Cubs lose 10-5 to Rockies after game called early and are in No. 2 draft position

The Cubs were losing 10-5 to the Rockies after six innings when the game was delayed due to the constant rain that had been coming down at Coors Field.  48 minutes later, the game was called. 

The Cubs still need to win four games out of the eight remaining this season in order to avoid a 100-loss season.  On the flip side, the Cubs are currently in the No. 2 draft position.

Dave Sappelt was in the leadoff spot for the first time in his career and also hit his first career home run. 

Dave Sappelt hit his first major league homer against the Rockies on Tuesday night (photo from cubs.com)

Ironically, Sappelt also was the only one to post photo evidence of the Cubs rookie hazing costume tradition when he tweeted a photo of himself dressed in costume.

Dave Sappelt tweeted this photo of himself in his rookie roadtrip costume

Chris Rusin started for the Cubs and was tagged with the loss.  Rusin allowed six runs on seven hits and walked one batter over 3.2 innings pitched. 

One personal highlight (or should I say reward) for watching the game was that Len Kasper and Bob Brenly actually mentioned my name on the WGN-TV broadcast because of a tweet I had posted that said, "I think @lenandbob are getting wacky!"  Here's a link to a video clip of the broadcast.

Tomorrow the Cubs and Rockies will play the second game in the three-game series at 7:40pm CT.  Jason Berken will start for the Cubs and try to earn his first win since coming to the Cubs.

Cubs lose 6-3 to Cardinals on Kerry Wood Appreciation Day

The Cubs couldn't secure a win Sunday in the rubber match against the Cardinals and lost 6-3.  Justin Germano started for the Cubs and allowed four runs on ten hits while walking one and striking out three batters over 5.2 innings pitched.

Today was Kerry Wood Appreciation Day at the Friendly Confines.  Wood's son Justin threw out the first pitch to his father and Wood was joined by his entire family to sing the 7th inning stretch.

Kerry Wood was honored at the Cubs-Cardinals game on Sunday (photo from Chicago Sun-Times)

September 23rd was officially declared "Kerry Wood Day" in Illinois (photo from @cubs Twitter)

Kerry Wood and his family sang the 7th inning stretch (photo from @cubs Twitter)

Kerry and Sarah wood and their kids on the dugout on Kerry Wood Appreciation Day (photo from @cubs Twitter)

The Cubs are trying to avoid a 100-loss season, which would be the first time since 1966.  Manager Dale Sveum said, "With nine games left, we've got our work cut out for us.  Six are on the road and three at home, so we've got to find some way to come up with four wins."

Tomorrow the Cubs have an off-day before starting a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field starting Tuesday at 7:40pm CT.  Chris Rusin will start for the Cubs and try to earn his second win of the season.

Cubs win one and lose one against Cardinals; Series finale on Sunday

The Cubs lost 5-4 to the St. Louis Cardinals in the second game of the three-game series Saturday at Wrigley Field in front of a crowd that was over 40,000 people.  I was at the game and there were almost as many Cardinal fans as Cub fans, which made for an even more exciting rivalry, even though the Cubs couldn't come away with the W.

There were over 40,000 people on hand to watch the Cardinals-Cubs rivalry at Wrigley Field on Saturday (photo by Karen Burchell)

Travis Wood started for the Cubs and allowed three runs on six hits while walking two batters and striking out seven.  Wood only lasted five innings because his pitch count became elevated during the second and third innings.

Closer Carlos Marmol blew the save opportunity as he gave up a solo home run to Carlos Beltran in the top of the ninth inning with one out, which tied the game at 4.  "I made one mistake, I paid for it," Marmol said.  "That's how the game goes.  He made a good swing; I take my hat off."  It was Marmol's first blown save in his last 19 opportunities, which was a career high for him.

Then Cubs relief pitcher Jaye Chapman walked two batters and then gave up a go-ahead RBI double to Jon Jay in the 10th, which ended up being all the Cardinals needed to secure the win.

