Cubs lose 3-0 to Reds, but Brooks Raley makes an impression on Sveum

The Cubs lost 3-0 to the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field on Sunday afternoon.  They have now lost 11 of their last 12 games since the trade deadline passed on July 31st, averaging 2.4 runs per game since.

Cubs manager Dale Sveum said, "You can say what you want, but our starters have actually done a pretty good job since the Trade Deadline.  We've just stopped hitting." 

Rookie left-handed pitcher Brooks Raley made his second start for the Cubs and retired the first 13 hitters he faced and left the game after six innings trailing 3-0.

Left handed starter Brooks Raley pitched well against the Reds on Sunday (photo from cubs.com)

Even though the Cubs lost the game, Sveum spoke highly of Raley and said, "He did a great job.  A couple of fly balls went out, and they weren't even hit that good.  He kept the ball down with movement.  He had a lot of life on the ball.  He did far and above what we wanted."

Raley said, "In the five days between starts I got to watch the older guys, see what they do.  The biggest thing I saw them do was throw strike one, getting ahead, working down (in the strike zone)."

Well, I'm glad to see that at least the starting pitching hasn't been the issue since the Cubs traded Ryan Dempster and Paul Maholm and Matt Garza has been on the disabled list.  But it sure would be nice if the offense could get going again.

The Cubs will start a three-game series against the Houston Astros at Wrigley Field beginning tonight at 7:05pm CT.  Jeff Samardzija will start for the Cubs and try to earn his eighth win of the season.

Cubs lose 8-4 to Pirates; The latest roster changes

The Cubs lost the rubber game 8-4 against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field this afternoon, which I witnessed in person. 

Travis Wood started for the Cubs and allowed two runs on three hits while walking three batters and striking out six over 98 pitches in five innings.  This was Wood's fourth straight loss.

Travis Wood sports his new haircut while making the start against the Pirates on Wednesday (photo by Karen Burchell)

Wood said, "It was a battle early.  I was missing location, and just off and throwing balls. Unfortunately, we came up short.  I felt like I took a stride today, even though I didn’t go deep into the ball game and threw a lot of pitches, I still felt like I kept them off-balance and keep our team in the ball game.”

Very true, the game was close until the Pirates scored five runs off reliever Shawn Camp, who wasn't able to get anyone out.  This was a departure from the usually reliable Camp, who had give up on ly two runs in his last 20 outings.  Camp's ERA jumped from 2.70 to 3.54.

The Cubs rallied in the ninth and scored three runs, but it was too little, too late.

Starlin Castro is congratulated by his teammates in the dugout after his homer against the Pirates on Wednesday (photo from Chicago Tribune)

In other Cubs news, Chris Volstad was called up from Triple-A Iowa and is scheduled to start on Saturday.  Let's hope he can turn his season with the Cubs around and finally earn a win (his record is 0-7 with the Cubs this season).

Relief pitcher Alberto Cabrera was also called up from the Iowa Cubs and made his major league debut by striking out two batters in a scoreless inning in Wednesday's game.

Casey Coleman was optioned to Triple-A Iowa after starting for the Cubs on Tuesday and allowing a grand slam in the first inning.

Second baseman Darwin Barney,  who was hit in the helmet with a slider by pitcher A.J. Burnett during Tuesday night's game is predicted to be back in the lineup on Friday against the Dodgers in Los Angeles.  Thankfully, tests showed that Barney is ok.

Second baseman Darwin Barney had to leave the game Tuesday night after being hit in the head by a pitch (photo from Chicago Tribune)

This has been a busy week for the Cubs President of Baseball Operations, Theo Epstein, as the team dealt top pitchers Ryan Dempster and Paul Maholm, as well as utility player Reed Johnson and catcher Geovany Soto.  Dempster and Soto have landed with the Texas Rangers and Maholm and Johnson have ended up on the Atlanta Braves.

"They're great guys -- outstanding pitchers, outstanding teammates," Wood said of the ex-Cubs. "When you lose people like that, it's hard to replace them.  They're moving on and we have to, too."
"We lost a lot of good friends, good teammates and on top of that, good baseball players," Baker said. "We put ourselves in a situation where we got off to a slow start and didn't play well.  I still believe in the guys in the room and it's an opportunity for some guys to prove themselves so they can play and be part of the plans going forward.  We still have to play good baseball.  Everyone in here is a big league player, and now it's time to step up and run with it."

