Cubs busy as baseball's Winter meetings end; Anthony Rizzo, Kerry Wood and David DeJesus' fundraisers

The Winter baseball meetings have ended and there was some activity on the Cubs' part.  First off, the Northsiders signed right-handed Japanese closer Kyuji Fujikawa to a 2-year, $9.5 million contract.

Kyuji Fujikawa posed for photos at Wrigley Field after his signing was officially announced (photo from @Cubs on Twitter)

WGN-TV and the Cubs agreed to a four-year contract with Jim Deshaies to be their TV analyst, replacing Bob Brenly and joining Len Kasper in the broadcast booth.  You can find them on Twitter as @LenKasper and @LenandJ.  Deshaies is a former Houston Astros pitcher and was their TV analyst since 1997.

Jim Deshaies is welcomed to the Cubs and Wrigley Field by Len Kasper

The Cubs also signed right fielder Nate Schierholtz to a one-year, $2.25 million deal.  David DeJesus will move to play center field from right field.

Third baseman Ian Stewart re-signed a one-year, $2 million deal with $500,000 in incentives with the Cubs.  However, the money isn't guaranteed and Stewart can be released if he doesn't make the team in spring training.  Stewart tweeted, "Glad to be healthy and back with the Cubs. The support from the Cubs organization and the fans has been incredible. Thank you all so much" on December 6th.  Even former Cubs starter Paul Maholm tweeted, "Congrats @IAN_STEWART_2sc on heading back with the cubbies. Good luck."

The Cubs selected RHP Hector Rondon from the Cleveland Indians in the Rule 5 Draft on December 6th.  Rondon was Cleveland’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2009.  The Cubs also lost RHP Starling Peralta, OF Michael Burgess, IF Matt Cerda and RHP Alvido Jimenez.

Former Cubs starting pitcher Randy Wells signed a minor-league deal with an invitation to spring training with the Texas Rangers last week.  Wells underwent elbow surgery in July 2012 and didn't seem appreciated by the Cubs' front office and management. 

Randy Wells is now part of the Texas Rangers (Reuters photo)

Former Cubs starter Ryan Dempster rejected a two-year, $25M offer from the Boston Red Sox, as well as two-year comparable deal from the Kansas City Royals.  Dempster is reportedly looking for a three-year deal, possibly with the Cubs or Milwaukee Brewers.  I personally would love to have Demp back on the team.

Ryan Dempster could return to the Cubs (Chicago Tribune photos)

Anthony Rizzo hosted his first 'Walk Off for Cancer' 5K today in his hometown of Parkland, Florida this morning. Over 800 people participated in the walk, including Rizzo, who is a cancer survivor.  Rizzo was diagnosed with limited state classical Hodgkins' lymphoma in April, 2008 while he was in the minor leagues in the Red Sox organization.  Rizzo was able to beat the cancer and is now trying to inspire and help others in their battles against the disease. 

Hall of famer and former Cub Andre Dawson was also on hand to show his support.  "Beating cancer and overcoming everything -- it's all hitting me right now," Rizzo said, pausing to collect himself.  "It's crazy -- I'm usually never like this."

Hall of famer and former Cub Andre Dawson was on hand to support Anthony Rizzo's 5K for cancer (photo from @Cubs on Twitter)

Proceeds from the 5K will benefit the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, which is part of the University of Miami health system, as well as Livestrong, which also helped Rizzo when he was fighting cancer.

Anthony Rizzo held a 5K in Parkland, Florida to help cancer patients (photo from cubs.com)

Although it's the offseason, Cubs players are gearing up for their upcoming fundraisers which will be held during the week just before the Cubs convention kicks off.

Former Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood will host his second annual "Woody's Winter Warm-Up" at Harry Caray's Navy Pier on Friday, January 18th, 2013.  Cubs players and local celebrities will serve as bartenders throughout the night and proceeds will benefit the Wood Family Foundation.  The night will also feature opportunities to meet and mingle with Cubs players, a silent auction, premium open bar, dinner buffet, and a raffle, as well as a concert, for which details will be announced soon,

I was at their inaugural event in January 2012 and it was definitely worth attending, so I hope to see some of you there!  Tickets are limited and can be purchased at:  http://woodfamilyfoundation.org

