Chris Volstad earns 2nd win in a row as Cubs win 6-4 over Giants

The Cubs won 6-4 over the San Francisco Giants this afternoon at Wrigley Field.  Chris Volstad started for the Cubs and allowed two runs on five hits while walking three batters and striking out two over 5-2/3 innings pitched.  Volstad earned his second straight win after finally breaking free of his 24-game winless streak in his previous start on Sunday against the Colorado Rockies.

Volstad addressed the streak and said, "Winning two in a row, or losing 24 in a row, I'm still going to pitch in the rotation the next five days and I have to get ready for that, just like I would any other time."

Alfonso Soriano had an amazing game as he drove in three runs and also hit his 24th home run.  Anthony Rizzo also hit his 10th homer today, which was under video review before the umpires deemed it a home run.  Wellington Castillo also ended up with an inside-the-park homer in the third inning.

The Cubs finished August on a high note, despite an 8-21 record for the month.  The team is motivated to not lose 100 games this season, so they are prepared to play hard in September.  This is especially important, because it would make it even harder for everyone if they were not even trying, but that's definitely not the case.

Anthony Rizzo and Alfonso Soriano both hit homers in Friday's game against the Giants (photo from cubs.com)

Joe Mather scores on Friday against the Cubs' win against the Giants (photo from Chicago Tribune)

In other Cubs news, the team recalled left-hander Jeff Beliveau from Triple-A Iowa and optioned left-hander Brooks Raley to Iowa.

Tomorrow the Cubs and Giants will play the second game in the three-game series at 12:05pm CT.  Justin Germano will make the start for the Cubs and try to earn his third win of the season.  He will face right hander Tim Lincecum. 

Cubs overcome 6-run deficit for a walk-off win against the Brewers

The Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers 12-11 in the final game of the four-game series Thursday afternoon at Wrigley Field, which was one of the crazier up-and-down games of the season.

Brooks Raley started for the Cubs and allowed seven runs on ten hits while walking two batters and striking out two over four innings pitched.  The Cubs then used four relief pitchers before Carlos Marmol came in as the Cubs' final pitcher and ended up earning the win today.

The Cubs celebrate their walk-off win against the Brewers on Thursday (photo from Chicago Cubs)

The Cubs were down six runs and tied the game and then fell behind 11-9 and then scored three runs in the ninth to walk-off with the win.  Alfonso Soriano's deep RBI single drove home Starlin Castro who scored the winning run. 

"Obviously our best win of the year," manager Dale Sveum said.

The Cubs celebrate their walk-off win against the Brewers on Thursday (Getty Images photo)

Alfonso Soriano had the game-winning walk-off RBI on Thursday against the Brewers (photo from cubs.com)

Tomorrow the Cubs will start a three-game series against the San Francisco Giants at 1:20pm CT at Wrigley Field.  Chris Volstad will start for the Cubs and try to earn his second win of the season, after winning his last start and breaking free of his winless games streak.

Darwin Barney sets errorless games record but Cubs lose 3-1 to Brewers

The Cubs lost 3-1 to the Milwaukee Brewers in the third game of the four-game series Wednesday night at Wrigley Field.  Jeff Samardzija started for the Cubs and allowed three runs on seven hits and struck out ten batters and walked none over seven innings pitched. 

Samardzija was charged with his 12th loss of the season, as the Cubs offense never really woke up tonight and the Shark's own throwing error in the seventh inning was what put the Brew Crew ahead.

Jeff Samardzija struck out ten batters against the Brewers on Wednesday night (photo from cubs.com)

The Cubs scored their only run in the second inning when Darwin Barney had an RBI groundout.  Speaking of Barney, his errorless game streak is now at 114 and he has set the NL record for consecutive errorless games by a second baseman in a season.  Barney was originally charged with an error in the seventh inning, but the call was later reversed and changed to Luis Valbuena, who missed Barney's throw to third base.  Phew! Darwin's streak lives on!

Manager Dale Sveum said the following about Barney, "He's made a conscious effort to be the best in baseball on an everyday basis.  Not one day have I seen him take any ground balls off or take any days off.  It's been the same routine, same intensity every single day for him."