Dempster said, "I definitely don't close doors on possibly coming back to the Cubs.  It was just an unbelievable nine years of my career and of my life.  It's been more than just a baseball team to me. It's been a city and a way of life."  We'll miss you, Demp!

Starting pitcher Matt Garza, who has been out with a triceps injury since July 21st, will throw a bullpen session over the weekend and could start on Tuesday in San Diego, if things go well with the bullpen session.  Garza and his wife also welcomed a baby daughter, who they named Summer, on Tuesday.

The Cubs have an off-day tomorrow and will play a three-game series against the Dodgers in Los Angeles starting Friday night at 9:10pm CT.  Jeff Samardzija will start on Friday and try to earn his eighth win of the season.

Cubs stomp on Pirates 14-4 on a crazy night at Wrigley Field; Johnson, Maholm and Soto traded during game

The Cubs stomped on the 2nd place Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field on an eventful night at Wrigley Field. 

Justin Germano started for the Cubs and allowed two runs on four hits while walking two batters and striking out three over five innings pitched.  Germano was acquired from the Boston Red Sox for cash considerations on July 19th and earned his first Cubs win tonight. 

Germano confirmed the trade craziness happening during the game and said, "It seemed like every time I turned around, someone else was leaving." 

Justin Germano earned his first Cubs win against the Pirates on Monday night

The Cubs scored 9 runs in the 5th inning and there was also a wedding proposal that was missed and re-broadcasted on the scoreboard, in addition to the trades happening during the game.

Anthony Rizzo and Darwin Barney each hit three-run home runs, and Starlin Castro hit a two-run homer.  This was the most runs the Cubs have scored in an inning since they scored 10 on August 14, 2009. They also scored eight runs in an inning on September 8, 2009.  All three big inning games were against the Pirates.

Reed Johnson was pulled in the 5th inning for a pinch hitter and was seen shaking hands and exchanging hugs with his teammates in the dugout, which was fueling the theory that he might have been traded.  It's now been confirmed that Johnson and LHP Paul Maholm have been traded to the Atlanta Braves for Arodys Vizcaino and Jaye Chapman.

LHP Paul Maholm has been traded to the Braves (Reuters photo)

Reed Johnson has been traded to the Braves

Around the same time that Johnson was pulled, Brett Jackson, who was the Cubs first draft pick in 2009, was pulled from the Iowa Cubs game.  It's predicted that Jackson will be added to the Cubs roster on Tuesday.

Top prospect Brett Jackson is expected to be called up from the Iowa Cubs on Tuesday

In the 6th inning, Geovany Soto was pulled and also seen exchanging handshakes and hugs with teammates in the dugout before leaving.  During the 8th inning, news surfaced on Twitter that Soto had been traded to the Texas Rangers for Double-A pitcher Jacob Brigham.

Catcher Geovany Soto has been traded to the Texas Rangers

Alfonso Soriano has reportedly told the Cubs he will not go to the San Francisco Giants in a trade.  Sori was pulled in the 8th inning, but wasn't seen giving hugs or handshakes, so it was unclear if he was about to be traded.

Alfonso Soriano doesn't want to go to the Giants

Darwin Barney was a double away from the cycle in tonight's game and was offensively on fire.

Darwin Barney after his three-run homer in the fifth inning against the Pirates (photo from cubs.com)

Tomorrow the Cubs and Pirates will play game two of the three-game series at Wrigley Field at 7:05pm CT.  For now, Ryan Dempster is scheduled to start for the Cubs and he has been preparing for the game, although there is still a large possibility that Demp will be traded before the 3pm trade deadline tomorrow.  We shall see! 

Dempster said, "I've enjoyed every moment I've played here, and I'm super proud to be a Chicago Cub and I understand that's always a possibility (to stay with the Cubs), and if that's the case, I'm going to give everything I have starting [Tuesday] night.  Whatever ends up happening in 24 hours or 23 hours from now, we'll find out then.  It could be sooner, it could be wearing my uniform and going out and pitching [Tuesday]."

