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.

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.

Cubs lose 7-4 to Red Sox; Geovany Soto expected to return soon

The Cubs lost 7-4 to the Boston Red Sox in the final game of the three-game series tonight at Wrigley Field.

Paul Maholm made the start for the Cubs and allowed three runs on six hits while walking one and striking out five batters over six innings pitched.  Maholm ended up with a no decision and reliever Shawn Camp was charged with the loss.

Paul Maholm started for the Cubs tonight (photo from Chicago Tribune)

Starlin Castro was a homer shy of the cycle in tonight's game, going 3-for-4 with a double, triple, and two RBIs.

Starlin Castro runs to third base in tonight's game against the Red Sox (photo from Chicago Tribune)

In other Cubs news, the Cubs are going to try to go with three catchers on the roster, which may be bad news for Adrian Cardenas.  Geovany Soto, who is expected to be reactivated from the disabled list on Monday, would be joined by Steve Clevenger and Wellington Castillo.

Catcher Koyie Hill did not accept his outright to Triple-A Iowa and is now a free agent.

Tomorrow the Cubs will head to the South Side to play the first of a three-game series against the White Sox at 7:10pm CT.  Matt Garza will start for the Cubs and try for his third win of the season.

Cubs can't score runs for Ryan Dempster once again and extend losing streak to 10

The Cubs were shut out by the Pittsburgh Pirates, 1-0 tonight.  Ryan Dempster had another excellent start but once again didn't have any offense to back him up.  I really feel for Demps!  He has a 2.14 ERA in 8 starts this season and is winless.  His winless streak is now at 17 games.

Dempster allowed one run on seven hits and walked one batter and struck out six batters over 7.1 innings pitched.  Dempster, along with Joe Mather, Alfonso Soriano, and Darwin Barney were the bright spots of tonight's game.  The Cubs had opportunities to score, but weren't able to take advantage of their chances.

Ryan Dempster had another quality start but ended up getting a loss tonight (photo from cubs.com)

Another tough statistic to absorb:  The Cubs have scored in only four of their last 56 innings. 

"I've been through a 12-game losing streak once in my career," Cubs manager Dale Sveum aid, referring to the 1987 Milwaukee Brewers.  "It grinds on you, it gets frustrating, no question about it.  That's human nature.  Most of the time, it all turns around.  The last time I was part of it, we were 30 games over .500 after (the losing streak).  So a lot of good teams go through this."

The 1987 Brewers began the season 13-0, but lost 12 straight games from May 3-19.  They ended up finishing with a record of 91-71.  Not sure if that helps to hear, but I guess you never know what might happen.

In other news, third baseman Ian Stewart was taken out of today's lineup due to soreness in his left wrist.  Sveum said he will be re-evaluated on Saturday.

Sveum did tweak the batting order a little for tonight's game by moving shortstop Starlin Castro from the number 3 spot to number 2 for the first time this season.  Joe Mather also batted third in the lineup for the first time this season.

"It's time," Sveum said.  "[We haven't been] scoring throughout the whole season, and Mather's been as good as anybody swinging the bat, so I'm going to give him a little opportunity to see what he can do.  Like I told Castro, 'It's not a demotion, it's more shaking the team up.'  He was great about it -- he was like, 'Hey, I just want to win, I don't care where I hit in the lineup.'  He took it well and completely understood."

It looks like the Cubs may need more tweaks in the lineup to spark some offense.  We'll see what happens tomorrow as the Cubs and Pirates will play at 6:15pm CT.   Paul Maholm will start for the Cubs in his old stomping grounds, where he pitched for over six years before coming to the Cubs.  Keep your heads up, Cubs fans!  Tomorrow is a new day!

Cubs have another 9th inning rally, but fall short and lose 8-4 to Astros

The Cubs lost 8-4 to the Astros at Minute Maid Park in Houston tonight.  Matt Garza was the losing pitcher and only lasted just three innings tonight and gave up seven runs on five hits, which was his shortest outing since July 7, 2011.

Randy Wells pitched five innings in relief of Garza and came into the game when the score was 7-0 Astros.  Wells allowed just one run, three hits and walked two batters and struck out three.  His pitch count was 78 over five innings, while Garza threw 72 pitches over three innings.

“I tell you what, Randy Wells really pitched his (tail) off,” Garza said. “He picked me up for five innings. He did what I couldn’t and that was to give the bullpen a rest.”

Randy Wells pitched five innings in relief of Matt Garza on Monday in Houston (AP photo)

Wells said he's looking forward to pitching in relief (vs. as a starting pitcher) because it gives him the chance to help the team and by doing something different.  "One thing I like is the chance to play every day," Wells said.  "I've [pitched in relief] my whole career until 2008. It's something I'm comfortable with.  I'm actually excited."

Wells also made a great play tonight on Travic Buck's little dribbler down the first-base line in the bottom of the fifth inning.  Here's a link to the play.  I personally hope that Wells is successful in the bullpen and will remain on the roster.

David DeJesus climbs the right-field wall but can't come up with a home run by the Astros' Jed Lowrie during the seventh inning in Monday's game (Getty photo)

The Cubs' offense finally came alive in the ninth inning when they scored four runs to avoid being shut out.  Adrian Cardenas led off the ninth inning with a ground-rule double.  Koyie Hill, Reed Johnson, David DeJesus, and Blake Lalli all followed with singles.  It was rookie Lalli's first major-league hit and two RBIs.  The ninth inning has been the most productive for the Cubs offense this season with 28 runs.

