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.

Cubs stomp on Pirates 14-4 on a crazy night at Wrigley Field; Johnson, Maholm and Soto traded during game

The Cubs stomped on the 2nd place Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field on an eventful night at Wrigley Field. 

Justin Germano started for the Cubs and allowed two runs on four hits while walking two batters and striking out three over five innings pitched.  Germano was acquired from the Boston Red Sox for cash considerations on July 19th and earned his first Cubs win tonight. 

Germano confirmed the trade craziness happening during the game and said, "It seemed like every time I turned around, someone else was leaving." 

Justin Germano earned his first Cubs win against the Pirates on Monday night

The Cubs scored 9 runs in the 5th inning and there was also a wedding proposal that was missed and re-broadcasted on the scoreboard, in addition to the trades happening during the game.

Anthony Rizzo and Darwin Barney each hit three-run home runs, and Starlin Castro hit a two-run homer.  This was the most runs the Cubs have scored in an inning since they scored 10 on August 14, 2009. They also scored eight runs in an inning on September 8, 2009.  All three big inning games were against the Pirates.

Reed Johnson was pulled in the 5th inning for a pinch hitter and was seen shaking hands and exchanging hugs with his teammates in the dugout, which was fueling the theory that he might have been traded.  It's now been confirmed that Johnson and LHP Paul Maholm have been traded to the Atlanta Braves for Arodys Vizcaino and Jaye Chapman.

LHP Paul Maholm has been traded to the Braves (Reuters photo)

Reed Johnson has been traded to the Braves

Around the same time that Johnson was pulled, Brett Jackson, who was the Cubs first draft pick in 2009, was pulled from the Iowa Cubs game.  It's predicted that Jackson will be added to the Cubs roster on Tuesday.

Top prospect Brett Jackson is expected to be called up from the Iowa Cubs on Tuesday

In the 6th inning, Geovany Soto was pulled and also seen exchanging handshakes and hugs with teammates in the dugout before leaving.  During the 8th inning, news surfaced on Twitter that Soto had been traded to the Texas Rangers for Double-A pitcher Jacob Brigham.

Catcher Geovany Soto has been traded to the Texas Rangers

Alfonso Soriano has reportedly told the Cubs he will not go to the San Francisco Giants in a trade.  Sori was pulled in the 8th inning, but wasn't seen giving hugs or handshakes, so it was unclear if he was about to be traded.

Alfonso Soriano doesn't want to go to the Giants

Darwin Barney was a double away from the cycle in tonight's game and was offensively on fire.

Darwin Barney after his three-run homer in the fifth inning against the Pirates (photo from cubs.com)

Tomorrow the Cubs and Pirates will play game two of the three-game series at Wrigley Field at 7:05pm CT.  For now, Ryan Dempster is scheduled to start for the Cubs and he has been preparing for the game, although there is still a large possibility that Demp will be traded before the 3pm trade deadline tomorrow.  We shall see! 

Dempster said, "I've enjoyed every moment I've played here, and I'm super proud to be a Chicago Cub and I understand that's always a possibility (to stay with the Cubs), and if that's the case, I'm going to give everything I have starting [Tuesday] night.  Whatever ends up happening in 24 hours or 23 hours from now, we'll find out then.  It could be sooner, it could be wearing my uniform and going out and pitching [Tuesday]."

Will Ryan Dempster be traded on Tuesday?

If Demp is traded, Casey Coleman is the most likely pitcher to be called up from Triple-A Iowa, since he's scheduled to start there anyway.  Again, we shall see what happens tomorrow!

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.

Paul Maholm and Cubs get a 4-2 "W" over Marlins and win another series; Cubs acquire Justin Germano from Red Sox and designate Jairo Asencio for assignment

The Cubs won their second straight game against the Miami Marlins today and also won the series and are 5-1 in the homestand.  Paul Maholm started for the Cubs and was on his game as he lasted eight innings and threw 106 pitches.  I was at today's game and it was one of the shortest games I've been to at 2 hours and 18 minutes.

Paul Maholm earned his fourth win in a row against the Marlins on Thursday (photo by Karen Burchell)

Maholm allowed just one run on five hits over eight innings and walked one batter and struck out four, and now has an 8-6 record with an ERA of 4.09 after winning his last four starts.

Alfonso Soriano hit his 18th homer of the season in the fifth inning which started a four-run inning for the Cubs.  Reed Johnson also made an incredible diving catch in right field off Jose Reyes, which Maholm definitely appreciated.  "It was huge. I'm sure if that gets by him, I'm probably done," Maholm said of Johnson's catch.  "Whenever he hit it, I kind of gave up in my mind that he just got a triple.  Reed, obviously, is a very good defensive outfielder and made an unbelievable catch."

