In their penultimate game, the Cubs managed to get shut out by the worst team in baseball for the second straight night. At least Chris Volstad pitched well.

“It did feel good to finish that way, just being myself,” Volstad said. “I could’ve used a few more of those. It felt good to have one that way, especially to end [the season] and go into the offseason with a positive.”

So does Dale Sveum forgive him after not following the game plan in Arizona?

“He’s another guy, like anybody else, who has to make adjustments, and be more consistent with the game plans, the consistency with his stuff and knowing how to use his stuff on any given day,” Cubs manager Dale Sveum said. “He’s a guy who has big league stuff who has to learn how to use it at the big league level on a consistent basis.”

Tuesday night marked the 16th time the Cubs have been shut out this season. Theo Epstein didn’t mince words when describing this season.

“Not many people around here have been through this many losses in a season,” said Theo Epstein, Cubs president of baseball operations. “It should serve as motivation. It’s a very stark baseline of where we are and how much improvement we need to make.”

Indeed.

» Continue reading “Cubs Wednesday Headlines/Game Thread: Sayonara 2012″

Up to 97 losses.

The Cubs lost again in Colorado yesterday, earning them their fifth sweep at the hands of a National League West opponent this year. Chris Volstad looked like the same Chris Volstad we’ve seen all year and gave up seven runs in 3.1 innings. I don’t expect to see Volstad back with the Cubs after Dale Sveum’s post-game comments.

‘‘There was really no life or anything,’’ Sveum said. ‘‘No breaking balls or sticking to the game plan. He pitched a pretty good game [62/3 scoreless innings] against these guys last time, pitching glove side down and away. I don’t really know what was going on today.’’

Volstad, who said he and catcher Steve Clevenger were on the same page and game plan, said the game ‘‘kind of sums up the year.’’

When your manager calls you out publicly after the game for not following the game plan, I think he’s had enough. The Cubs did battle back to make it 7-5, including a home run from Anthony Rizzo. He now has 15 home runs and 47 RBI in 82 games. Dale Sveum broke out his calculator and liked what he saw.

‘‘Double that, and it basically averages out to 30 and 100 [RBI] for a season. Pretty impressive for 22 years old,’’ Sveum said of Rizzo. ‘‘You have some stuff to hang your hat on next year for a full season. So that’s nice to know. You’ve got some guys that gained a lot of experience and hopefully keep gaining and get better and better.’’

But Rizzo hasn’t bothered to look back at his first season with the Cubs, yet.

“Ask me that in a couple days when the season is done and I’ll sit back and reflect,” Rizzo said. “I just have to keep working hard and keep going.”

» Continue reading “Cubs Friday Headlines: Sveum Is Done With Volstad”

To no one’s surprise, the Cubs lost again last night. They’re now 0-15 against the NL West on the road. Standing at 96 losses with 7 games left and 4 road games yet to play against the Rockies and D’Backs, 100 losses is looking more and more likely. But you know what? Jed Hoyer isn’t too worried about 100 losses.

“People in every walk of life focus on round numbers,” Hoyer said Wednesday at Coors Field. “One hundred losses is a round number. I’m not going to feel any better about a 96-loss season or a 98-loss season or a 100-loss season. In any way, shape or form, we have to get better. I don’t want to lose 100 games either. That’s something people talk about and it’s a round number we clearly want to avoid.

“If we avoid it, it doesn’t mean I’ll feel better about our season. … We have to get better. That’s the focus.”

I love that he and Theo are just so damned reasonable. Jed’s also not ready to stock the 2013 roster with the same guys that currently populate it.

“Every guy who’s come up hasn’t shown we need to reserve a spot for him next season but that’s to be expected,” Hoyer said. “We need to get better next year and having depth at [Triple-A] Iowa is important. A lot of those guys may feel they’re ready but if they start the year at Iowa, that’s probably a positive for our roster.”

With Carlos Zambrano and Ryan Dempster’s contracts coming off the books, we can expect some movement in the free agent market.

“We’re obviously going to be active in the free-agent market. I don’t think there’s any question about that,’’ general manager Jed Hoyer said.

“A big part of our research and a big part of our work is evaluating the guys that are likely to be free agents. Exactly how much money we spend in part will be determined by the market and where it goes. We have some money to spend, and that’s an area we’re going to focus on heavily.’’

Where will we see some of this money spent?

“We certainly have to be aggressive with starting pitching over the course of the winter,’’ said Hoyer, whose payroll commitments for 2013 so far involve only four players and just over $40 million.

