It was a lost weekend for the Cubs in St. Louis, especially after Jeff Samardzija pitched the Cubs to the opening win of the series on Friday.  Game 1 went smoothly for the Cubs.  Ian Stewart gave the Cubs an early lead with his 3-run homer in the 1st inning.  Bryan LaHair’s 1st career grand slam opened that lead up to 8-0 in the 3rd inning.  Sure, Samardzija made it interesting with his 5-run 5th inning, but the bullpen shut down the Cards offense the rest of the way.  Rafael Dolis worked 2 scoreless innings allowing just 1 hit.  James Russell and Kerry got 3 outs in the 8th inning to set it up for closer Carlos Marmol in a non-save situation in the 9th.  Marmol pitched a perfect 9th with 2 K’s and just like that, the Cubs had their 1st winning streak of 2012.

But the rest of the weekend was awful.  The bats went quiet against Lance Lynn in a 5-1 loss on Saturday and against Jake Westbrook in a 10-3 drubbing on Sunday.  On Saturday and Sunday, the Cubs offense combined for just 4 runs on 12 total hits.  And on Saturday, Chris Volstad pitched 6 innings, but a 4-run 4th inning (due in part to 2 Starlin Castro errors) doomed him and the Cubs.  Volstad only gave up 6 hits and didn’t walk a batter, but Cubs pitchers are going to have to be better than that night in and night out.  On Sunday, Paul Maholm had his 2nd straight awful start giving up 6 ER on 6 hits in just 4 innings of work.  A veteran used to pitching to NL central ball clubs has now racked up a 1.88 WHIP and 13.50 ERA in 2 starts.  Ouch…

The Cubs now travel to Miami to take on Ozzie Guillen, Carlos Zambrano and the new-look Marlins in a much-anticipated series.  I can’t wait…

Matt Garza was dominant in the Cubs 8-0 win over the Brewers today at Wrigley Field.  Garza should have even had a complete game shutout if he hadn’t thrown the ball into the stands on Aoki’s come-backer with 2 outs in the 9th inning.  That was his 119th pitch and Manager Dale Sveum decided it was time to pull the righty.  Garza ended up going 8 2/3 innings, scattering 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 9.  The Cubs have had some great starting pitching efforts so far this season from Ryan Dempster, Garza and Jeff Samardzija.  Now if they could just get some consistent hitting, they might be able to string some wins together here.

The big inning for the Cubs came in the 3rd when they rocked Zach Greinke for 6 hits in 7 batters scoring 6 runs.  Steve Clevenger had 2 doubles, a single and scored 2 runs.  David DeJesus, Starlin Castro and Ian Stewart each had 2 hits. Castro and Alfonso Soriano each had 2 RBI’s.

The 2-5 start was not exactly what the Cubs wanted, but it is what it is, and now they need to get off to a better start on the road with games against the Cardinals in St. Louis and the Marlins in Miami…

Ouch – this series against the Brewers at Wrigley has been downright awful.  Not sure why I thought this team as constructed would be able to compete on a daily basis, but it is very clear that Theo & Co. have a LOT of work to do over the next few years.  It is going to be a LONG stretch of poor play on the north side for Cubs fans.  We’ve already endured the miserable 2010 and 2011 MLB seasons and it doesn’t look like anything is going to all that much better in 2012 or 2013.

The Cubs dropped the series opener to the Brewers on Monday night 7-5.  Chris Volstad had a ho-hum start for the Cubs – 5 innings, 3 ER on 5 hits and 2 walks with 6 K’s.  Shawn Camp was bad in his 2 innings of work – he allowed the Brewers to increase their lead with 3 more ER on 5 hits.  His ERA balooned to 8.10 and his WHIP rose over 2 at 2.10.  Not good.

The Cubs rallied in the 9th to cut the lead to 7-5 and had the bases loaded with 2 outs for their best hitter – Starlin Castro.  But John Axford got Castro on 3 straight pitches, and just like that, the game was over.

In game 2, Paul Maholm gave the Brew Crew a nice 5-run cushion in the 1st inning and just like that the game was over. Maholm lasted just 4 innings in his dismal 1st start as a Cub – 6 ER on 6 hits, 2 walks and 2 HBP.  Not good.  David DeJesus and Alfonso Soriano are the only 2 Cubs hitters batting consistently.  Each player had 2 hits and Soriano had 2 RBI’s.