Alfonso Soriano is congratulated by teammates after his homer in the fifth inning against the Marlins (photo by Karen Burchell)

Manager Dale Sveum said, "Soriano's home run was huge.  Obviously he was pitching well, and then to come back and Reed Johnson's two-out base hit to left field was kind of the backbreaker for Buehrle." Today was Buehrle's first loss to the Cubs since June 22, 2007.

After today's win, the Cubs are 14-5 in their last 19 games, which is the best record in the majors since June 25th.  Jeff Baker said, "Guys are playing good baseball.  It's fun."  Reed Johnson also added, "This team is obviously pretty good.  We've played some tough games and had some really good results of late, so hopefully it shows we're not as far away as we thought we were."

In other Cubs news, the team acquired relief pitcher Justin Germano today, who was designated for assignment by the Boston Red Sox, for cash considerations.  In a corresponding move, the Cubs designated relief pitcher Jairo Asencio for assignment.

The Cubs acquired reliever Justin Gemano from the Red Sox on Thursday (US Presswire photo)

Germano is 29 years old and has a career record of 8-20 with a 4.91 ERA.  If Germano isn't able to make it to St. Louis in time for Friday's game, Casey Coleman (who was scratched from his start on Thursday) might be brought in from the Iowa Cubs to cover the roster spot.

The Cubs will travel to St. Louis to play a three-game series against the Cardinals starting at 7:15pm CT Friday.  Ryan Dempster was scheduled to pitch, but with the trade rumors flying like crazy, who knows if that will change.

Here are some photos I took at today's game:

Cubs hanging out before their game against the Marlins (photo by Karen Burchell)

Cubs players during the National Anthem before Thursday's game against the Marlins (photo by Karen Burchell)

Reed Johnson makes it to second base against the Marlins on Thursday (photo by Karen Burchell)

First baseman Anthony Rizzo batting for the Cubs on Thursday against the Marlins (photo by Karen Burchell)

Matt Garza, Travis Wood and Jeff Samardzija in the Cubs dugout during Thursday's game against the Marlins (photo by Karen Burchell)

Actor and Chicago native Gary Sinise sings the 7th inning stretch in Thursday's game against the Marlins (photo by Karen Burchell)

Starlin Castro (photo by Karen Burchell)

The Cubs celebrate their 4-2 win over the Marlins on Thursday (photo by Karen Burchell)

"Go Cubs Go" and the "W" flag after the Cubs' win over the Marlins on Thursday (photo by Karen Burchell)

Carlos Marmol shaky in the 9th inning, but Cubs hold on to win 8-7 over Mets; Kim and David DeJesus to hold ALS awareness day July 14th

The Cubs beat the New York Mets 8-7 in the first game of the three-game series at Citi Field.  Travis Wood started for the Cubs and allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits and walked four and struck out three over six innings pitched.

Travis Wood earned his fourth straight win Friday night against the Mets (photo from Chicago Tribune)

Wood earned his fourth straight win tonight, even though Carlos Marmol made it interesting in the ninth inning when he gave up a home run and loaded the bases with three straight walks and also gave up a two-run single.  But thankfully Lucas Duda then lined out to Marmol, who was able to turn it into a game-ending double play. 

Anthony Rizzo, Reed Johnson, and Jeff Baker all hit home runs in the game.  Rizzo went 4-for-5 tonight, including his 3-run home run, which was immediately followed by Jeff Baker's solo home run in the 5th inning.

Anthony Rizzo was 4-for-5 with a 3-run homer in Friday's game against the Mets (photo from cubs.com)

The Cubs scored five runs, seven hits and 2 HRs in the 5th inning and also set a season high of 18 hits and are no longer in last place in the NL Central, which is nice to see!  Let's keep this "Anthony Rizzo momentum" going!

Anthony Rizzo is congratulated by Darwin Barney after his three-run homer in the fifth inning against the Mets (photo from Chicago Tribune)

The Cubs announced today that Ryan Dempster will come off the disabled list and start on Sunday in the finale against the Mets.  Dempster has been on the DL for 22 days with a sore right lat (shoulder).

"He says he feels as good as he has all year," manager Dale Sveum said.  "It's just a matter of durability issues.  But the guy keeps himself in phenomenal shape.  That's part of the decision.  If it was somebody else besides Ryan Dempster, you probably wouldn't even have been thinking about this."  Dempster will be limited to between 70-80 pitches.

In other Cubs news, David DeJesus' wife, Kim, will be hosting an ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) awareness day outside the main gate of Wrigley Field on Saturday, July 14th.  She will be selling mystery baseballs before the 12:05pm game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Each ball will sell for a $50 donation and will be wrapped so it will be a fun surprise to see which 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 are a couple 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

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.

