Bryan LaHair leads Cubs to walk-off win to end the season

The Cubs ended their rough 2012 season with a walk-off win against the Houston Astros as Bryan LaHair's RBI single scored pinch runner Darwin Barney for the exciting 5-4 win at Wrigley Field on a cloudy Wednesday afternoon.

Darwin Barney and teammates congratulate each other after ending the 2012 season with a win (photo by Karen Burchell)

I was at the game when I saw the @Cubs tweet "We've got two dugout box seats for our final seat upgrade of the season. First person at today's game to send their full seat location wins."  I then immediately tweeted them my seat location and was pleasantly surprised to see Kevin from the Cubs show up to tell me that I had won the seat upgrade!

My daughter and I then moved to the dugout box seats right by the Cubs dugout for the rest of the game.  It was definitely the highlight of my year, as we sat not even ten feet away from Dale Sveum and could always what he was doing to our left.  We were also sitting amongst Todd and Tom Ricketts and Crane Kenney.  Was I dreaming?

Our upgraded seats in the dugout box, thanks to the @Cubs on Twitter! (photo by Karen Burchell)

Our day was topped off with a walk-off win to end the season.  After the Cubs celebrated on the field, Darwin Barney entered the dugout and came out by where we were sitting and gave his bat to someone sitting behind the dugout.  He then looked around and took his batting glove off and threw it to my daughter, who was so excited!  We also came home with Matt Garza's bag and a baseball.

Darwin Barney's batting glove, Matt Garza's bag and a baseball (photo by Karen Burchell)

I would like to give the Cubs organization, especially Kevin and his social media team my biggest thanks and appreciation for making the last game of the season such a special and memorable game for my daughter and I.  It was an experience we will never forget.

I am so impressed and love how the Cubs social media team is so diligent about interacting with fans and making each one feel special.  I was also touched by the tweets from fellow Cubs fans on Twitter congratulating me for winning the seat upgrade.  It really meant a lot and shows just what kind of people Cubs fans really are, no matter if we have ever met in person or not.

If you're not following the @Cubs on Twitter and you're a Cubs fan, you really should follow them at http://twitter.com/Cubs.  Do it now!  And if you're looking for other Cubs fans to follow and the latest Cubs news, please follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/kcburchell and tweet me to say "hi!"

Anyway, onto the game recap:  Travis Wood started for the Cubs and had a good outing as he allowed one run on three hits while walking five and striking out four batters over 6.1 innings pitched.  Wood also had a hit and two RBIs.

The lineup consisted mainly of players that don't usually get to start, with the exception of shortstop Starlin Castro, who became the first shortstop in franchise history to play all 162 games in a season.

The Cubs ended their season with a 61-101 record, which was the third-most losses in franchise history.  The Cubs lost 103 games in both 1962 and 1966.

Here are some photos I took at the game:

Cubs players during the National Anthem before the final game of the season (photo by Karen Burchell)

Cubs players during the National Anthem before the final game of the season (photo by Karen Burchell)

Cubs players during the National Anthem before the final game of the season (photo by Karen Burchell)

Cubs players during the National Anthem before the final game of the season (photo by Karen Burchell)

Cubs players during the National Anthem before the final game of the season (photo by Karen Burchell)

Bryan LaHair in the on-deck circle (photo by Karen Burchell)

Dale Sveum during the last game of the season (photo by Karen Burchell)

Travis Wood congratulates Dave Sappelt after he scores (photo by Karen Burchell)

Dave Sappelt after crossing home plate (photo by Karen Burchell)

Dave Sappelt by the dugout after scoring (photo by Karen Burchell)

Travis Wood batting with Tony Campana in the on-deck circle (photo by Karen Burchell)

Darwin Barney between first and second base during the 9th inning of the season finale (photo by Karen Burchell)

Cubs win! (photo by Karen Burchell)

The 2012 Cubs walking off the field after ending their season with a "W" (photo by Karen Burchell)

The Wrigley Field Grounds Crew sang the 7th inning stretch (photo by Karen Burchell)

In other Cubs news, the organization fired third base coach Pat Listach after Wednesday's finale. "This is hard for me because he was one of the first people that really saw what I had and believed in it and voiced his opinion for me a couple of years back," Barney said.  "It's tough.  He's going to be fine.  He has a place in baseball and will find work for sure, but it's hard to see him go."