It was ironic that Saturday's game played out the same way as Friday's game between the two division rivals, except the Cubs came out on top Friday when Darwin Barney hit a game-tying homer in the bottom of the ninth with two outs and David DeJesus had the game-winning RBI in the 11th for a 5-4 walk-off win.

We've been in both games," Cubs manager Dale Sveum said.  "We came back and won last night's, and had the lead with two outs in today's game.  Same thing happened to them last night.  We battled and had great at-bats."

Darwin Barney was able to extend his errorless streak to 137 games on Saturday.

Darwin Barney's errorless game streak is now at 137 games (US Presswire photo)

Tomorrow the Cubs and Cards will plan the rubber game of the series in their last matchup of the season at 1:20pm CT.  Justin Germano will start for the Cubs and try to earn his third win of the season.

Cubs efforts wasted as they lose a tough one to Reds in 11 innings

The Cubs lost a tough one tonight to the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field Wednesday night in a game that went into extra innings.  The final score was 6-5 Reds in 11 innings.

Chris Rusin started for the Cubs and allowed five runs on ten hits while walking two and striking out two over five innings pitched.  Rusin ends up with a no-decision and Alberto Cabrera is tagged with the loss.

Starlin Castro was 4-for-5 with a run and RBI while Alfonso Soriano hit a two-run homer, which was his 30th of the season.

Anthony Rizzo and Alfonso Soriano celebrate Sori's two-run homer against the Reds (photo from cubs.com)

Things seemed to be hopeful for the Cubs until David DeJesus misplayed Brandon Phillips' fly ball in the 11th, which led to the unearned game-winning run for the Reds.

Another incident that didn't help was when Luis Valbuena was picked off second base in the sixth inning when he wasn't paying attention.  Ouch.

However, the Cubs never gave up as they were down 5-1 at one point in the game.  Especially for a team that could easily lose 100 games, the team gets an A+ for effort.  The team needs five wins to avoid a 100-loss season, which would be the first time they'd lose over 100 games since 1966, when they lost 103 games.

The crazy strong winds in Chicago tonight also made for some unanticipated plays.  After staying up late to watch the Cubs another time this week, there's not much to be happy about, given the losses.  However, Cubs fans on Twitter make it worthwhile and entertaining.  You can find me as @kcburchell on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/kcburchell

Tomorrow the Cubs and Reds will play the final game of the three-game series at 1:20 CT.  Jason Berken will make the start for the Cubs and try to earn his first win.

2013 Cubs Convention information announced

The Cubs have announced the details for the 28th annual Cubs Convention, which will take place January 18-20, 2013 at a new venue, the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers at 301 E. North Water Street.

Fans can book rooms starting this Wednesday, September 19th at a special convention rate, which will also include the opportunity to purchase up to four convention passes for $20 each (vs. $60 per pass for fans not purchasing hotel rooms).

Here's a link to more information from cubs.com about the 2013 Cubs Convention.

How many more days until January 18th, 2013?  Meanwhile, here are a few photos I took at the 2012 Cubs Convention:

David DeJesus and Paul Maholm during the Opening Ceremonies at the 2012 Cubs Convention (photo by Karen Burchell)

The Cubs band at the 2012 convention (photo by Karen Burchell)

Banner for the Opening Ceremonies of the 2012 Cubs Convention (photo by Karen Burchell)

Anthony Rizzo's HR and grand slam lead Cubs to 13-9 victory over Pirates in comeback game

The Cubs won 13-9 over the Pirates in an exciting comeback game on Sunday afternoon at Wrigley Field which was also one of the longest games of the season at four hours and four minutes.  Chris Volstad started for the Cubs didn't fare too well as he allowed six runs on ten hits while striking out three and walking four batters over 4.2 innings pitched.  Volstad left the game with the Cubs trailing 6-1. 

The Cubs then used six pitchers after Volstad and Jeff Beliveau ended up earning his first career MLB win in one of the more exciting games this season.

Anthony Rizzo was the highlight of the game and was showered with Gatorade just as he was about to give his post-game interview on the field.  Rizzo hit two homers, one of which was his first career grand slam, which lifted the Cubs to a 10-9 lead in the sixth inning.  He also had 6 RBIs today.