Cubs manager Dale Sveum didn't end up shaking up the lineup, like he hinted at over the weekend.   “I didn’t say I was changing it,” Sveum said.  “I considered it.  I decided not to.”  Sveum said he wanted to overload the lineup with left-handed hitters against Astros starter Bud Norris.  The other reason is the Cubs will face left-handed starters for three games, beginning Tuesday, and he’ll be using his right-handed hitting lineup for those games.  But Sveum did come close to some tweaks.
“Very close, I will admit,” Sveum said. “I decided to give it one more week, the right-handed lineup.”

Tomorrow the Cubs will play game 2 of the 3 game series at 7:05pm CT.  Travis Wood will start for the Cubs tomorrow as he takes Chris Volstad's spot in the rotation.  Volstad was optioned to Triple-A Iowa last week.

Cubs lose 8-2 to Brewers; Carlos Marmol to DL; Casey Coleman called up

The Cubs put reliever Carlos Marmol on the 15-day disabled list after he left last night's game with a strained right hamstring.  In a corresponding move, pitcher Casey Coleman was called up from Triple-A Iowa (but technically he flew in today from Fresno, CA, where the Iowa Cubs were on the road).

Chris Volstad started for the Cubs and had his best start of the season so far when he held the Brewers to just four hits.  Volstad fell apart in the sixth inning when he allowed five runs.  The Cubs ended up losing 8-2 to the Brewers.

Cubs starter Chris Volstad had a strong outing until the sixth inning against the Brewers (photo from cubs.com)

Highlights from today included when David DeJesus doubled to lead off the game against Shaun Marcum and scored one batter later when Starlin Castro hit into a double play. Also, rookie Adrian Cardenas doubled to lead off the eighth inning for his first Major League hit.  He then scored one out later on Tony Campana's double.

I'm sure both teams were still tired from last night's crazy 13-inning game.  Cubs manager Dale Sveum said, "That was a crazy game, no doubt about it, for both teams.  It was a 13-inning game, but for both teams to completely use every (almost) every player....there's not too many games you see 50 guys used. Not all 50, but every bench and bullpen guy used."

Tomorrow the Cubs and Brewers will play the last game of this series at 1:10pm CT in Milwaukee.  Jeff Samardzija is scheduled to start for the Cubs.

The Shark leads #Cubs to a 5-1 win over the Braves at a foggy Wrigley Field; Travis Wood optioned to Iowa and Adrian Cardenas called up

The Cubs start their 3-game series against the Atlanta Braves with a 5-1 win at a foggy Wrigley Field tonight.  (even Geovany Soto said this was the foggiest he's ever seen it at Wrigley during his postgame on-field interview).

Jeff Samardzija started for the Cubs and struck out seven batters and gave up five hits over seven innings pitched.  He earned the win for tonight's game, bringing his record to 4-1.

Bryan LaHair, Ian Stewart, and Soto all hit home runs to back up Samardzija.  

Bryan LaHair runs the bases after hitting his 8th homer of the season (photo from cubs.com)

Samardzija hit Jason Heyward with a pitch in the seventh, and Eric O'Flaherty retaliated by plunking David DeJesus with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, prompting a warning to both benches from home-plate umpire Chris Conroy.  Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez argued the call and was ejected. DeJesus then scored on Castro's single.

Carlos Marmol walked two batters in the eighth, but was able to retire the Braves' 3-4-5 hitters and escape. He seemed very pleased with himself after getting out of the inning.  James Russell came in to close the game in the 9th, but it was not a save opportunity.

Carlos Marmol reacts after getting out of the eighth inning (photo from Chicago Tribune)

The Cubs optioned Travis Wood to Triple-A Iowa, after he was called up over the weekend to pitch in place of the flu-stricken Matt Garza.  In turn, the Cubs called up infielder Adrian Cardenas to replace Blake DeWitt, who had the misfortune of being designated for assignment due to Garza not being able to pitch and Wood needing a spot on the roster in order to pitch Sunday.

Cardenas had 18 family members and friends at tonight's game in case he got to play, which he did.  This is Cardenas' first trip to Chicago.  He had a chance to come up earlier when the team claimed him, but wanted to wait until he got the call.  "I wanted the first time I get here to be when I got called up," he said.  "I didn't realize Lake Michigan is so big."

Chicago Cubs third baseman Adrian Cardenas leans back to make a catch on a pop fly by Colorado Rockies' Todd Helton during the third inning of a spring training baseball game on Thursday, March 15, 2012, in Scottsdale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

During early batting practice, Cardenas tested the ivy on the outfield walls, pushing it a little just to see how thick it is.  "I'm a little overwhelmed," he said.  Welcome to the team, Adrian!

Today is the two-year anniversary of when shortstop Starlin Castro made his Major League debut at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.  On May 7, 2010, Castro went 2-for-5 in that game, hitting a three-run homer in his first plate appearance.  Castro added a three-run triple that game, and his six RBIs were the most recorded by a player in his first career appearance.

Tomorrow the Cubs will play the Braves in game 2 of the series at 7:05pm CT at Wrigley Field.  Ryan Dempster will start for the Cubs and hopes to get his first win this season, even though he has an ERA of 0.95, which leads the Majors.

Blake DeWitt is designated for assignment by the Cubs

#Cubs claim infielder Adrian Cardenas off waivers from the #Athletics. In a corresponding move, Blake DeWitt was designated for assignment.  Although I will miss DeWitt, he really didn't have a significant role with the Cubs, once Darwin Barney earned the starting 2B position.  And he didn't really help his case during the limited opportunities he received to promote himself.  However, he was always friendly and took time to sign for fans (as pictured below after a Cubs game in April 2011).