Shiraz Rehman, 34, was promoted to Assistant General Manager alongside Randy Bush, both reporting to GM Jed Hoyer.

It was announced Thursday that Josh Vitters and Brett Jackson will be sent back to Triple-A Iowa to start the 2013 season in order to give them the time to better prepare for the majors.

Theo Epstein held a press conference Thursday and said, “I’m not going to sit here and say, 'Don’t worry about 101 losses because we have a magic plan to win the World Series in 2013, (that) it’s gonna happen, so be there now.  That’s not the case.  There is a plan, there is a vision.  It might be a little bit longer turn than we all want it to be, but that we’re committed to it and that there is a great reward at the end.”

Cubs President Theo Epstein held a press conference Thursday (photo from cubs.com)

Epstein did say they would still focus on starting pitching.  The team went through 30 pitchers this season, of which none won 10 games.  The pitchers that won the most games were Jeff Samardzija and Paul Maholm.  Joe Mather finished with the best ERA after the team had to use him in September as a last resort.

The Cubs received approval to add an additional row of 56 seats behind home plate by moving the brick wall forward three feet.  They also received ap proval to reconfigure a 12-foot section of the wall along the third base line so that it would be movable by forklift so that it could be a larger buffer between the playing field and the brick wall.  This would make the Friendly Confines more suitable to host college football games.  In 2010, Northwestern and Illinois played against each other at Wrigley Field, but the NCAA required the offense to use only the west end zone.

It's always a little sad once baseball season comes to an end, but on the bright side, the Cubs will have the #2 draft pick in 2013, due to their won-loss record in 2012.  Now it's time to enjoy the cooler weather, the holidays (which are really right around the corner) and start counting down the days to the Cubs Convention, which will be held at a new location (the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers at 201 East North Water Street in downtown Chicago) on January 18-20, 2013.  Go Cubs Go!!!

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.

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.

Reed Johnson's bunt single leads Cubs to a 3-2 win against the Cardinals

I was lucky enough to be at Wrigley Field Saturday afternoon to watch the Cubs beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 in the second game of the three-game series.  Thanks to the generosity of Stanley's Kitchen and Tap, I got to watch the game from the best seats I've ever sat in at the Friendly Confines.

Jeff Samardzija started for the Cubs and allowed two runs on three hits and walked six batters and struck out seven over six innings pitched.  The Shark didn't get off to a good start when he threw seven straight balls and walked the bases loaded in the first inning.  Luckily, he was able to get out of the inning with just one run scored by the Cardinals.

Jeff Samardzija at bat in Saturday's game against the Cardinals (photo by Karen Burchell)

"There were spurts when I couldn't miss and I was making all my pitches, and there were times when I was battling myself," Samardzija said.  "It almost took having runners on to really get my head on straight and make big pitches."  Perhaps the best part about not knowing where your pitches might go is that neither does the opponent, which worked out nicely for the Cubs.

"You really can measure yourself against these teams," Samardzija said about facing the Cardinals and Pirates, who will face the Cubs at Wrigley Field next.  "We don't know our record, we don't know where we're at [in the standings].  Just every day, we know the guy we're facing and who's pitching for us.  I really like how we're playing baseball now.  It's fun to come to the park.  Everybody's excited and happy and wants to play all nine innings.  It's a lot of fun."

Bryan LaHair on-deck in Saturday's game against the Cardinals (photo by Karen Burchell)

The game was tied at 2 in the seventh inning when Bryan LaHair walked and Tony Campana came into the game to pinch run for LaHair.  Campana stole second base and reached third when Geovany Soto singled.  Then Jeff Baker lined out and Luis Valbuena struck out.

Reed Johnson then bunted towards third with what ended up being the game-winning RBI which scored Tony "wheels" Campana.

Reed Johnson before his game-winning RBI in the seventh inning (photo by Karen Burchell)

Tony Campana scores on Reed Johnson's 2-out bunt single to give the Cubs the lead against the Cardinals (photo by Karen Burchell)

“That was all on his own,” Cubs manager Dale Sveum said of Johnson's decision to bunt.  “Reed is one of those baseball players that has those kinds of things in his tool box.  He is one of those guys who gets picked up now or even after the deadline because he is a valuable guy to a team that is vying for a championship.”