Darwin Barney's errorless game streak is now at 114 games and has set a new record (Getty Images photo)

In other Cubs news, the Cleveland Indians claimed left-handed relief pitcher Scott Maine on waivers from the Cubs on Wednesday.  The Cubs also activated RHP Blake Parker from the 60-day disabled list and designated left-handed pitcher Alex Hinshaw for assignment.

On Monday, pitcher Scott Maine was designated for assignment to make room for catcher Anthony Recker on the 40-man roster.  Recker was acquired from the Oakland A's for catcher Blake Lalli.

Starlin Castro signed a seven-year, $60 million contract extension with the Cubs.  The contract doesn't include no-trade provisions but includes a $16 million club option for 2020 with a $1 million buyout clause and a $6 million signing bonus.  Half of the bonus is paid upfront, with $1 million spread out over the first three years, which includes base salaries of $5 million for both 2013 and 2014, followed by salaries of $6 million, $7 million, $9 million, $10 million and $11 million.

Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer said, "We’ve gotten to know him very well since (the sexual assault allegations).  And we feel completely comfortable investing in him long-term.  I thought he and his representatives handled themselves appropriately during the process."

Tomorrow the Cubs will play the final game in the four-game series against the Brewers at 1:20pm CT.  Brooks Raley will make the start for the Cubs and most likely won't go beyond five innings, since it's only his fifth major league start.

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.

Brett Jackson with 3rd HR but Cubs fall 4-3 to Rockies on a sweltering Saturday at Wrigley Field

The Cubs lost 4-3 to the Colorado Rockies today in the second game of the three-game series.  Brooks Raley started for the Cubs and allowed two runs on five hits and walked three batters and struck out four over five innings pitched.

Brooks Raley started for the Cubs against the Rockies on Saturday (photo from Chicago Tribune)

Pitcher Chris Rusin was optioned to Triple-A Iowa as the corresponding move when Raley was recalled before Saturday's game.  Rusin gave up just one hit over five innings against the Brewers last week, which happened to be an infield single that had deflected off his foot.  Rusin is expected to be called back up when rosters expand in a week.

Brett Jackson hit his third home run since being called up from Triple-A Iowa, which scored two runs in the fourth inning.  Today's loss was the team's 19th in their last 24 games.

Tomorrow the Cubs and Rockies will play the final game in the series at 1:20CT.  Chris Volstad will make the start for the Cubs and hopefully will finally get a 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. 

David DeJesus and Bryan LaHair come through with homers, but Cubs lose 3-2 to Brewers

The Cubs lost 3-2 Wednesday afternoon to the Milwaukee Brewers in the final game of the three-game series and end up being swept by the Brew Crew.  They have now lost four games in a row and this is the team's 18th loss in their past 22 games.  The team is now on pace to lose 100 games this season.

The game got off to a good start when David DeJesus hit a home run on the first pitch thrown to him which put the Cubs on the board right off the bat.  There was a little scare when DeJesus and Brett Jackson collided while both were diving to catch a line drive ball in the bottom of the first inning, but thankfully, neither player was hurt.

David DeJesus is congratulated by Luis Valbuena after leading off Wednesday's game against the Brewers with a home run (photo from Chicago Tribune)

Outfielders David DeJesus and Brett Jackson collided in the first inning against the Brewers (photo from Chicago Tribune)

Bryan LaHair also hit a solo home run in the seventh inning of Wednesday's game, which came 49 days after his last home run during a game against the Braves.  LaHair's playing time has been drastically reduced since getting moved to right field when Anthony Rizzo was called up and then moved to the bench once Brett Jackson came up.  Even though his future with the Cubs is uncertain, LaHair said, "I’m trying to show people every day what I can do.  I go out every day and I work hard to get back on track.  I’m just trying to do the best job I can.”  I can't help but feel for the guy!

Travis Wood started for the Cubs and allowed three runs on six hits while walking one batter and striking out six over seven innings pitched.  Wood pitched well for the most part, but was outpitched by Yovani Gallardo and ended up with his seventh straight loss.