Tomorrow the Cubs and Mets will play game two of the series at 3:10pm CT.   Jeff Samardzija will start for the Cubs and try for his seventh win of the season.

Darwin Barney's two-run walk-off homer gives Cubs third straight win

Darwin Barney's two-run, walk-off home run led the Cubs to a 8-6 win over the San Diego Padres this afternoon at Wrigley Field, which was the team's first three-game winning streak of the season.

"That was the first walk-off home run I've ever had at any level," Barney said.  "I didn't even see it go out.  I was running hard.  It's crazy.  It was already gone and passed and it happened so fast.  It's exciting.  It was good for our club."  This was Barney's second home run in three days and he also scored three runs and drove in three today.

Cubs manager Dale Sveum said the following about Barney, "He has been doing a nice job, building that slugging percentage for sure.  That ball was crushed through that wind."

Darwin Barney's reaction after winning today's game with his two-run walk-off homer (photo from cubs.com)

According to STATS, Inc., the Cubs are the first National League team to win at least three in a row following a streak of 12-or-more losses since August 2002, when the Mets also followed a 12-game losing streak with three straight victories. 

Tony Campana, who was pinch-running for Reed Johnson, stole two bases and scored the tying run in the eighth inning with his speed, which definitely helped the team tor earn its third win in a row.  Today also happens to be Campana's 26th birthday.

"He's a huge, monster asset to be able to use in those situations.  He's so fast," Sveum said.  "When you're losing by one run, you don't want to leave him on the bench.  When anybody gets on base, you have to get him in there, even if there are two outs." 

Ryan Dempster started for the Cubs today, but had his worst start of the season and ended up with a no-decision.  He allowed six runs over six hits, which included three home runs.  He struck out four and also walked four over 4-1/3 innings.

The Cubs used four relief pitchers, including Casey Coleman, Carlos Marmol, Randy Wells, and James Russell, who all combined to deliver 4-2/3 scoreless innings.  It's really great to see the bullpen being effective, finally!

"To bounce back from that by sweeping somebody, it feels really good," Dempster said.

Matt Garza catches Darwin Barney off-guard during his postgame interview (photo from ESPN Chicago)

The Cubs have an off-day tomorrow and will travel to San Francisco, where they will play a four-game series against the Giants starting Friday at 9:15pm CT.  Paul Maholm will start for the Cubs and try for his fifth win of the season.  This will be the start of a ten-game road trip for the Cubs.  Let's hope they can get their fourth win in a row!

Cubs finally get a lead, but can't get the win over the Astros

The Cubs lost their ninth straight game tonight, 5-1 to the Houston Astros.  Jeff Samardzija started for the Cubs and gave up two runs on six hits over six innings to take the loss.  It was his sixth quality start out of nine appearances this season.

This was the first time since May 8-18, 2002 that the Cubs have lost nine in a row.  Reed Johnson gave the Cubs an early lead in the first inning when he hit a solo home run off Wandy Rodriguez.  This was the first time the Cubs had a lead in 59 innings.

Reed Johnson homered in the first inning to give the Cubs an early lead (photo from cubs.com)

The Cubs held their 1-0 lead until the fourth inning, when Darwin Barney’s hustle toward the right-field line ended up in a collision with a sliding David DeJesus, which knocked the ball out of DeJesus' glove.

“It was one of those plays that was too much in the middle of us,” Barney said.  “It was placed at a point where he didn’t have a chance to call it.  It’s unfortunate.  My job is to go until I hear somebody call me off and that ball was put into a spot where he didn’t know he’d have a chance until he got there.  He probably didn’t know he’d be able to get there.”

Darwin Barney and David DeJesus colllided during the fourth inning of last night's game in Houston (photo from George Bridges/MCT)

Barney ended up with a bloody elbow and hip after the fall from the rocky surface on the warning track.  “I thought he caught it.  I went and when I was on the ground, I thought he had it in his glove and there it was.  We both did our job and it just happened to turn out that way.”  After the collision, the Astros took a 2-1 lead and the Cubs never regained the lead.

Here's a link to a complete game recap on cubs.com.

Tomorrow the Cubs have an off day and will travel to Pittsburgh, where they will play a three game series, starting Friday at 6:05pm CT.  Ryan Dempster will start on Friday and try for his first win of the season, despite his impressive 2.28 ERA.  Let's hope this team can turn this season around and end their losing streak!

Paul Maholm will make his first trip back to Pittsburgh since coming to the Cubs from the Pirates during the offseason.  He tweeted the following today, "Getting ready for the final game in Houston and then off to the steel city. Looking forward to my first trip back and pitching Sat."