In Game 3, Ryan Dempster pitched his heart out for a 2nd second start, but it wasn’t meant to be … again.  Dempster protected a 1-0 lead all the way into the 7th inning before he served up a 2-run jack to back-up catcher George Kottaras with 2 outs in the inning. That would be enough for the Brewers to rack up a 3rd straight win over the Cubs as Yovani Gallardo overmatched the Cubs through 7 innings.  Game, set match.

Kudos to Dempster, however.  He scattered 5 hits and 3 walks over 6 2/3 innings pitched and is sporting a nasty 0.91 WHIP and 1.88 ERA despite his 0-1 record.

Matt Garza tries to keep the Cubs from being swept by the Brewers on Thursday afternoon at the Friendly Confines…

The Cubs rode Jeff Samardzija 8 2/3 innings to get their 1st win of the 2012 MLB campaign.  Samardzija was one of the Cubs top pitchers all spring and he carried that over into the 2012 regular season.  He should have gotten the complete game 4-1 win if not for Starlin Castro’s 9th inning error with 2 outs.  Manager Dale Sveum then kept Samardzija in the game, but he served up Adam LaRoche’s 2-run home run which cut the Cubs lead to 4-3.  That prompted Sveum to tab Cubs closer Carlos Marmol to close out the game.

Marmol suffered the loss in Thursday’s opener and gave up 2 more earned runs in Saturday’s loss to the Nats, but someone had to get the Cubs out of the jam.  Despite walking Jayson Werth to put the tying run on base, Marmol induced former Cub Xavier Nady to pop out to Ian Stewart right in front of the Cubs dugout.  That gave the Cubs their 1st 2012 win and Samardzija of what looks to be one of many wins this season.

Samardzija struck out 8 in his outing and most importantly, he did not walk a batter.  He scattered 4 hits and gave up just 1 ER.

Satrlin Catrso had 2 hits, 2 runs and 2 RBI. Bryan LaHair – in his 1st start of the season – also had 2 hits.  Alfonso Soriano drove in 2 runs with a single and a sacrifice fly.

It has been a rough opening weekend series for the Cubs who could have been 0-3, 2-1 or 3-0.  Instead they are sitting at 1-2 in last place in the NL Central.  What else is new?!

Matt Garza has been sharp in his 2012 MLB debut.  He had worked 3 scoreless innings allowing just 1 hit and the Cubs leading 1-0.  But a lead-off walk in the top of the 4th cost him.  Although Garza retired the next two batters, an Adam LaRoche 2-out home run off the right field foul pole gave the Nationals a 2-1 lead over the Cubs.

The Cubs have 4 hits and 2 walks off of Nats’ lefty Gio Gonzalez, but have just 1 run to show for it.  Joe Mather drew a 1-out walk in the 1st inning and moved over to 3rd base on a perfectly executed hit-and-run with Starlin Castro.  Mather then came around to score on a Gonzalez wild pitch.  But that is all the Cubs have mustered against the tough lefty.

Jeff Samardzija makes his 1st start of 2012 on Easter Sunday.  He and the Cubs will square off against Jordan Zimmerman in the series finale.

For a while it looked like the Cubs might actually win on opening day, but it wasn’t meant to be as the Cubs ‘pen blew a great outing from Ryan Dempster.  Dempster worked 7 2/3 innings, giving up just 2 hits and 3 walks while striking out 10 Nationals hitters.  Dempster got out of 2 early jams (2nd and 3rd with only 1 out in the 1st inning; bases loaded and only 1 out in the 3rd inning) to keep the game scoreless against Nats ace Stephen Strasburg.  The Cubs eventually took the lead in the 4th inning on a timely 2-out single by Marlon Byrd which gave the Cubs a 1-0 lead.  Dempster worked all the way into the 8th and had 2 outs with a runner on base when Manager Dale Sveum made his move.  Sure it is only Game 1 and sure Dempster had racked up 108 pitches, but leave the guy out there.  Sveum brought in Kerry Wood – who had a limited spring due to injury – to try to get the final out of the inning.  But Wood walked 3 straight batters to force in the tying run.  Not good.

Then Sveum called on Carlos Marmol in the 9th with the game tied 1-1.  After he got 2 quick outs, Marmol gave up a double to Chad Tracy and a game-winning single to Ian Desmond and just like that the Cubs has lost 2-1.  Hey, I guess at least Marmol threw strikes and didn’t walk a batter, right?