Travis Wood started for the Cubs against the Brewers on Wednesday (photo from cubs.com)

Manager Dale Sveum addressed the team's recent record and youth of the team by saying, "It's a combination of a lot of things.  We're going down looking, we're swinging at pitches way out of the zone early, and then we get good pitches to hit and we take them.  What's going on right now mentally is strange from a hitting point.  We're aggressive when we shouldn't be, and we're passive when we should be aggressive.  We're super young right now.  That's part of the gig, and we knew it."

Sveum also said that the young players are almost afraid of making mistakes, which is what's hurting the team.  However, the team isn't hanging their heads, which is good.

Tomorrow the Cubs have an off day before starting a 10-game homestand at Wrigley Field, beginning on Friday against the Colorado Rockies at 1:20pm CT.  Jeff Samardzija will start for the Cubs and try to earn his ninth win of the season and end the team's losing streak.

Chris Rusin impressive in MLB debut but Cubs lose 5-2 to Brewers; Matt Garza update; Latest roster moves

The Cubs lost 5-2 to the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park tonight.  Left-handed pitcher Chris Rusin made his MLB debut and allowed just one run on one hit and walked two batters and struck out four over five innings pitched.  He threw three perfect innings but was replaced when the Cubs were trailing 1-0.

Rookie Chris Rusin allowed just one hit in his MLB debut and also tripled in his first MLB at-bat (photo from cubs.com)

Rusin was the 9th rookie pitcher this season for the Cubs, which leads the National League.  Rusin was impressive as he had a stand-up triple in his first MLB at-bat, which no Cubs pitcher has ever done.  Pitcher Bob Muncrief tripled during his first Cubs game, but not in his first MLB at-bat.

Rookie pitcher Alberto Cabrera pitched in relief of Rusin in the sixth inning.  He didn't fare too well as he loaded the bases on three walks and the Cubs were in a 4-0 deficit.

In other Cubs news, Matt Garza was transferred to the 60-day disabled list, which means that he is done for the season due to elbow stress reaction.

Garza said, "If this is it, it's disappointing because I wanted to finish it off.  I'd like to be the guy to step out there every five days and be known for that.  A little hiccup, but come back stronger. … I've learned a lot from what I have to deal with right now.  I'm not fine, I'm never going to be fine with it," he said.  "But you have to accept it."

Starting pitcher Matt Garza has been shut down for the rest of the season (photo from Chicago Tribune)

Obviously, the Cubs added Chris Rusin to the roster, but they also added pitcher Alex Hinshaw, who was claimed off waivers from the Padres over the weekend.  In corresponding moves, relief pitcher Jeff Beliveau and infielder Adrian Cardenas were optioned to Triple-A Iowa.

The Cubs are also planning to move the Class A Peoria Chiefs to Kane County, which is in the suburb of Geneva, in order to be closer to Chicago starting in 2013.  Kane County is currently a part of the Kansas City Royals, but that affiliation expires at the end of the 2012 season.

Tomorrow the Cubs and Brewers will play the final game in the series at 1:10pm CT.  Travis Wood will start for the Cubs and try to earn his fifth win of the season.

Josh Vitters hits 1st career homer, but Cubs lose 9-5 to Brewers

The Cubs lose 9-5 to the Milwaukee Brewers at Miler Park Monday night.  Justin Germano made the start for the Cubs and allowed seven runs over eight hits while walking one and striking out three batters over 4.2 innings pitched.  Germano was tagged with the loss and now has a 2-3 record.

David DeJesus and Anthony Rizzo both doubled in the first inning to put the Cubs on the board and the Cubs were looking good with a 3-1 lead.

Things continued to look sharp for the Cubs as third baseman Josh Vitters hit his first career homer in the fifth inning.  But it all went downhill after that, when the Brewers scored eight runs in the bottom of the fifth. 

Corey Hart started it off with a two-run single to give the Brewers a 4-3 lead.  Then Jeff Beliveau came in to pitch in relief and gave up a three-run homer to Jonathan Lucroy, which was his second HR of the game.  Beliveau then went on to serve up a solo homer to Carlos Gomez to give the Brewers an 8-3 lead. 

The Cubs have now lost 16 of their last 20 games since July 31st, when Ryan Dempster was traded just before the trade deadline.  The team is currently on pace to lose 99 games this season.  Ouch! 