Will Ryan Dempster be traded on Tuesday?

If Demp is traded, Casey Coleman is the most likely pitcher to be called up from Triple-A Iowa, since he's scheduled to start there anyway.  Again, we shall see what happens tomorrow!

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.

Cubs win 2-0 over Pirates and Ryan Dempster is still a Cub

The Cubs won against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park tonight with a score of 2-0 in game one of the three game series.  Jeff Samardzija pitched an amazing game and allowed no runs and just one hit while striking out five batters and walking one over eight innings pitched. 

Jeff Samardzija allowed just one hit in eight scoreless innings pitched against the Pirates (photo from cubs.com)

Alfonso Soriano had two RBI doubles (one in the 4th inning and one in the 9th), which both brought home Starlin Castro to score.  Tonight's win snapped the Cubs' 3-game losing streak and also the Pirates' 5-game winning streak.  This was also the Cubs' 15th win in their last 23 games, and their first against the Pirates in four games this season.

Carlos Marmol pitched in the ninth inning to earn his 12th save in 14 opportunities.

Before tonight's game, there were all kinds of rumors and trade talk mostly regarding the Cubs' #1 starting pitcher, Ryan Dempster.  It appeared that even MLB and the Cubs had announced that Dempster was going to the Braves, but them Dempster (@RyanDempsterFDN) tweeted: "THERE IS NO TRADE dont know where this info came from" 

@Len Kasper also tweeted, "Demp still a Cub for now. Gotta love Twitter."  

As of tonight, Ryan Dempster is still a Cub (photo from cubs.com)

One of the tweets that started it all a little after 2pm CT was the @mlbtraderumors account, which tweeted, "Braves Acquire Ryan Dempster http://bit.ly/QsFtAQ  #mlb"

There's a possibility of everything," Cubs manager Dale Sveum said.  "Something could come up at the 11th hour.  It's that time of year; when you have the commodities that people want, anything can happen at any given time.  The odds of all three of them being gone, no.  That's very impossible odds."

There have also been talks of the Pirates being interested in Paul Maholm, especially since they are contenders and need to bolster their starting pitching and know a lot about their former starter.  “There are rumors and we’ll see how it turns out,” Maholm said.  “It should be an interesting few days or whatever we’ve got [until the July 31 deadline.]”

Could Paul Maholm be headed back to his former team? (AP photo)

In other Cubs news, starting pitcher Matt Garza, who left his last start early due to soreness/cramping in his right triceps, is not expected to make his next scheduled start after all on Friday at Wrigley Field against the St. Louis Cardinals.

“I don’t think it’s going to happen,” Sveum said.  “If he’s not going to throw a [between start] bullpen I don’t think he’s going to throw Friday.”  Travis Wood will start on Friday in place of Garza.  With an off day Thursday, Wood would still be on a five-day schedule after pitching Sunday in St. Louis.

Tomorrow the Cubs and Pirates will play game two of the series at 6:05pm CT.  Maholm will start for the Cubs and face his old team.

Paul Maholm and Cubs get a 4-2 "W" over Marlins and win another series; Cubs acquire Justin Germano from Red Sox and designate Jairo Asencio for assignment

The Cubs won their second straight game against the Miami Marlins today and also won the series and are 5-1 in the homestand.  Paul Maholm started for the Cubs and was on his game as he lasted eight innings and threw 106 pitches.  I was at today's game and it was one of the shortest games I've been to at 2 hours and 18 minutes.

Paul Maholm earned his fourth win in a row against the Marlins on Thursday (photo by Karen Burchell)

Maholm allowed just one run on five hits over eight innings and walked one batter and struck out four, and now has an 8-6 record with an ERA of 4.09 after winning his last four starts.

Alfonso Soriano hit his 18th homer of the season in the fifth inning which started a four-run inning for the Cubs.  Reed Johnson also made an incredible diving catch in right field off Jose Reyes, which Maholm definitely appreciated.  "It was huge. I'm sure if that gets by him, I'm probably done," Maholm said of Johnson's catch.  "Whenever he hit it, I kind of gave up in my mind that he just got a triple.  Reed, obviously, is a very good defensive outfielder and made an unbelievable catch."