Also in the seventh inning, when Sveum came on the field to challenge the call of Castro being called out at first on Daniel Descalso's throw, he was ejected for the third time this season.  Which is just ridiculous since the replay showed that Castro clearly beat the throw to first.

Oh well, another argument for instant replay in MLB games.  Relief pitcher James Russell earned the win and Carlos Marmol earned the save today.

Here are some of my photos from the game:

Starlin Castro at bat against the Cardinals (photo by Karen Burchell)

Anthony Rizzo at bat against the Cardinals (photo by Karen Burchell)

Relief pitcher James Russell earned the win against the Cardinals (photo by Karen Burchell)

Cubs players celebrate their win against the Cardinals on Saturday (photo by Karen Burchell)

Cubs players celebrate their win against the Cardinals as Wrigley Field is singing "Go Cubs Go" (photo by Karen Burchell)

Tomorrow the Cubs and Cards will play the rubber game of the series at 1:20pm CT.  Paul Maholm will start for the Cubs and try to earn his 10th win of the season which would also be his sixth straight win.

Matt Garza leads Cubs to a 3-1 victory and sweep over Diamondbacks

The Cubs won 3-1 over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday to complete the series sweep.  Matt Garza was excellent as he pitched seven shutout innings and allowed five hits and struck out seven and walked one to earn his fifth win of the season.

Matt Garza pitched seven shutout innings to earn the win against the Diamondbacks on Sunday (photo from Chicago Tribune)

Garza has allowed three or fewer runs at Wrigley Field in 18 consecutive starts, which is the most since Kerry Wood in 2002.  In his last 18 starts at Wrigley, Garza is 7-4 with a 1.97 ERA. 

As with Ryan Dempster yesterday, there were plenty of scouts at the Friendly Confines today checking out Garza's performance.  However, Garza said he wasn't thinking about the scouts or the possibility of being traded.  "No, man, I've got a (pregnant) wife who's due in 23 days," he said.  "(Rumors) are the last thing on my mind right now.  I got a wife who's ready to pop so I don't care where I'm going to be right now.  When she calls, I'm going to be next to her.  That's all I'm worried about right now."

Today's win was the Cubs' 12th victory in their last 16 games and they are now 3-1/2 games ahead of the Houston Astros.  Anthony Rizzo's drove in the first run today with an RBI single and Darwin Barney's homer drove in two runs. 

Darwin Barney runs the bases after his 2-run homer on Sunday against the Diamondbacks (photo from Chicago Tribune)

Darwin Barney is high-fived by Bryan LaHair after his two-run homer on Sunday against the Diamondbacks (photo from Chicago Tribune)

The Cubs have an off-day Monday and will start a three-game series against the Miami Marlins at Wrigley Field on Tuesday at 7:05pm CT.  Travis Wood will start for the Cubs and try for his fifth straight win.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

David and Kim DeJesus to hold ALS awareness day on Saturday July 14th before 12:05 game at Wrigley Field

Since today is still the All-Star break and the Cubs didn't play, I thought I'd dedicate today's post to an impactful event that is coming up this weekend to help an important cause.

Cubs outfielder David DeJesus and his wife, Kim, will be hosting an ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) awareness day outside the main gate of Wrigley Field this Saturday, July 14th.  They will be selling mystery baseballs before the 12:05pm game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Sales will start as soon as the gates open at 10:05am.

Each ball will sell for a $50 donation and will be wrapped so it will be a fun surprise to see which player's autographed ball you get.  Every player on the team has signed 12 balls.  ALS bracelets will also be available for a small donation.  All proceeds will go towards ALS research.

Here is a link to a video of David DeJesus talking about the upcoming event.  Following are a few photos of the balls that Kim DeJesus (‏@KimDeJesus9) posted on Twitter:

Anthony Rizzo's autographed baseballs for the ALS mystery baseball event on July 14th

One of twelve signed Bryan LaHair baseballs to be sold at the ALS event on July 14th

Wrapped mystery balls ready to be sold on Saturday to benefit ALS research

Also, after the game on the same day, David DeJesus will be holding an autograph signing at the Cubs store across from Wrigley Field.  For a minimum donation of $20, you can meet David and get an autograph from the Cubs outfielder, with all proceeds benefitting ALS research.

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

Outfielder Albert Almora has officially signed with the Cubs

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

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

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

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

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

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

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