I hope Boo Radley, Jason Berken and Chris Rusin have enjoyed their time in the Cubs’ rotation.

» Continue reading “Cubs Thursday Headlines/Game Thread: Quest For 100 Continues”

Chris Volstad only gave up one run in five innings in his last start, earning a win. It was, however, against the cellar dwelling Astros. Today’s game will be against the once-mighty Pirates, who are still somehow only two games out of the last Wild Card spot in the National League.

Cubs.com tells me that Chris Volstad has a 4.08 ERA in his last eight starts, which has his season ERA down to 5.99, along with a 3-10 record. Taking the mound for the Pirates is rookie lefty Jeff Locke (0-1, 4.11). His last start was against the Cubs on September 9, when he went six innings, allowing two earned runs on seven hits and no walks. That was the game in Pittsburgh that Alfonso Soriano won with a two-run homer in the eighth, so Locke didn’t get a decision.

There are no lineups posted as of yet, so you’ll have to figure those out for yourself. Game time is 1:20 Central and you can watch on WGN if you’re not watching football.

Yes once again Chris Volstad (Voltron) is back on the mound again tonight. If Chris can play like Voltron instead of like Volstad we might be able to pick up yet another win in this dismal season.

Volstad (2-10, 6.23 ERA) will try to help the Cubs snap that skid while bouncing back from his first loss in three games. The right-hander gave up five runs and nine hits over five innings in a 9-1 defeat in Washington on Wednesday after recording back-to-back wins for the first time since June 25-30, 2011.

The Cubs (54-86), meanwhile, swept a three-game series in Pittsburgh with Alfonso Soriano hitting the go-ahead homer during a 4-2 victory Sunday. The two-run shot was his fifth in 10 games.

So once again our boys will try once again to win 4 games in a row against the worst team in baseball.

The lineup for today:

Chicago

1.    J. Mather, CF

2.    D. Barney, 2B

3.    A. Rizzo, 1B

4.    A. Soriano, LF

5.    S. Castro, SS

6.    W. Castillo, C

7.    J. Vitters, 3B

8.    D. Sappelt, RF

9.    C. Volstad, P

GO CUBS GO!!!

Wednesday, the Cubs became the third team in MLB history to allow six home runs to the opposing team in back-to-back games. Luckily for Dale Sveum, he came up with a new strategy so that he doesn’t have to endure the torment that is the winding down of the Cubs’ season. He got thrown out of his very first game in the fifth inning.

With the Cubs’ staff chirping at home-plate umpire Larry Vanover following some questionable calls in the fifth inning, Sveum moved to protect his troops.

“I just don’t think that’s right when you’re looking at our dugout for no apparent reason at all,” Sveum said, referring to Vanover.

Sveum did admit that the bench had expressed displeasure with Vanover’s calls. In particular question seemed to be when Welington Castillo struck out looking.

“But nothing at all to warrant that,” Sveum said of Vanover’s looks toward the Cubs dugout. “I took it that he was looking at me.”

Apparently, Dale doesn’t like to be looked at. File that away for future reference. When asked about Volstad’s return to the form of having a bad inning in each start, Dale got defensive.

“I don’t know why you always want to beat down Volstad all the time, about the old Volstad or whatever,” Sveum said. “That’s a tough lineup, and he couldn’t keep the ball down today, bottom line.”

And on Gio Gonzalez being dominant against the Cubs’ offense:

“That’s (Gonzalez’s) stuff all the time,” Sveum said. “He’s just facing a lineup that isn’t one of the better lineups in baseball and that’s going to help him too. This series so far, obviously what we can make out of it, that it’s just men playing against boys right now.”

Dale sounds a little down. Maybe he could use a candy gram.

» Continue reading “Cubs Thursday Headlines: Descent Into Madness Continues”

Chris Volstad is having a crummy year. He entered Sunday with 24 consecutive starts without a win (dating back to last year) and was 4 away from tying the MLB record. He took matters into his own hands on Sunday, allowing no runs in 6.2 innings on his way to his first victory since July of 2011.

“It was only fitting that the day took so long,” Volstad said. “(A delay) before the game, I’m used to that. It’s happened to me couple of times already this year and in Florida obviously. But the tarp being pulled in the ninth inning it was like, ‘Come on, let’s just get this over with.’”

And when the game was called after 8 innings, Volstad was feted like it was his bachelor party. To his credit, he only gave up two hits in his 6.2 shutout innings.