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 and Cardinals split series 1-1; Cubs acquire minor league LHP Hunter Cervenka

The Cubs, who had won two straight games, lost 7-6 to the St. Louis Cardinals today, which means the two arch rivals split the series, 1-1.  Paul Maholm started for the Cubs but didn't have as good of an outing as his last four starts.

Maholm  gave up four runs in six innings while striking out five and walking three.  Maholm had allowed just three earned runs over his previous four starts.  "After the first, I started making a lot better pitches," Maholm said.  "Some days you've just got to go out there and battle and whatever is working you just keep going with it."

Highlights of today's game included Bryan LaHair and Alfonso Soriano's home runs and Starlin Castro, Ian Stewart, and Reed Johnson's RBI singles.

Alfonso Soriano's home run tied the game in the 9th, but the Cubs bullpen couldn't hold off the Cardinals (photo from cubs.com)

For a full game recap, you can link to an article on cubs.com here.

In other Cubs news, the team acquired minor league LHP Hunter Cervenka from the Boston Red Sox to complete the Marlon Byrd-Michael Bowden trade from last month.

The Cubs will play the first of a two game series against the Philadelphia Phillies tomorrow at 7:05pm CT at Wrigley Field.  Matt Garza will start for the Cubs and will try to earn his third win of the season. 

Cubs' bats come alive to beat the Brewers, 8-2

The Cubs' bats came alive on Mother's Day as they beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 8-2 and avoid being swept.  Jeff Samardzija started for the Cubs and allowed one run on three hits with six strikeouts during five innings pitched.  Shawn Camp earned his first win of the season.

Jeff Samardzija started against the Brewers today (photo from Chicago Tribune)

Ian Stewart and Reed Johnson hit solo HRs today, while Alfonso Soriano and Darwin Barney came though with RBI doubles.

Cubs manager Dale Sveum has lost 5 of 7 games the Brewers this season (his former team).  "I'm not going to say it stings any less," Sveum said.  "We've probably played our worst baseball against them, too, especially against a team that was struggling a little bit. I think we kind of let them off the hook that way."  Well, I'll bet he was pretty happy about today's win against the Brew Crew!

Tomorrow the Cubs will travel to St. Louis to play the Cardinals at 6:05pm CT.  Ryan Dempster will start for the Cubs and will hopefully get his first win of the season, even though all five of his starts have been quality starts.  He currently has a 1.02 ERA.

Day 2 of Cubs pitchers and catchers at Fitch Park

Although today was President's Day, Cubs pitchers and catchers still had their second workout at Fitch Park.  Here are some photos of early-reporting position players from today:

Reed Johnson and Ian Stewart

David DeJesus - photo from Tim Sheridan

Darwin Barney - photo by Tim Sheridan

New Cubs pitcher (and projected #3 starter) Paul Maholm tweeted today, "When I get to 20k followers I will do a lil give away of a few signed things. Almost there. Suggestions on how to pick the winners?"  Gotta love Maholm's consistent interaction with his fans!

The Cubs are also having an ongoing bunting contest during spring training, where apparently Kerry Wood is the early favorite.  The field is marked with a point system, so bunts are worth between 10 to 40 points, depending on where they end up. There's also a 100-point bull's-eye, but a player has to call the shot.  A winner will be declared among the pitchers and the position players, and after two weeks, there will be a championship game.  "The guys really get into it, and it just makes them focus a little more," Sveum said.  Will there be a prize for the winner?  "There might be," Sveum said, smiling.

Jeff Samardzija admitted that he has not focused as much as he should have during past seasons while competing for a starting pitching role.  This year he is determined to crack the starting rotation.  We'll see what happens....

Ryan Dempster sounded bought into the "Cubs way" when he said, "You look at teams that have had success they have that kind of philosophy. You can feel it."  Let's hope he's right!

Blake DeWitt accepted his non-roster invite to spring training after being designated for assignment and clearing waivers.

Carlos Marmol said he will no longer be throwing his cutter, and will be focusing on his slider.  I agree with manager Dale Sveum that this is the way to go to get the old Marmol back.

Only 12 more days until Cubs pitchers and catchers report to spring training!

Less than two weeks until Cubs pitchers and catchers report to Mesa.  Cubs fans everywhere are getting excited for the 2012 baseball season to start.  While we're waiting for more Cubs news to report, here are some photos I took at the Opening Ceremonies of the Cubs Convention last month.

 New Cubs David DeJesus and Paul Maholm

Fans during the Opening Ceremonies of the 2012 Cubs Convention

 

 Casey Coleman, Ryan Dempster, and Blake DeWitt

 

Matt Garza and Reed Johnson

 

 Alfonso Soriano and Geovany Soto

 

Carlos Marmol and James Russell

 

 Randy Wells and Kerry Wood

 

 The face of the Cubs' future, Theo Epstein