David and Kim DeJesus will host the inaugural "Strike a Pose" fundraiser on January 17th, 2013 at the River East Arts Center.  Current and former Cubs players and their spouses will walk the runway and the show will feature fashion by 900 N. Michigan Shops.  There will also be a live auction and raffle, as well as heavy appetizers provided by some of Chicago's hottest restaurants, including Chicago q, RPM Italian, Bull and Bear, Shaw's and Glazed & Infused.  For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/chc/community/strike_a_pose.jsp

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 6-1 to Dodgers; Ryan Dempster thanks Chicago with full page ad

The Cubs lost 6-1 to the Los Angeles Dodgers tonight in the first of a three-game series.  Jeff Samardzija started for the Cubs and allowed five runs over eight hits while striking out three batters over 5.1 innings pitched.  This was the most runs Samardzija has given up in his last five starts.

Jeff Samardzija moved into the No. 1 spot in the rotation after Ryan Dempster and Paul Maholm were traded and Garza is still injured, but gave up five runs against the Dodgers (photo from cubs.com)

Cubs manager Dale Sveum said, "You don't fill the best pitcher in baseball over the last month in Paul Maholm, and it's very difficult to fill a spot of a guy who's No. 1 in baseball in earned run average this year [in Dempster].  It's difficult to go forward [without them] as well as losing the best utility outfielder in baseball, the best pinch-hitter [in Reed Johnson].  Those things are very, very difficult to fill."

I have a feeling this is going to be a long couple of months ahead of us.  But rebuilding or building a team takes time, right?

In other Cubs news, former No. 1 Cubs starting pitcher Ryan Dempster took out a full page ad in today's Chicago Tribune to thank Chicago.

Ryan Dempster's full page thank-you ad in the Chicago Tribune on Friday

This just goes to show what a classy guy Demp is and the Dempster Family Foundation is truly amazing.  We will miss you, Ryan!

Tomorrow the Cubs and Dodgers will play game two at 8:10pm CT at Dodger Stadium.  Chris Volstad, who was called up from Triple-A Iowa last week will start for the Cubs and try to earn his first win.  Volstad has a record of 0-7 and an ERA of 7.94 this season with the Cubs.  Let's hope he can get his ERA down as well!

Anthony Rizzo named NL Rookie of the Month; MLB's social media accounts hacked

The Cubs have an off-day today and will play a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on the road starting at 9:10 CT tomorrow night.  Jeff Samardzija will start for the Cubs and try for his 8th win of the season.

In Cubs news today, top rookie Anthony Rizzo has been named the National League Rookie of the Month for July.  The first baseman led NL rookies in hits with 32, home runs with 7, RBIs with 17 and total bases with 55.  His seven homers were the most by a Cubs rookie in a calendar month since Mel Hall set the record with nine in August of 1983.

Anthony Rizzo has been named NL Rookie of the Month for July (photo from cubs.com)

Rizzo also finished in third place among NL rookies with a batting average of .330, an on-base percentage of .375 and slugging percentage of .567.  Other Cubs that have earned the award are:  Hee-Sop Choi in April 2003, Geovany Soto in April and August 2008 and Darwin Barney in 2011.

In other baseball news today, MLB's Facebook and Twitter accounts were hacked earlier today.  For a full listing of the hacked posts, here's a link to Deadspin.com.

Former Cub Ryan Dempster will make his first start tonight since being traded just minutes before the MLB trade deadline on July 31st to the Texas Rangers.  The Rangers will face the Los Angeles Angels in Arlington, Texas at 7:05pm CT.  It sure will be strange to see Demp in another team's uniform, but I wish him nothing but the best.

We'll miss you in Chicago, Ryan!

The Cubs acquired Class A Carolina minor league infielder Christian Villanueva and pitcher Kyle Hendricks in the Dempster deal.  The Rangers picked up the remainder of Dempster's salary for the season, equal to $4.67 million.

Villanueva, 21, is batting .285 with 19 double, one triple, 10 homers and 59 RBi in 100 games with Single-A Myrtle Beach this season.  He has a .356 on-base percentage and a .421 slugging percentage.

The Cubs acquired infielder Christian Villanueva in the Ryan Dempster trade

Hendricks, 22, has an ERA of 2.82 (41 ER in 130.2 IP) in 20 starts for Single-A Myrtle Beach this season.  He has struck out 112 and walked just 15 batters in 130.2 innings pitched, which is an average of just 1 walk per nine innings pitched.