Anthony Rizzo acknowledges the fans after his first career grand slam in the sixth inning against the Pirates (Getty Images photo)

Manager Dale Sveum said, “There were a lot of great things that happened in that game, obviously Rizzo’s day is spectacular.  I think Joe Mather's leadoff home run (in the sixth) got things going after we weren’t really doing anything. That inning snowballed into a five-run inning, and obviously Rizzo’s blast.”

Bryan LaHair congratulates Anthony Rizzo after his grand slam against the Pirates (photo from cubs.com)

Alfonso Soriano put the Cubs on the board in the first inning with his 100th RBI of the season.  This was the first time Soriano has reached the 100 RBI mark as a Cub.  His 2 RBI put him at 101 for the season.

"I'm just feeling good," Soriano said.  "I had a lot of opportunities to drive guys in.  I'm very happy with what I did.  Personally, it's good, but it's not enough.  It could be better if we had a winning record.  Now, everybody is trying to have fun the last two, three weeks of the season."

I just love it when the Cubs can play spoiler and it's fun to see them still trying their hardest to win games, even though we all know that this is not going to be "the year."

Alfonso Soriano's 100th RBI of the season was an RBI single in the first inning against the Pirates (Getty Images photo)

Tomorrow the Cubs and Pirates will play the final game of the three-game series at 7:05pm CT.  Travis Wood will make the start for the Cubs and try to earn his seventh win of the season.

Starlin Castro with 4 RBIs as Cubs win 7-4 over Pirates; Albert Almora at Wrigley Field; 2013 schedule released

The Cubs won 7-4 over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first of a three-game series at Wrigley Field Friday afternoon.

Rookie Chris Rusin was the starting pitcher and earned his first career MLB win.  Rusin was impressive as he allowed two runs on four hits and struck out six batters and didn't walk any over five innings pitched.

Anthony Rizzo and Brett Jackson both returned to the lineup for Friday's game.  Rizzo had a two-run double and Jackson had an amazing sliding catch later in the game.  Jackson had to miss five games due to the bruised knee he got as a result of crashing into the centerfield fence while making an amazing catch in Pittsburgh.  Rizzo missed one game after colliding with the Astros' first baseman on Tuesday night in Houston.

Starlin Castro had an exceptional game as he was 2-for-4, including a homer and 4 RBIs.  Carlos Marmol earned his 20th save of the season.

Steve Clevenger and Carlos Marmol celebrate the Cubs' 7-4 win over the Pirates on Friday (photo from cubs.com)

Second baseman Darwin Barney's consecutive errorless game streak is now at 129 games.  Barney also increased his hitting streak to a career-high nine games.

In other Cubs news, 1st round pick Albert Almora took batting practice today as Cubs President Theo Epstein watched.  Top prospect Jorge Soler is expected to take batting practice before Saturday's game.

Albert Almora talks to Cubs President Theo Epstein during batting practice before Friday's game against the Pirates (photo from @Cubs on Twitter)

The Cubs' 2013 schedule was released this week and can be found here.  The Cubs will open their 2013 season on the road in Pittsburgh on Monday, April 1st, where they will play three games against the Pirates and then head to Atlanta to take on the Braves for three games before heading home to Wrigley Field for the home opener on Monday, April 8th against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Tomorrow, the Cubs and Pirates will play game two at 12:05pm CT.  Right-hander Jason Berken will make his first start since joining the Cubs when he was acquired off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles last Friday. 

Berken had a record of 5-6 with a 3.50 ERA at Triple-A Norfolk.  Tomorrow's spot would have been Jeff Samardzija's turn in the rotation, but he has since been shut down for the rest of the season since he reached his maximum innings since becoming a starter this season.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cubs win third game in a row and sweep the Pirates

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jeff Samardzija pitches complete game for last start as Cubs win 4-3 over Pirates

The Cubs won the second game of the three-game series 4-3 against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park Saturday night.  Following last night's win, this was the team's first back-to-back victory on the road since July 23-24, which coincidentally was also at PNC Park.