Josh Vitters hit his first career homer on Monday night against the Brewers (US Presswire photo)

Tomorrow the Cubs and Brewers will play the second game of the three-game series at 7:10pm CT.  Left-handed pitcher Chris Rusin will make his first career start and will also be the team's 11th starter this season.  Rusin has given up four earned runs over 18 2/3 innings pitched over his last three starts at Triple-A Iowa and has a 4.59 ERA in 24 starts this season.

Rusin is getting the opportunity to start because the Cubs have used all five starters over four days, due to the doubleheader on Saturday in Cincinnati.  So, Rusin is stepping in to help ensure the rotation gets the rest inbetween starts that is needed.  When manager Dale Sveum was asked to commment on Rusin, he said,  “He’ll just get that one for now and as we move forward we’ll see what’s going on."

Chris Volstad's winless streak continues as Cubs lose 5-4 to Reds; Alfonso Soriano's milestone; Starlin Castro's extension update

The Cubs lost 5-4 to the Cincinnati Reds this afternoon at Great American Ballpark.  Chris Volstad started for the Cubs and allowed four runs over seven hits and struck out four batters and walked one over six innings pitched. 

Volstad has now gone 24 consecutive starts without a win, as he received a no-decision today since relief pitcher Shawn Camp was tagged with the loss.

Starter Chris Volstad has now gone 24 consecutive starts without a win (photo from cubs.com)

The right-hander said, "If you've won five in a row and you've got a five-game win streak, are you going to worry about not wining your next game?  Or if you've lost five in a row, are you going to worry about losing?  No, you're going to go out there and compete and try and win each individual time you're out there.  That's all I'm doing."  Well, I sure hope he can get a win soon.

Cubs manager Dale Sveum said, "Not some of the smartest baseball I've ever seen today," when asked to comment on today's game.  He might have been referring to outfielder Brett Jackson trying to steal third base with one out in the ninth and the game tied.  Jackson was thrown out and the Cubs ended up losing the game by a run.

There were some highlights to the game, which include outfielder David DeJesus, who had three hits, a double, an RBI and also scored two runs.  Alfonso Soriano had two RBIs.

In other Cubs news, the team claimed left-handed pitcher Alex Hinshaw off waivers from the San Diego Padres.  In a corresponding move, right-handed pitcher Arodys Vizcaino was transferred to the 60-day disabled list.

Also, worth mentioning, outfielder Alfonso Soriano earned his 1,000th career RBI in yesterday's first doubleheader game against the Reds.

Alfonso Soriano drove in his 1,000th career RBI on Saturday against the Reds in Cincinnati (Getty Images photo)

On another note, the reported 7-year, $60 million contract extension for Starlin Castro hasn't been finalized yet.  When asked about the deal, Castro said, "I like it, but I don't know if it is sure yet. (My agent) will let me know right away.  He hasn't called."

Soriano's advice to the young shortstop was, "I just talk to him about staying humble, you know," Soriano said.  "Love the game and work hard to get better.  Money is good, but it won't make you better.  Always the money is there if you play hard and play good."

Tomorrow the Cubs will start a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park at 7:10pm CT.  Justin Germano will start for the Cubs and try to earn his third win since joining the Cubs.

Chris Volstad's winless streak extends to 23 games as Cubs lose 10-1 to Astros

The Cubs lost 10-1 to the Houston Astros on Tuesday night at Wrigley Field.  Chris Volstad started for the Cubs and was unable to help his team and his winless streak continues at 23 games. 

Chris Volstad can't shake his winless streak of 23 games (photo from cubs.com)

Volstad allowed four runs over eight hits while striking out three batters over five innings pitched and is now 0-14 with a 5.51 ERA since his last win on July 10, 2011 when he pitched for the Marlins against the Astros.

The Cubs offense included Starlin Castro singling and scoring on a fielder's choice by Darwin Barney.

We are all aware that this is a "rebuilding year" for the Cubs, but it still isn't fun to witness the tough losses such as tonight's.

Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein said, "Sometimes you get upset not just at a loss, but when you see someone make the same mistake twice.  And at the same time it's just not the wins that make you excited.  Sometimes you see a young player make an adjustment and do something better that next time.  You see some improvement and it gets you excited."