The Cubs acquired pitcher Kyle Hendricks in the Ryan Dempster trade

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 lose 9-6 to Cardinals as Ron Santo Day takes place at Wrigley Field

The Cubs lost the first game of the three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals, 9-6 at Wrigley Field Friday afternoon.  Travis Wood started for the Cubs and was dealt his third straight loss (and sixth loss of the season) as he also became the first major league starting pitcher to give up a homer in each of the first five innings of a game.  Yikes.  This also tied a franchise record, along with Carlos Zambrano.

Wood allowed seven hits on eight runs and also walked two and struck out two batters over five innings pitched.  They hit every pitch I had," said Wood.  "I was on a roll (for three games) and now I'm on the other side of it," he said.  "It's nice I (had the three good ones) because the confidence is still there."

Travis Wood started for the Cubs against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday (Getty Images photo)

Highlights of the game were Anthony Rizzo going 2-for-4 with a 2-run homer and RBI single.  Starlin Castro was 3-for-4 with a triple, two runs and an RBI.  Geovany Soto and Alfonso Soriano also had RBIs.  The Cubs did hit for the cycle in the first inning against the Cardinals' Lance Lynn.

Anthony Rizzo is congratulated after hitting a 2-run homer in the first inning against the Cardinals (photo from Chicago Tribune)

Today the Cubs celebrated Ron Santo's induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame since today was the first home game since Santo was inducted last weekend.  Santo's No. 10 was mowed into the center field grass and blue No. 10 flags were spread throughout the roof of Wrigley Field.  Santo's grandson threw out the first pitch to Kerry Wood, who was Santo's favorite player, and Santo's family sang the seventh inning stretch.

#10 flags fly above Wrigley Field's roof to celebrate Ron Santo (photo from @M_Montemurro on Twitter)

Cubs players click their heels as they take the field on Friday in honor of Ron Santo's induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame (photo from cubs.com)

In other Cubs news, Matt Garza won't make a start until after the trade deadline, due to slight fluid buildup found in his triceps from an MRI.  The earliest he could pitch is late next week, according to Cubs manager Dale Sveum.  So this means that Garza most likely won't be traded before the trade deadline on Tuesday, July 31st.  It's also up in the air as to whether Ryan Dempster will be dealt before Tuesday.

Right handed pitcher Randy Wells, who was put on the 7-day disabled list last week by the Iowa Cubs, underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow on Tuesday in Chicago.  He will most likely be out for the rest of the season.  Wells cleared waivers in June after he was designated for assignment and would have been an option to rejoin the Cubs rotation if Garza or Dempster were traded.  Personally, I hope Wells has a full and quick recovery and wish him the best.

Tomorrow the Cubs and Cards will play the second game of the series at 12:05pm CT at Wrigley Field.  Jeff Samardzija will start for the Cubs and try for his eighth win of the season.

Ryan Dempster solid, but Cubs lose 3-2 to Pirates as trade speculation continues

The Cubs lost 3-2 to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the last game of the three-game series today at PNC Park.  But the Cubs did win the series, which is a bonus, although a sweep would have been even better.

Ryan Dempster made a solid start for the Cubs and allowed three runs on five hits and struck out six batters and walked none over six innings pitched.  However, Dempster wasn't happy when manager Dale Sveum sent Scott Maine out to pitch in the seventh inning and said, "I'm fine.  I'm allowed to be upset.  I respect (Sveum) a lot.  That's his decision.  It doesn't mean I have to be happy about it.  At the end of the day, he's just trying to do what's best for the ballclub.  I have nothing but respect for that.  Just the competitor in me wants to get out there and keep trying to pitch."

Ryan Dempster made a solid start for the Cubs against the Pirates (photo from Chicago Tribune)

“I had a job to do today and that’s really important to me,” Dempster also said. “I had to try and separate the two things, make sure I’m getting my rest and we had a day game today.  I wanted to make sure my focus was on going out there pitching and doing my job.  Now I will have tonight, obviously, and the off day tomorrow to try and look at a couple of different things and see what the possibilities are and go from there to make the best possible decision for me.”

I'm sure all the trade talk these past couple of weeks has got to be weighing down on him.  Especially when some people on Twitter and certain reporters are bad-mouthing him just because the trade with the Atlanta Braves didn't happen.  Cub fans need to relax instead of insulting players because they're not happy with what is or isn't happening with their team.  How can you be such a fan of a player and then turn your back on them so quickly?  That's the part I don't get.  But maybe that's just me... I understand why fans might be upset that Demp didn't approve the deal with the Braves - so the Cubs didn't get a major-league ready pitcher in the trade, but come on, these kinds of things happen and it's no excuse to bad-mouth and insult players on social media.