“I guess it was a little bit of a relief but like I’ve been saying I just want to throw well, keep the team there and have the team win the game,” Volstad said. “The streak, that’s just for you guys more than it is for me. But it is a little sense of relief to get it over with.”

And Dale Sveum is just so gosh darn proud of him.

“He pitched one heck of a game, keeping the ball on the ground and was actually getting some weak contact on that sinker,” manager Dale Sveum said. “He had his offspeed pitches working. He was pitching down and away. He had a great day and it was nice for him. I know that’s a huge monkey off his back.”

» Continue reading “Cubs Monday Headlines: Volstad Ends Streak, Cubs Win Series”

By now, we all know that Chris Volstad is having a horrible season. In fact, it goes back over a calendar year that he hasn’t won a game. It’s to the point where I just feel bad for the guy, and he only has four more winless starts to go before he ties the MLB record at 28. I’d prefer he not go down in infamy as a Cub.

The aforementioned Volstad (0-9, 6.88) will take the mound against Jhoulys Chacin (1-3, 6.16) of the Rockies. Chacin made his first start since May 1 last Tuesday, allowing one run on four hits in six innings against the Mets. He only struck out two, so look for the Cubs to strike out 12 times against him.

All you Luis Valbuena fans are going to be so excited about the lineup today. Check it out after the jump.

» Continue reading “Cubs Sunday Game Thread: For The Love Of God Get Volstad A Win”

Cubs starter Chris Volstad wasn’t as bad as he’s been at times on Sunday, but his winless streak was extended to 24 games yesterday. That’s only four short of the major league record.

‘‘I’m done with that,’’ said Volstad, who pitched six innings with a slider manager Dale Sveum said was his best of the year. ‘‘If you’ve won five in a row, are you going to worry about not winning your next game? Or if you’ve lost five in a row or whatever, are you going to worry about losing [the next one]? Or are you going to go out and compete and try to win each individual time you run out there?

‘‘That’s all I’m doing.’’

I know wins are a meaningless stat, so I really hope he doesn’t end up with that record. Yesterday’s big news is that lefty Chris Rusin might be called up to start Tuesday in Milwaukee. With a double header having been played Saturday, the team doesn’t have a starter that will be ready to go on more than three days rest. Rusin is only 8-8 with a 4.59 ERA in 24 starts at Iowa, so don’t expect the second coming of Randy Johnson. If he pitches well Tuesday, will we see him for the rest of the year?

‘‘If he’s going to get a longer look, he’s going to have to replace somebody,’’ Sveum said of Rusin, ‘‘or go with six guys or something like that in September.’’

Oh, and Rusin has 113.1 innings pitched with 87 strikeouts and 52 walks. Not exactly overpowering numbers.

» Continue reading “Cubs Monday Headlines: Rotation Fun”

Word on the street is that the Cubs and Starlin Castro are closing in on a 7-year, $60 million contract extension.

The contract covers four years of arbitration eligibility and three years of free agency, and includes a $16 million option for 2020. Castro, 22, was projected to qualify for salary arbitration as a “Super Two” player at the end of the year.

When contacted by ESPNdeportesLosAngeles.com, Castro’s agent, Paul Kinzer, said he would not comment on new contract because the sides are still in the process of negotiating.

Castro said that the deal has not been finalized.

“I’m just focused on playing baseball,” said Castro after the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader in Cincinnati. “When it’s done, I’m ready.”

Cubs president Theo Epstein also said the deal had not been finalized when he spoke to reporters on Saturday afternoon.

Jed Hoyer gave us a glimpse into what to expect on deals like this and in the future on Chicago Tribune Live Thursday.

“One of the problems with free agency is that there is an illusion in some ways that you’re acquiring this great talent,” Hoyer said. “Most of the time, players hit free agency when they’re on the back half of their career. Players peak [at] 26, 27, 28 [years of age]. Free agents [are usually] in their 30s. So, you’re spending a lot of money sometimes for declining performance. It doesn’t mean you don’t do it. It doesn’t mean you don’t seek the right guys out.

“(But) we have to build from within and build young players, because the days of going out and signing young free agents is over,” Hoyer said. “Teams lock up their guys. Look at how many long, multiyear deals teams are signing with their pre-arbitration players. You know that you’re going to delve into free agency, but if you have an offseason plan, or a plan of the future dependent upon those names, I think you’re doing things the wrong way.”

It’s so nice to hear things like this.

» Continue reading “Cubs Sunday Headlines/Game Thread: Starlin Gets Extensions”