Paul Maholm doesn't fare well in his first start; Cubs lose 7-4 to the masked Brew Crew

The Cubs lost 7-4 to the Milwaukee Brewers at a chilly Wrigley Field tonight.  Most of the Brew Crew was wearing matching balaclavas/face masks during the game.  I understand that it was a cold night, but the masks just made them look wimpy. 

Left-handed pitcher Paul Maholm had his first start for the Cubs and didn't do well.  He gave up five runs in the first inning, including a three-run homer by Alex Gonzalez.  He also hit two batters and walked two in the inning.  The Cubs weren't able to recover from the rough first inning.

Paul Maholm didn't fare well in his first start for the Cubs tonight (photo from cubs.com)

On the bright side, Geovany Soto hit his first home run of the season in the ninth inning and Alfonso Soriano was 2 for 4 with two RBI.  

The Cubs will play game 3 of 4 against the Brewers tomorrow at 1:20pm at Wrigley Field.  Ryan Dempster will start for the Cubs in his second start of the season.  Let's hope he can pitch as well as he did on Opening Day!

On another note, Tom and Laura Ricketts hosted a luncheon at Wrigley Field today where more than $1 million in grants was given to Chicago area non-profits through Cubs Care and Chicago Cubs Charities.

Cubs beat their Crosstown Rivals, 5-1 in Glendale; Single-Game Tickets Go on Sale to the Public

The Cubs beat the White Sox 5-1 at Camelback Ranch today.  Even though it's a preseason game, it's still fun whenever the Cubs can beat the Sox!  Darwin Barney drove home Alfonso Soriano in the first to give the Cubs an early 1-0 lead.  Edgar Gonzalez hit a two-run homer in the second inning after Junior Lake was walked.

Travis Wood pitched 2 1/3 innings and gave up just a sacrifice fly.  However, he got into a bases-loaded one-out jam in the third, but Randy Wells came in to pitch in relief and was able to get the Cubs out of the jam by getting Paul Konerko to hit into a double play.  Wells pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings and gave up just one hit and struck out one batter.  When asked about the Cubs-Sox series without Ozzie Guillen, Wells said, “It’s quieter.”  Wells definitely helped his case for making the starting rotation after his impressive performance today.

Marlon Byrd homered in the sixth and Steve Clevenger homered in the seventh.  Rodrigo Lopez threw two hitless innings. 

The Cubs will play the Brewers in Maryvale tomorrow, where Ryan Dempster will be the starting pitcher.  Cubs manager Dale Sveum said the following about his old team, “It’ll be fun facing them.  I’m looking forward to it, to see the guys and say hello. We’ll try to beat their butts, but it’ll be good to see everybody.”  You can watch the game on WGN-TV and also listen on WGN-Radio at 2:05pm CST.  Catcher Geovany Soto is expected to play tomorrow, after being sidelined due to a groin injury.

On another note, Cubs single game tickets went on sale today.  Here are some photos from the Cubs' twitter account:

Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts greets the first Cubs fan in line this morning to buy single game tickets at Wrigley Field.

Cubs Board Member Laura Ricketts offering coffee to Cubs fans buying tickets at Wrigley Field.

 27 more days until Opening Day!  The Cubs "W" over the Sox is a great way to start the weekend!