Soto after his 2-run homer against the Mets (photo from cubs.com)

This was definitely one of the more fun games to watch this season!  Go Cubs Go!

The other big news of today - It's official:  Anthony Rizzo is on his way to Chicago and will start in Tuesday night's game against the New York Mets. 

Rizzo was hitting .345 with 23 homers and 62 RBI in 69 games at Iowa.  After his second at-bat during the Iowa Cubs' game against Round Rock today, he was told he had been promoted to Chicago.  “I had no idea before the game,” Rizzo said.  “After that at-bat, I figured something was up because (manager Dave Bialas) usually comes out to get the helmet of whoever makes the final out.  He didn’t do it that time.  He told me to come on in.  That’s when he told me I was going to Chicago.”

Regarding Cubs fans, Rizzo said, “I want to tell them that there’s going to be good times, and there will there be bad times.  Hopefully there will be times I’m a hero, and there will be times that I’m the villain.  That’s the nature of the game, and that goes for every baseball player.”

Anthony Rizzo (shown here during Cubs' spring training) will make his Cubs debut Tuesday against the Mets (photo from Chicago Tribune)

Cubs manager Dale Sveum said that Rizzo "has got to understand he's not a savior of this offense right now.  I think that's what he's got to be careful of.  If he comes up here and tries to save a struggling offense...he can't do it with one swing of the bat.  It'd be nice if he did."

Sveum said he'll probably bat Rizzo third or fourth in the lineup "so somebody can hit behind him."  Bryan LaHair, who has been playing the most at first base, will play in the outfield almost exclusively, and Rizzo will play first base "most of the time", according to Sveum.

“You’re going to play in front of the greatest fans in baseball,” former teammate Chris Volstad told Rizzo in the clubhouse during the Iowa Cubs’ game against Round Rock.  “You’ll do great.”

Well, this sure is exciting news and gives Cubs fans something to be pumped about, since the Cubs currently have the worst record in the Majors.  After tonight's game, Adrian Cardenas has been optioned to Triple-A Iowa to make room for Rizzo on the 25-man roster.  Rizzo will wear number 44 for the Cubs.

In other Cubs news, former Cubs outfielder Marlon Byrd, who was traded to the Boston Red Sox for pitcher Michael Bowden was suspended for 50 games for testing positive for an estrogen-blocking drug, tamoxifen, which is used to minimize side effects typical in steroid use and is one of 200 substances on the banned list, but is not a performance-enhancing drug.

Former Cub Marlon Byrd has been placed on the restricted list and suspended for 50 games (photo from Chicago Tribune)

Via the players' union, Byrd released the following statement:  "I made an inexcusable mistake. Several years ago, I had surgery for a condition that was private and unrelated to baseball.  Last winter, I suffered a recurrence of that condition and I was provided with a medication that resulted in my positive test.  Although that medication is on the banned list, I absolutely did not use it for performance enhancement reasons.  I am mortified by my carelessness and I apologize to everyone who loves this game as I do.  I will serve my suspension, continue to work hard and hope that I am given an opportunity to help a club win later this season."  Byrd had been released by the Red Sox and was playing at the minor league level.

Tomorrow is the big game at 7:05pm where Anthony Rizzo will make his debut.  Randy Wells will start for the Cubs in place of Ryan Dempster (who is on the disabled list for a tight right lat) and try for his second win of the season.

Cubs win 4-3 over Tigers; Rudy Jaramillo fired; Jorge Soler is a Cub

The Cubs win 4-3 over the Detroit Tigers at Wrigley Field tonight for their second straight win.  Paul Maholm started for the Cubs and pitched an excellent six shutout innings.  Maholm left the game with two on base and no outs.  He struck out seven batters and issued one walk tonight, but ended up with a no decision, unfortunately.

Casey Coleman came into the game in relief and gave up the lead and was pulled for James Russell when the game was tied at 3.

Russell got the job done and retired all three batters he faced.  Then Carlos Marmol came in and was successful in relief and earned his first win of the season while Shawn Camp earned the save.

Darwin Barney had 3 RBIs tonight and was 1-for-3.  Tony Campana stole three bases tonight.

In other Cubs news, the team signed corner outfielder Jorge Soler to a guaranteed nine-year, $30 million contract yesterday.  Soler is 20 years old, 6-foot-4 and 225-pounds and is considered by many to be the next big Cuban prospect on the scene.  Soler was declared a free agent last week and received interest from many other teams, including the Yankees, Blue Jays, White Sox, Marlins, Phillies, Orioles, and Red Sox. 

Rudy Jaramillo, the Cubs' hitting coach, was fired today.  This was his third season with the North siders and the team's on-base percentage has declined each of the seasons he's been the hitting coach. However, "Rudy's not to blame for the results," said Cubs President Theo Epstein earlier today.

"That's something we're all accountable for.  We put the roster together.  It's probably more on us than it is on him.  I'm sure a lot of players feel accountable, too.  It's not based on results.  It's more trying to get a new voice with a new message.  We have a certain hitting philosophy we believe in, and we have a lot of growth that awaits us as an organization."

James Rowson, the Cubs' Minor League hitting coordinator, will be the interim hitting coach. 

The Cubs and Rudy Jaramillo parted ways earlier today (photo from cubs.com)

Tomorrow the Cubs and Tigers will play game two of the three-game series at 7:05pm CT.  Matt Garza will start for the Cubs and try to earn his third win of the season.  I'll be at the game, so I'll be posting lots of photos!

Ryan Dempster and the Cubs win 8-2 over the Twins and head back to Chicago to prepare for the Tigers and Red Sox

The Cubs beat the Minnesota Twins, 8-2 and avoid being swept at Target Field.  Ryan Dempster started for the Cubs and had another excellent outing as he allowed four hits and no runs.  He also struck out six and walked one batter on 117 pitches during eight innings pitched and earns his second win of the season.

Ryan Dempster earned his second win of the season today against the Twins (photo from cubs.com)

Joe Mather congratulates Reed Johnson after he scores against the Twins during the first inning (Getty Photo)

Starlin Castro and Darwin Barney celebrate the Cubs' win against the Twins (photo from Chicago Tribune)

James Russell came into the game in the ninth inning to close out the game, but gave up two runs and spoiled the shutout.  The Cubs finished this road trip with a 2-8 record and are now 20-40 for the season.

In other Cubs news, catcher Geovany Soto, who has been on the disabled list since he had arthroscopic surgery for a meniscus tear in his left knee, will begin his rehab assignment on Monday at Triple-A Iowa.  He's expected to play between three to five games with the Iowa Cubs and could possibly come back to the Cubs roster this weekend against the Red Sox.

Tomorrow the Cubs have an off-day before they start a six-game homestand against the Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox at Wrigley Field.  Paul Maholm will start against the Tigers at 7:05pm CT and try to earn his fifth win of the season.  Let's hope the Cubs can do better from the Friendly Confines than they did on the road.