Cubs can't pull off series sweep, but still win series against White Sox; Ian Stewart update; Is Anthony Rizzo on-deck?

The Cubs weren't able to pull off the series sweep against the White Sox tonight and lost 7-0.  However, the Cubs did already secure the series win against the South siders when they won the second game in a row against the Sox yesterday.  Randy Wells started for the Cubs tonight and allowed three runs on five hits and also walked four batters over 3 2/3 innings.

Randy Wells started in the final game against the White Sox on Wednesday (photo from Chicago Tribune)

Wells pitched two scoreless innings, but then walked Eduardo Escobar (who stole second) in the third inning and also walked Alejandro De Aza.  Both runners advanced on Gordon Beckham's sacrifice.  Then Adam Dunn and Paul Konerko both hit RBI singles to give the Sox a 2-0 lead.

In the fourth inning, Alexei Ramirez singled with one out.  Then De Aza reached on an infield single to Starlin Castro, who missed the flip to Darwin Barney for the forceout.  Then Beckham hit a single that got past a diving Barney that scored Ramirez.  He left the game in the fourth inning with the Sox leading 3-0.

The Cubs also wasted scoring opportunities they had tonight, such as when David DeJesus hit a leadoff double in the third inning, but was left stranded.  “Those are things we have to get better at,” manager Dale Sveum said.  “We gave one away that we could have taken the lead on early (in the third inning) if we could have got the guy over and we swing at the first pitch and roll over and don’t get anything out of that.  That was probably the key of the game right there.”

One tense moment in tonight's game was when relief pitcher Casey Coleman was hit on the right hand by the barrel of Eduzrdo Escobar's broken bat in the seventh inning, even though he tried to get out of the way.  "It's always scary when something like that happens, but I got lucky," Coleman said. "It was the barrel that hit me on the knuckles.  It's scary when you don't see it and all of a sudden it gets you." The x-rays on his hand were negative.

The White Sox win the Crosstown series 4-2 games over the Cubs this season. 

In other Cubs news, third baseman Ian Stewart had a cortisone shot in his left hand and said, “My options now are just to see if this cortisone works and give it four, five days when I’m on the [disabled list] to really let it sink in and work and then slowly get a program going off the tee.  If the shot works, then it’ll carry me through the season and maybe get another one in another six weeks or so.  If it doesn’t, then we may have to go the other route.  We’re just going to see how it feels.”  Hopefully the shot will work and Stewart won't need surgery on his wrist.  Stewart won't touch a baseball until this weekend, when he will hit off a tee.

Third baseman Ian Stewart is hoping the cortisone shot will help with his wrist injury (photo from ESPN)

The Cubs have an off-day tomorrow and will travel to start a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Their next game is Friday at 8:40pm CT.  Jeff Samardzija will start for the Cubs and try for his sixth win of the season.  There has also been lots of talk about the Cubs calling up top prospect Anthony Rizzo from Triple-A Iowa this weekend for the games against the Dbacks, so we'll see if Theo and Co. are ready to make the leap.

Cubs get second straight "W" against White Sox and try for series sweep tomorrow

The Cubs beat the White Sox 2-1 at U.S. Cellular Field tonight and in turn, have won the series and will go for the series sweep tomorrow night.

Travis Wood started for the Cubs and allowed one run on four hits and struck out five and walked four batters over six innings.  Wood earns his first win of the season.

Starter Travis Wood snags a line drive off the bat of Paul Konerko in the 2nd inning (photo from Chicago Tribune)

The Sox scored first in the second inning, but fortunately for the Cubs, it was just one run.  The Cubs then scored two runs in the top of the third when David DeJesus singled to score Geovany Soto and Tony Campana.

David DeJesus had two RBIs in tonight's game against the White Sox (photo from cubs.com)

In other Cubs news, Ian Stewart received a second opinion on his sore left wrist at the Cleveland Clinic today.  There was nothing serious discovered and it was confirmed that there is nothing structurally wrong with his wrist.  He received a cortisone injection in the top of his left hand, which will hopefully help.  Stewart has been on the 15-day disabled list since June 13th.

Tomorrow the Cubs and Sox will play the final game of the Crosstown series at 7:10pm CT.  Randy Wells will make the start for the Cubs in place of Ryan Dempster, who went on the 15-day DL yesterday.

Wells definitely sees this as an opportunity to prove himself again.  "Three years in the rotation, or whatever it was, doesn't guarantee you're going to get the fourth," Wells said.

"The two years I had in the rotation didn't guarantee anything.  I've been through it before.  It was definitely a low point in my career to have to go to Triple-A this year out of Spring Training.  I felt I was throwing well.  It's definitely an eye-opener but it makes you stronger and you realize there's nothing given to you in this game and there's a guy waiting to take your spot every day."  Wells also said doesn't think he's lost too much stamina pitching out of the bullpen (vs. the starting rotation). 

"It's an opportunity to get back on the hill as a starter and hopefully have some quick innings and some quality innings and give the team a chance to win," Wells said.  "I'm not worried about what it means and all this stuff.  It's unfortunate 'Demp' went down and I was the guy they called to start and I'm going to do it."  Let's get the series sweep tomorrow!

Happy Valentine's Day - 4 more days until Cubs pitchers and catchers report to Mesa!

Something sweet for Valentine's Day....

But more importantly, Cubs pitchers and catchers report to Mesa for spring training in 4 days!  Baseball season is literally just around the corner!

Kosuke Fukudome has signed with the Chicago White Sox, so he'll just be across town and is reportedly going play "any outfield position."  He will make a guaranteed $1MM, of which half will come in the 2012 season.  If he does well this season, he could make $3.5MM in 2013.

Also, the Cubs will not be moving into U.S. Cellular Field for the 2013 season while Wrigley Field is renovated.  There hasn't been an official timeline or detailed plan set yet for Wrigley's renovation.  So for now, U.S. Cellular just gets Kosuke!

Happy Valentine's Day to all the Cubs fans out there!