The Cubs did make it interesting in the 9th when Ian Stewart “tripled” to right field when Jayson Werth lost the ball in the sun in that dreaded corner-outpost area.  Joe Mather pinch-ran for Stewart and Mather was quickly gunned down at the plate in a bang-bang play on Jeff Baker’s grounder to 3rd.

I have a feeling we’re going to see a LOT of games like this.  Cubs starters keep the Cubs in the game with a lot of 3-2, 2-1 scores.  Cubs offense doesn’t produce enough run-support.  Cubs bullpen blows game.  Cubs lose.  I wish I could be more optimistic, but this team just has way too many holes and with no dead-on power-hitter who can serve as an equalizer with a big home run with runners on base, the Cubs will have one of the poorest offenses in 2012.  Who knows, maybe we’ll see Anthony Rizzo and Brett Jackson a lot sooner than President Theo Epstein and GM Jed Hoyer have led on.  Only time will tell…

The Cubs finished up spring ball with a nice little 5-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday.  Travis Wood made his best spring start, going 6 innings and allowing just 1 ER on 6 hits.  He walked only one batter all day and the lone run came on Andy Gonzalez’ solo home run in the 2nd inning.  This bodes well for Wood who is going to need to fine-tune his pitching this season at Triple-A Iowa.

The Cubs got off to a fast start with a 2-run HR in the 1st inning from Starlin Castro.  The Cubs added 2 more runs in the 2nd inning on a Joe Mather double and a Darwin Barney single.

The real action begins at Wrigley Field on Thursday when the Cubs take on Stephen Strasburg and the Washington Nationals.  Ryan Dempster makes his 2nd straight opening day start for the Cubs.

The Cubs ruined Angels’ ace Jeff Weaver’s spring finale with an 8-1 on April Fool’s Day.  The Cubs touched up Weaver for 3 ER on 8 hits and 2 walks in 6 innings.  The big blow came on Darwin Barney’s RBI triple in the 6th inning when the Cubs took a 3-0 lead over Weaver and the Angels.  The Cubs then blew the game open with Jeff Baker’s 3-run jack off of Jason Isringhausen as part of a 5-run 8th inning.  The Cubs racked up 13 hits – their most of the spring – including 2 hits apiece for David DeJesus and Starlin Castro.

Minor League lefty Chris Rusin continued a nice spring by throwing 5 1/3 scoreless innings against a potent Angels offense.  He gave up only 2 hits and most importantly, he did not walk a batter.

The only negative was that the Cubs fielders committed 3 infield errors – Ian Stewart, Castro and Blake DeWitt.  While the pitchers bailed out the fielders in this game, the Cubs defensive players are going to have to be a lot more careful once regular season action starts later this week if they expect to stay in the NL Central hunt in 2012…

Paul Maholm looked good in his 2nd to last start of the spring – a 3-3 tie with the Angels.  Maholm worked almost 5 innings, giving up 2 ER on 3 hits and a walk.  He struck out 6 and had some nice control of all of his pitches.  Maholm could surprise this season as the Cubs 5th pitcher in the rotation.  Carlos Marmol, Rafael Dolis and James Russell also tossed scoreless perfect innings of relief to keep the score tied at 3.

The Cubs managed just 6 singles and doubles by Joe Mather and Darwin Barney in 10 innings and it looks like consistent offense could plague the Cubs again in 2012.  The Cubs are going to need a lot of clutch timely hitting this year as the rotation and bullpen will likely keep the Cubs in a bunch of games.  Then it will come down to the hitters coming through when they have runners on base and taking advantage of errors committed by the opposition – something they have struggled to do each of the last 2 seasons.

We’ll see how it goes, but spring training is quietly closing up and we’ll have “real” games very very soon on the north side of Chicago…

The Cubs unveiled their 2012 starting lineup in Friday’s 6-3 loss to the Dodgers.  Here it is:  David DeJesus in Right Field; Darwin Barney at 2B; Starlin Castro at SS; Bryan LaHair at 1B; Alfonso Soriano in Left Field; Ian Stewart at 3B; Marlon Byrd in Center Field and Geovany Soto at catcher.

The team managed only 3 runs on 6 hits in the loss, but at least we know what we can expect from Manager Dale Sveum for at least the early part of the season.

Go Cubs Go!!!