Jeff Samardzija made his last start of the season since the team wants to be cautious and save his arm from wear and tear since this is his first full season as a starter (vs. a reliever).

The Shark ended his season in style as he pitched his first career complete game and allowed three runs on four hits while striking out nine batters and walking just one.  This was Samardzija's ninth win of the season.

“That was a special night for him and the team to win two in a row after what just happened in Washington,” manager Dale Sveum said.  "It was big for him to be that so-called No. 1 guy to step up and give us back-to-back wins for the first time on the road in I don’t know how long.”  

Jeff Samardzija ended his first season as a starting pitcher on a strong note by earning his ninth win and first complete game (photo from cubs.com)

Speaking of Washington, catcher Steve Clevenger was fined and suspended for one game (which took place tonight) for his involvement during the brawl during Thursday's game against the Nationals.

One twist to tonight's lineup was that Samardzija batted eighth, ahead of outfielder Tony Campana.  Sveum said he wanted to try this because he liked the idea of having two leadoff men in Campana and David DeJesus.  Sveum said, “It took 138 games but I finally did something right, huh?  It worked.”

Alfonso Soriano hit his 27th homer of the season tonight while David DeJesus had an RBI single in the eighth to give the Cubs a 4-3 lead. 

Second baseman Darwin Barney extended his errorless games streak to 124 straight games tonight, which tops Ryne Sandberg's overall National League record which was set between June 21, 1989 to May 17, 1990. 


Tomorrow the Cubs and Pirates will play the final game of the three-game series at 12:35pm CT.  Chris Rusin will start for the Cubs and try for his first win.

Cubs bounce back and win 12-2 over Pirates; Brett Jackson's extraordinary catch

The Cubs bounced back from being swept by the Washington Nationals by winning 12-2 against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park Friday night.

Travis Wood started for the Cubs and ended his losing streak by allowing just one hit and striking out five batters and walking three over six scoreless innings.  The Pirates committed seven errors tonight.

Starlin Castro got his 500th and 501st career hits and became the 28th MLB player in history to make the accomplishment before turning 23 years old.  Castro was 3-for-5 in tonight's game.

Anthony Rizzo and Alfonso Soriano both scored against the Pirates Friday night (US Presswire photo)

However, there was a scary moment in the sixth inning when outfielder Brett Jackson crashed into the fence with his face after making an amazing catch on Andrew McCutchen's fly ball to end the inning. 

“That’s the type of player I am,” Jackson said.  “I’ve always been that way.  I’ll go through a wall for the team and that was a big moment for Travis (Wood) and for us.  We’d lost six in a row, and seven runs didn’t seem like it was enough at the time.  I don’t really have a second gear.  I’m going to go for those balls.  I’m sure people will tell me to take care of my body, but making that play was a little more important at the time.”  Gotta love BJax's ambition!

Cubs outfielder Brett Jackson's extraordinary catch in the sixth inning against the Pirates Friday night (photo from Chicago Tribune)

Thankfully Jackson was able to walk off the field and his x-rays were negative.  He does have a bruised and swollen knee, though.  Manager Dale Sveum tonight's big win was important for the team's “mental state,” and Jackson’s catch was one of the components.  “That was one heck of an effort, and at a very crucial time in the game,” he said.

Tomorrow the Cubs and Pirates will play the second game of the three-game series at 6:05pm CT.  Jeff Samardzija will start for the Cubs before being shut down for the rest of the season since he's already pitched double the amount of innings since he was converted from a relief pitcher to a starter this season.

Cubs starter Jeff Samardzija will make his last start of the season Saturday before he will be shut down to protect his arm (US Presswire photo)

"It's going to be tough watching," the "Shark" said.  "It's not something I'm accustomed to.  I'm used to playing, and I'm used to playing all the time.  You have to respect what they're planning on doing, what their plans are for the organization and for the team.  This is the right move for the right reasons."