Alfonso Soriano is congratulated by teammates after his homer in the fifth inning against the Marlins (photo by Karen Burchell)

Manager Dale Sveum said, "Soriano's home run was huge.  Obviously he was pitching well, and then to come back and Reed Johnson's two-out base hit to left field was kind of the backbreaker for Buehrle." Today was Buehrle's first loss to the Cubs since June 22, 2007.

After today's win, the Cubs are 14-5 in their last 19 games, which is the best record in the majors since June 25th.  Jeff Baker said, "Guys are playing good baseball.  It's fun."  Reed Johnson also added, "This team is obviously pretty good.  We've played some tough games and had some really good results of late, so hopefully it shows we're not as far away as we thought we were."

In other Cubs news, the team acquired relief pitcher Justin Germano today, who was designated for assignment by the Boston Red Sox, for cash considerations.  In a corresponding move, the Cubs designated relief pitcher Jairo Asencio for assignment.

The Cubs acquired reliever Justin Gemano from the Red Sox on Thursday (US Presswire photo)

Germano is 29 years old and has a career record of 8-20 with a 4.91 ERA.  If Germano isn't able to make it to St. Louis in time for Friday's game, Casey Coleman (who was scratched from his start on Thursday) might be brought in from the Iowa Cubs to cover the roster spot.

The Cubs will travel to St. Louis to play a three-game series against the Cardinals starting at 7:15pm CT Friday.  Ryan Dempster was scheduled to pitch, but with the trade rumors flying like crazy, who knows if that will change.

Here are some photos I took at today's game:

Cubs hanging out before their game against the Marlins (photo by Karen Burchell)

Cubs players during the National Anthem before Thursday's game against the Marlins (photo by Karen Burchell)

Reed Johnson makes it to second base against the Marlins on Thursday (photo by Karen Burchell)

First baseman Anthony Rizzo batting for the Cubs on Thursday against the Marlins (photo by Karen Burchell)

Matt Garza, Travis Wood and Jeff Samardzija in the Cubs dugout during Thursday's game against the Marlins (photo by Karen Burchell)

Actor and Chicago native Gary Sinise sings the 7th inning stretch in Thursday's game against the Marlins (photo by Karen Burchell)

Starlin Castro (photo by Karen Burchell)

The Cubs celebrate their 4-2 win over the Marlins on Thursday (photo by Karen Burchell)

"Go Cubs Go" and the "W" flag after the Cubs' win over the Marlins on Thursday (photo by Karen Burchell)

Cubs win 8-1 over Diamondbacks after 3 hour and 40 minute rain delay; David and Kim DeJesus to hold ALS Awareness Events before and after Saturday's game

The Cubs beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-1 at Wrigley Field today after a three hour and 40 minute rain delay.  Paul Maholm started for the Cubs and and allowed one run on six hits and struck out five batters and walked one over seven innings pitched.  This was Maholm's seventh win of the season and his third win in a row.

Alfonso Soriano was 4-for-4 in today's game and had five RBIs with two homers and two doubles.  "I feel very good, my mind and body, too," said Soriano.  "To have success, it's all about my legs.  The last month or two my legs are feeling very good."

Outfielders Joe Mather, Alfonso Soriano and David DeJesus celebrate the Cubs 8-1 win over the Diamondbacks on Friday (photo from Chicago Cubs)

Maholm and Bryan LaHair each also had RBIs in today's victory.  "Obviously, the first two months we didn't play very well," Maholm said.  "But over the last six-seven weeks we've kept battling and kept expecting to win.  Now it's paying off.  We're having fun.  We're working hard to make sure we're ready for every game."

Paul Maholm earned his seventh win of the season against the Diamondbacks on Friday (photo from Chicago Tribune)

This is the Cubs' eighth victory in their last 11 games.  Manager Dale Sveum said, "Everybody right now is playing pretty good baseball, but it starts with that starting pitching and our starting pitching has been really good for a couple of weeks."

The Cubs are no longer in last place in the NL Central division, which is great to see, even though they are still 14.5 games behind the first place Pirates.