Tomorrow the Cubs and Astros will play the rubber game of the series at 1:20pm CT.  Justin Germano will make the start for the Cubs and try for his second win of the season.

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.

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.

Jeff Samardzija vents his frustration by snapping his bat as Cubs lose eighth straight

The Cubs lost their eighth game in a row when they were shutout by the San Diego Padres, 2-0 in the final game of the three game series at Petco Park.  Jeff Samardzija started for the Cubs and allowed one run over four hits and struck out six and walked two batters over seven innings pitched. 

The Shark pitched well enough to win, but the Cubs just couldn't get their offense going.  Manager Dale Sveum said, "The bottom line is we're not getting anything going with the bats."  He reminded his young team to try to have some fun and said, "You have to go out and play like it's Little League."

Samardzija ended the Cubs seventh inning by striking out and immediately broke his bat over his knee to vent his frustration.  "It just felt good to snap it like a toothpick," he said.  Samardzija apparently did the same thing when he was eliminated in the bunting tournament during Spring Training.

Jeff Samardzija broke his bat in frustration after striking out to end the Cubs seventh inning in San Diego on Wednesday (photo from cubs.com)

"Right now, when you start losing games and a lot of things aren't going your way, you're going to see some frustrations come out," Sveum said.  "That's part of the game.  It's OK to see guys with emotion and fire.  Those are guys you want around, too." 

This was a horrible roadtrip for the Cubs in the Golden state.  They were 0-10 in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego.

Tomorrow the Cubs return to Wrigley Field to start a four-game series against the Cincinnati Reds.  Chris Volstad will start Thursday's game at 7:05pm CT and try to earn that elusive first win of the season.  The good news is that Volstad's last outing in Los Angeles was his best one of the season, but it was unfortunate he was matched up against Clayton Kershaw and the Cubs weren't able to come through with their offense.

Josh Vitters gets first MLB career hit and RBI as Cubs lose seventh straight; Alfonso Soriano's swollen hand is latest injury to hit Cubs

The Cubs lost 7-4 to the San Diego Padres in the second game of the three-game series.  Brooks Raley was called up from Triple-A Iowa to make his first Major League start, but didn't fare too well as he allowed seven runs on eight hits and issued three walks.  He was pulled after throwing 89 pitches.

Brooks Raley made his major league debut against the Padres on Tuesday (photo from cubs.com)

Tonight marks the team's seventh loss in a row.  Raley gave up four runs in the third after getting through the first two innings without allowing any runs.  He then gave up a three-run homer in the fourth to put the Cubs in the hole 7-0.

Darwin Barney's RBI double in the fifth inning got the Cubs going.  Josh Vitters had his first major league hit and RBI in the seventh which advanced the score to 7-4.  It was nice to see his teammates signing a commemorative ball for Vitters during the game.

Third baseman Josh Vitters got his first Major League hit and RBI against the Padres Tuesday night (photo from cubs.com)

One semi-disturbing thing is that outfielder Brett Jackson struck out eight times and walked once in his last nine plate appearances.  Jackson needs to stop swinging at pitches that are balls and start swinging at pitches that would be strikes.  But I'm sure it's way easier said than done.

One interesting thing to point out is that this year's Cubs team has already had 46 different players on it this season, which is just five shy of the club's record, which was set in 2000.  Of the current 25-man roster, fifteen players are new to the Cubs this year.

One helpful thing is that a lot of the new Cubs are familiar with each other because they were teammates at Triple-A Iowa.  Pitcher Jeff Beliveau said, “We’ve had about six new guys here since I was called up (on July 22).  It’s nice playing with guys that you played with in the minor leagues.  It gives you that confidence.  I see them doing it, so why can’t I do it? It’s the same game.”

In other Cubs news, outfielder Alfonso Soriano was taken out of tonight's lineup due to swelling in his right hand as a result of his hand accidentally being hit by the Padres' second baseman Logan Forsythe while sliding into second base during Monday's game.

"I don't feel comfortable holding the bat," Soriano said.  "He tried swinging a bat and couldn't do it," said manager Dale Sveum.