This means that the rotation will consist of Chris Volstad (the only starter left from opening week), Travis Wood, Justin Germano, Chris Rusin and Jason Berken, who was claimed on waivers from the Baltimore Orioles Friday.  It should be an interesting rest of the season and as much as it stings to say it, I think it will be a challenge for the Cubs to not lose 100 games.

Two bench-clearing brawls in the Cubs 9-2 loss to Nationals

The Cubs lost 9-2 to the Washington Nationals in a bench-clearing game tonight at Nationals Park.  The incidents started when the Nationals' third base coach Bo Porter walked over to the Cubs' dugout in the fifth inning and started screaming at Cubs bench coach Jamie Quirk.  This resulted in both benches being emptied, although there was no physical contact at this point.  Quirk was ejected but Porter was not.

Then in the sixth inning, an inside pitch thrown by Manny Corpas to Bryce Harper ignited another bench-clearing episode and resulted in Steve Clevenger and Corpas being ejected.

Michael Gonzalez was the only Nationals player ejected tonight, which doesn't seem fair.  The Cubs ended up being swept in the four-game series and are now on pace to lose 102 games this season. (yikes!)

The Cubs-Nationals game turned into a bench-clearing brawl on Thursday night (photo from Chicago Tribune)

Justin Germano started for the Cubs and lasted only four innings as he allowed six runs on seven hits while walking two batters and striking out two. 

Even though the Cubs have had such a high turnaround rate for players and are in a "building season," it sill doesn't make it any easier for fans or players to stomach. 

Tomorrow the Cubs will start a three-game series against the third place NL Central Pirates in Pittsburgh at 6:05pm CT.  Travis Wood will start for the Cubs and try to earn his fifth win of the season.  Let's hope there are no ejections or fights in Pittsburgh (and some Cubs wins!)

David DeJesus continues to impress but Cubs lose 5-2 to Giants

The Cubs lost 5-2 to the San Francisco Giants in the second game of the three-game series Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field.

Justin Germano started for the Cubs and got off to a rough start as the Giants scored four runs in the first inning.  Germano allowed five runs on six hits while walking two batters and striking out two over five innings pitched.

David DeJesus hit a two-run homer in the third inning to put the Cubs on the board.  But his impressive game didn't stop there, as he also made an amazing sliding catch in the fifth inning when he grabbed Buster Posey's possible extra-base hit.

"I didn't even know I caught it, to be honest with you," DeJesus said.  "I slid and threw my glove out, and I was lifting my glove up and I didn't expect the ball to be in there.  I said, 'Wow, it's in there, this is pretty cool.'"

David DeJesus is congratulated by Darwin Barney after hitting his 2-run homer against the Giants on Saturday (Getty photo)

Cubs manager Dale Sveum is defnintely impressed with DeJesus' efforts and said, "He's the ultimate professional who leads by example, and hopefully people do watch and ask him a lot of questions, because he does a lot of things well."

The Cubs made their September callups, such as outfielders Tony Campana and Dave Sappelt, and infielder Adrian Cardenas, who all joined the team in Chicago today.

12 of the 29 players currently on the active roster either started the 2012 season at Triple-A Iowa or on another team's roster.  It definitely has been an interesting season, to say the least.

I was at today's game and took a lot of photos, below are some of the better ones:

The tarp coming off the field and the batting practice cage being set up before Saturday's game against the Giants (photo by Karen Burchell)

Adrian Cardenas and Jon Lovitz after the ceremonial first pitch (photo by Karen Burchell)

David DeJesus and Brett Jackson warm up before Saturday's game (photo by Karen Burchell)

Dave Sappelt gets a hug before Saturday's game (photo by Karen Burchell)

Justin Germano was tagged with the loss on Saturday against the Giants (photo by Karen Burchell)

It's that September time of the season, again (photo by Karen Burchell)

Darwin Barney and Anthony Rizzo chat as Jeff Beliveau warms up on Saturday (photo by Karen Burchell)

Tomorrow the Cubs and Giants will play the final and rubber game of the series at 1:20pm CT.  Travis Wood will start for the Cubs and try to earn his fifth win of the season.