Anthony Rizzo and Joe Mather sit in the Cubs' dugout during the rain delay Friday (photo from Chicago Tribune)

Anthony Rizzo removes his spikes and socks to walk down the flooded walkway to the Cubs' clubhouse (photo from Chicago Tribune)

Tomorrow the Cubs and Diamondbacks will play game two of the three game series at 12:05pm CT.  Ryan Dempster will start for the Cubs and it's expected that there will be numerous scouts in the stands watching him pitch.  This may be Dempster's last start at Wrigley Field as a Cub if he is traded soon (before the July 31st trade deadline).

If you are in the area or heading to tomorrow's game, don't forget to come early to stop by Kim DeJesus' (wife of David DeJesus) table right outside the main gate of Wrigley Field, where she will be hosting an ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) awareness day.

Starting at approximately 10:05am, there will be mystery baseballs for sale for a $50 donation.  Each Cubs player has autographed a dozen baseballs and they have been wrapped so you won't know which player's ball you'll receive until you open the package.  There will also be ALS bracelets available for a small donation.  All proceeds will benefit ALS research.

After tomorrow's game, David DeJesus will be holding an autograph signing at the Cubs store across the street from Wrigley Field (by the 'Big Noodle' at Clark and Addison).  For a minimum donation of $20, you can get meet the Cubs outfielder and get a photo/autograph from him.

Here's a link to my previous post about tomorrow's events:  http://cubbynews.blogspot.com/2012/07/david-and-kim-dejesus-to-hold-als.html

Dempster and Garza trade talk; Cubs finalize deal with Albert Almora; LaHair and Castro at All-Star Game

Now that the All-Star game is over, (in case you haven't heard, or have been living in a hole, the National League shut out the American League 8-0) Theo Epstein and the Cubs can move on and see what deals they can make before the July 31st trade deadline.  Even though I don't want players such as Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza to go, I'm a realist and understand that we must plan for the future, especially in a "rebuilding" year.

Apparently the Dodgers and Orioles are both interested in Dempster and Garza and have been talking to the Cubs.  The Red Sox, Yankees and Blue Jays might also be interested in Garza.


Dempster has now pitched 27 straight scoreless innings and will make his second start since returning from the disabled list on Saturday against the Diamondbacks at Wrigley Field.

Ryan Dempster could be traded before the July 31st trade deadline (photo from cubs.com)

Garza isn't having the best year on the Cubs, but is still generating interest from many teams, who haven't forgotten his effectiveness with the Rays in the super-competitive AL East division.

Matt Garza is also drawing interest from many teams (photo from Chicago Tribune)

In other Cubs news, the team has officially signed 18-year old, 6-foot-2, 180 pound outfielder Albert Almora, who was the No. 6 overall pick in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft.  Almora reportedly received a signing bonus of $3.9 million.

Outfielder Albert Almora has officially signed with the Cubs

"I'm speechless," Almora said after being drafted last month.  "I don't remember much of anything that happened tonight.  I know that the Cubs drafted me and I'm grateful, but I'm still kind of shocked and overwhelmed." Almora reports to Mesa today for his first workout with the Cubs organization.

Cubs third baseman Ian Stewart had surgery on his wrist on Tuesday and everything went well.  Stewart tweeted the following, "Thanks for all the prayers and well wishes today...surgery was a success and now back in the hotel resting...thanks again #FightOn"

Third baseman Ian Stewart had successful wrist surgery Tuesday, but will most likely be out for the rest of the season

Here are some photos of Bryan LaHair and Starlin Castro representing the Cubs and the National League in this year's All-Star game:

Bryan LaHair and Starlin Castro at the 2012 All-Star Game in Kansas City (photo from Chicago Cubs)

Starlin Castro and Bryan LaHair prepare to talk to the media for this year's All-Star game (photo from Chicago Cubs)

The Cubs will play a three-game against the Arizona Diamondbacks starting at 1:20pm CT on Friday at Wrigley Field.  Paul Maholm will start for the Cubs and try for his third win in a row and seventh win of the season.

Ryan Dempster returns from DL and is outstanding as Cubs win 7-0 over Mets and take the series

The Cubs shutout the Mets 7-0 and win the series against the New York Mets on Sunday at Citi Field.  Ryan Dempster returned from the disabled list and had another outstanding start as he allowed just four hits and struck out four batters and walked none over five innings pitched.