Tomorrow the Cubs and Padres will play the final game in the series at 5:35pm CT.  Jeff Samardzija will start for the Cubs and try for his eighth win of the season.

Cubs lose sixth straight; Matt Garza out indefinitely

The Cubs lost 2-0 to the San Diego Padres, which is their sixth loss in a row.  Travis Wood started for the Cubs and allowed two runs over five hits and issued three walks and struck out three batters over six innings pitched.  Wood was charged with the loss and is now is 4-8 on the season.

Third baseman Josh Vitters was in the starting lineup for the first time in his career and and also made an incredible diving stop followed by a strong throw to get an out at first.

Third baseman Josh Vitters made an amazing diving stop on Monday night against the Padres

Centerfielder Brett Jackson was in the leadoff spot in his second career MLB game but perhaps it was too much pressure, too soon, as he struck out in his four at-bats tonight.

Brett Jackson didn't do well in the leadoff spot on Monday night against the Padres

In other Cubs news, Matt Garza has been diagnosed with a stress reaction in his right elbow and is out indefinitely, which means he could miss the rest of the season.  This is not good at all.

Pitcher Matt Garza is out indefinitely with a stress reaction in his elbow

Therefore, the Cubs will call up left-handed pitcher Brooks Raley from Triple-A Iowa to start for the Cubs on Tuesday in San Diego.  Raley was the Cubs' Pitcher of the Month in July and posted a 2.12 ERA.

It sounds like Raley, a 6th round pick in 2009, is excited, as he tweeted the following this afternoon, "Thanks everyone for the follow and good luck wishes...it's a dream come true #Iamtrulyblessed #cubs"

Brooks Raley will make his Cubs debut against the Padres on Tuesday

When Raley arrives in San Diego, he will be the 14th rookie to join the Cubs this season.  Tomorrow's game will be at 9:05pm CT and I sure hope Raley will get off to a good start and help snap this losing streak!

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!

Cubs lose 3-1 to Dodgers; Matt Garza might return to start Tuesday

The Cubs lost 3-1 to the Los Angeles Dodgers in game two of the three-game series at Dodger Stadium tonight.  Chris Volstad made the start for the Cubs and allowed two runs on six hits while striking out three and walking one batter over seven innings.

Volstad left the game trailing 2-1 and also is tagged with his eighth loss of the season, even though he had a decent outing and went at least six innings, which is what manager Dale Sveum was hoping for.  Volstad now hasn't won a game in his last 21 MLB starts.

Chris Volstad started for the Cubs against the Dodgers on Saturday (photo from cubs.com)

Darwin Barney scored off of Alfonso Soriano's RBi double in the third inning to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead.  But the Dodgers countered back in the fourth inning with a leadoff single by Mark Ellis followed by a two-run homer by Matt Kemp to make it 2-1.

Clayton Kershaw was excellent as the Cubs could only get three hits over seven innings against him tonight.  The Cubs are now 0-4 since the trade deadline has passed, but Sveum isn't letting the team use that as an excuse for not executing.

In other Cubs news, Matt Garza threw a full bullpen session today and thinks he'll be ready to start for the Cubs on Tuesday in San Diego.  Garza hasn't pitched in a game since leaving his start early on July 21st in St. Louis with cramps in his triceps and then took time off because his wife gave birth to their fourth child on Tuesday in Chicago.

Sveum said Garza would be limited to 70-80 pitches in his first start back, but will wait to see how he feels Sunday before making the decision on whether he'll start.

Dale Sveum will decide on Sunday whether Matt Garza is ready to start on Tuesday (photo from cubs.com)

Garza is anxious to get back and said, "I'm just champing at the bit and ready to go.  Not doing anything for three days didn't set me back but didn't work out too well.  Today I felt great, threw a whole bullpen and we'll wake up tomorrow."  Garza also tweeted, "Bullpen went great, looking forward to getting a chance to toe it up again... #anxious" on Saturday.

Tomorrow the Cubs and Dodgers will play the final game in the series at 3:10pm CT.  Justin Germano will make the start for the Cubs and try to earn his second win since being acquired by the Cubs.

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.