On a higher note, Anthony Rizzo also hit his fifth home run of the season and also had an RBI single in today's game.

Anthony Rizzo is congratulated by third base coach Pat Listach after his home run against the Pirates (photo from Chicago Tribune)

The Cubs have an off-day tomorrow before they start a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field on Friday at 1:20pm CT.  Travis Wood will make the start for the Cubs and try for his fifth win of the season.  Let's hope we can pay the Redbirds back for the series earlier this week in St. Louis!

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.

Cubs shutout 7-0 by Cardinals, but leave St. Louis as Super Heroes; Ron Santo is in the Hall of Fame

The Cubs lost 7-0 to the Cardinals at Busch Stadium this afternoon.  Travis Wood started for the Cubs and allowed seven runs (of which six were earned) on nine hits and walked two batters and struck out four over six innings pitched.

This was Wood's second straight loss after winning four games in a row.  He had given up just four runs in those four games he won, but has given up 15 runs over 10 2/3 innings in his last two games. 

Travis Wood started for the Cubs against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium on Sunday (photo from Chicago Tribune)

The Cubs wore ceremonial shoulder patches on their uniforms today in honor of Ron Santo's induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.  Cubs position players also clicked their heels when they crossed the foul lines to take their positions on the field in the first inning.

Jeff Beliveau, who was just called up from Triple-A Iowa made his MLB debut and allowed no runs and three hits while walking one batter and striking out one over 1.2 innings pitched.  In a corresponding roster move, the Cubs optioned right-handed relief pitcher Rafael Dolis to Triple-A Iowa.

The Cubs were outscored 23-1 in the three-game series and were 3-for-29 (.077) with runners on base.  Ouch, that hurts, especially since it was against the Cardinals.

The best news of today was that Ron Santo was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.  His long overdue induction into the HOF is bittersweet for many Cub fans, since Santo passed away in December of 2010 due to complications with bladder cancer.

Santo's widow, Vicki, gave an acceptance speech on behalf of Ron and said, "This is not a sad day.  This is a happy day, an incredible day for an incredible man.''

Santo had a career batting average of .277 and hit 342 home runs and drove in 1,331 runs.  Following is a link to the complete story from the Chicago Tribune.

Jeff Idelson, Vicki Santo, Jane Forbes Clark and Bud Selig with Ron Santo's plaque in Cooperstown (photo from Ben Platt/MLB.com)

Ron Santo's Hall of Fame plaque (photo from Ben Platt/MLB.com)

Even though the Cubs didn't have a good game on the field, they went ahead with their preplanned Super Hero Day and dressed in costumes for their flight from St. Louis to Pittsburgh.  Matt Garza came up with the idea of a hero theme to try to break up the season.  He might have gotten the idea from his former team, the Rays, who did a "whiteout" trip and wear all white on a trip to Miami.

"Guys can let it loose, have a little fun, take a little pressure off," Garza said.  "A little bit of embarrassment can go a long way.  It gets you out of your own skin a little bit.  I'm going to wear this thing all night -- I'm going to wear it to dinner.  You don't buy it for an hour, you wear it the whole time."

Following are photos of the players in their costumes that they picked out themselves:

Darwin Barney as Toad from Super Mario Bros.

Reed Johnson as Jed Hoyer and Jeff Baker as Theo Epstein

Tony Campana as Flash Gordon

David DeJesus as He-Man

Ryan Dempster as Captain America

Scott Maine, Steve Clevenger and Bryan LaHair as Super Mario Bros.

Carlos Marmol as Zorro

Geovany Soto as a Ghostbuster

More Cubs superheroes

Dale Sveum as Hellboy

Also, Anthony Rizzo dressed up as "Buzz Lightyear," James Russell was "Spiderman" and Alfonso Soriano and Starlin Castro teamed up to be "Batman and Robin", and Soriano was so proud of his costume that he had one of the clubhouse attendants iron the cape.  "We're always together, so that's why I picked Batman and Robin," Soriano said.  Awww, how sweet.

Tomorrow the Cubs will start a three-game series against the Pirates at 6:05pm CT in Pittsburgh.  Jeff Samardzija will start for the Cubs and try for his seventh win if he can keep his pitch count down.