Dempster threw 63 pitches today and his scoreless streak was extended to 27 innings.  It's the longest streak by a Cubs pitcher since Kenny Holtzman's 27-inning streak in 1971.  Demps finishes the first half with an impressive 1.99 ERA.

Ryan Dempster returned from the disabled list and pitched five scoreless innings against the Mets on Sunday (photo from cubs.com)

As expected, pitcher Chris Volstad, who was with the team and made a spot start for Dempster on Tuesday against the Braves, was optioned to Triple-A Iowa to make room on the roster for Dempster. 

The Cubs got off to a great start by scoring four runs in the first inning.  Alfonso Soriano had an RBI single, followed by Jeff Baker's RBI double, then Geovany Soto's 2-RBI single.  In the seventh inning, Starlin Castro hit a three-run homer to give the Cubs a 7-0 lead.

Paul Maholm made his first career relief appearance after 201 starts and pitched one scoreless inning, followed by scoreless innings by Manny Corpas, James Russell and Shawn Camp.  The Cubs ended up with a 4-3 record on the road trip, and have won 9 of their last 13 games heading into the All-Star break.

When asked who his first half MVPs were, manager Dale Sveum said Shawn Camp and James Russell.  Camp was 2-4 with a 2.86 ERA and one save, while Russell was 2-0 with a 2.43 ERA going into Sunday's game.  Russell had a 2.30 ERA in 101 games since the start of 2011, the second-lowest mark by a National League left-hander.

"Those guys have been phenomenal in the first half," Sveum said.  "Without those two guys, we would've been in a lot of trouble.  The combination of both of them has been tremendous.  They've been consistent all season long.  To have the numbers they have, and handle a position they've been put in [that they aren't used to] speaks volumes for what they've done for this team this year."

Starlin Castro and Bryan LaHair will be the Cubs' representatives in Kansas City at this year's All-Star game on Tuesday at 6:30pm CT on FOX.  "You're always ready for a break in this game," Sveum said.  "[Four] days off will be nice."

Bryan LaHair and Starlin Castro were selected to play in the 2012 All-Star Game in Kansas City (photo from cubs.com)

LaHair said, "This morning, I woke up and I'm like, 'Hmm, I've got a game today, and I'm going to Kansas City,' and it's kind of cool -- I'm going to meet my brother and wife there."  Go NL!

Paul Maholm backed by HRs from LaHair, Baker and Rizzo as Cubs beat Braves 5-1 on Independence Day

The Cubs had a happy 4th of July as they won 5-1 over the Atlanta Braves.  Paul Maholm started for the Cubs and allowed one run on eight hits and struck out five batters and walked one over six innings pitched.  He earned his second straight victory of the season.

Paul Maholm earned his second straight win on July 4th against the Braves (photo from Chicago Tribune)

"We're obviously playing a lot better baseball than we were the first two months," Maholm said.  "I think you can credit every guy in here who comes in here and prepares every day and expects to win and lays it out there, and however it may be, we'll come in and do the same thing."

Bryan LaHair, Jeff Baker, and Anthony Rizzo all hit homers in Wednesday's game.  This was the Cubs' seventh win in their last nine games, which is a nice trend to see after their poor first half of the season.  The Cubs now are 31-50 at the halfway point.

Jeff Baker is congratulated by teammates after hitting a homer in the July 4th game against the Braves (photo from Chicago Tribune)

In other Cubs news, Ryan Dempster is hoping that manager Dale Sveum will let him start on Sunday in New York, since he feels like he's ready to come off the disabled list.  "I think they trust me," Dempster said.  Sveum said, "He's so attuned to his mechanics and his arm and how he feels.  It's at the point where it's not like we'd leave him out there for 110 pitches or something either.  He's feeling as good as he ever does.  That's the kicker to it all."

Tomorrow the Cubs and Braves will play the final game of the four-game series at 6:10pm CT.  Matt Garza will start for the Cubs and try for his fifth win.

Independence Day festivities in Atlanta before the Cubs-Braves game (photo from Chicago Tribune)

Chris Volstad is back to old ways as Cubs lose 10-3 to Braves

The Cubs lost 10-3 to the Atlanta Braves tonight.  I guess 5 wins in a row was being too hopeful.  Oh well, tomorrow's a new day!

Chris Volstad was called up from Triple-A Iowa to start for the Cubs and gave up six runs on seven hits with two walks over 4-1/3 innings.  In a corresponding move, Casey Coleman was optioned to Triple-A Iowa today, which also happens to be his birthday.

Chris Volstad couldn't lead the Cubs to a win Tuesday and now has a winless streak of 20 games (photo from cubs.com)

Volstad was back to his fifth inning troubles, when he gave up five runs.  He wasn't better than Randy Wells or Casey Coleman, who were both sent down to Iowa within the past week.  Volstad fell to 0-7 with the Cubs with a 7.94 ERA.

Ryan Dempster will have his second bullpen session in three days on Wednesday at Turner Field, and will be re-evaluated Thursday to determine the next step.  Most likely, the Cubs will still have to cover Dempster's spot in the rotation one more time on Sunday against the New York Mets.  We'll see who Dale Sveum decides to go with for the start.

On a side note, Wells made his first start tonight since going back to Iowa and allowed one run on three hits and struck out four and walked two batters over five innings pitched.  Wells earned the win tonight against the Nashville Sounds.

Randy Wells earned the win in his first start since going down to Triple-A Iowa (photo from Iowa Cubs)

On a side note, Anthony Rizzo recorded the game-winning RBI in three of his first five games and became the first Cubs player in franchise history to accomplish this since the RBI was made an official stat in 1920.  Of his five RBIs, four have given the Cubs the lead, and the other has tied the game. 

Tomorrow the Cubs and Braves will play game two of the four game series at 6:10pm CT.  Paul Maholm will start for the Cubs and try for his sixth win of the season.  In his last start, he was excellent as he gave up just four hits over 8-1/3 innings.

Paul Maholm's best performance of season leads Cubs to 4-0 shutout of Astros; Kerry Wood's Bowling Fundraiser

Paul Maholm had his best outing of the season as he pitched 8-2/3 innings and allowed just four hits, leading the Cubs to a 4-0 shutout of the Houston Astros Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field.  Maholm struck out six batters and walked one.  Today's win was Maholm's first in his last eight starts, as well as his 200th career start.

Paul Maholm pitched 8-2/3 innings in Friday's Cubs win over the Astros (photo from cubs.com)

Luis Valbuena, Steve Clevenger, and Alfonso Soriano all homered in today's game.  Clevenger's was his first career homer, which was hit onto the Budweiser Patio and into the hands of one of several guys dressed in red pajamas/long underwear.  It looked like the Cubs had to make a deal with the red PJ guy to have him give up the ball to Clevenger for a keepsake.

In other Cubs news, right-handed pitcher Randy Wells, who was designated for assignment on Wednesday, cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Iowa today. 

Randy Wells has cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Iowa on Friday (photo from Chicago Tribune)

Ryan Dempster is expected to miss another start on Tuesday in Atlanta.  Cubs manager Dale Sveum has yet to decide who will pitch in Dempster's spot, but it sounds like it will be either Chris Volstad or Casey Coleman.  Should be interesting, either way.

Dempster won't return to the rotation until just after the All-Star break.  “I feel great, completely pain free,” Dempster said Friday morning.  It won't take long after I get going."

Kerry Wood, along with his wife Sarah, and his Wood Family Foundation hosted its 7th annual Stike Zone Celebrity Bowling Tournament at 10pin Bowling Lounge on Wednesday night, which raised over $300,000 to benefit children in need.

Most of Wood's former Cubs teammates were in attendance, along with WWE Champion CM Punk, former WWE Diva Lita, the Plain White T’s band members Tom Higgenson and Dave Tirio, and ‘85 Bears player Steve McMichael.

Ryan Dempster was all decked out for the Wood Family Foundation bowling fundraiser on June 27, 2012 (photo by Kenny Kim)

Kerry Wood and his family at his fundraiser on June 27, 2012 (photo from Chicago Tribune)

Tomorrow the Cubs and Astros will play game two of the three game series at 3:05pm CT.  Matt Garza will start for the Cubs and will hopefully get some run support and a win for the Cubs.  Then maybe his teammates can get back at him with multiple shaving cream pies!