Preparing for a Full Day of Baseball

Today the Cubs and the defending World Champion Giants will meet in a double header because they must make up a Sunday game that was postponed back on May 15. A wild homestand for the Cubs continues after a makeup game victory over the Rockies on a scheduled off day yesterday.

The Cubs bullpen could be in trouble today, because in addition to the fact that a twin bill always taxes a pen, they may not get much length out of their starters. Doug Davis will hopefully go deep into the first game, but you never know with the crafty lefty. Rodrigo Lopez, normally a member of the relief core, will be forced to start the second game because none of the five starters are available on regular rest.

This is a split twin bill, with game one starting at 1:20 and the first pitch of the second game taking place at 7:05. Here is the Cubs starting lineup for the first game:
1. Kosuke, RF
2. Campana, CF
3. Castro, SS
4. Ramirez, 3B
5. Pena, 1B
6. Soriano, LF
7. DeWitt, 2B
8. Hill, C
9. Davis, P

The Cubbies already played one day-night double dip this year, splitting a April 20 affair with the Padres. They won the first game 2-1 on a dramatic Reed Johnson home run before falling in the nightcap. At that point they were .500 for the season.

There are always two possibilities that could make a double header even more wild- a rain delay or extra innings. The first is unlikely today as the weather in Chicago is beautiful.

The Cubs did not play a double dip last year and split one in 2009 against the Cardinals. The last time the Boys in Blue swept both games was in Atlanta on August 13, 2008.

"I don't care who wins as long as it's the Cubs!"

Singing the Cubbie Blues

The Cubs woes have continued this week with a dreadful sweep at the hands of the last place Pirates. The Cubs appear to be headed for the basement in the NL Central themselves, after going 1-5 in a six game home stretch against two of the other worst teams in the league. On the injury front, things have continued to get worse. Let's check in on some news and notes.

• Matt Garza threw 30 pitches in the side session today. If he does not suffer a setback, he could come off the DL and pitch against the Astros next Monday.


• Aramis Ramirez was hit in the lip today with a ground ball and left the game. He will need stitches for his lip but at least the injury was not more serious.


• Alfonso Soriano is the latest Cubs outfield to be placed on the disabled list. Tyler Colvin was called back up yesterday to try to help an outfield that currently has three of the four regulars disabled.


• Bruce Miles reports that Marlon Byrd chatted with reports today. Byrd says he is waiting for his fractures to heal and he plans to return in 4-6 weeks.


• Mike Quade has no plans of using a six man rotation, so either Doug Davis or Rodrigo Lopez will be removed when Garza returns.


• Tom Ricketts quickly walked away from a group of reports today when someone asked what was wrong with his team.


• According to Baseball Prospectus, the Cubs chances of making the playoffs are 1.1%.


• The Cubs have the ninth overall pick in the First Year Player Draft, which takes place next week.

Weekend Quick Hits: Wells Activated, Coleman Sent Down, Lopez to Start & More

Lots of news and notes... let's jump right in!

• Randy Wells has been activiated from the disabled list. He will make his second start of the season today against the Pirates, with the first pitch coming up at 12:05.


• In a surprising move, the Cubs have elected to send Casey Coleman down to the Triple-A Iowa instead of letting him remain in the rotation until Matt Garza's return.


• Newcomer Rodrigo Lopez will move into the rotation and start on Monday against the Reds. He was originially expected to be a swingman in the bullpen, but instead he will join Wells, Zambrano, Dempster and Doug Davis in the starting five.


• According to a tweet from Carrie Muskat, Marlon Byrd looks much better. Swelling has gone down.


• Today's Cubs outfield has a different look, with Louis Montenez starting in right field and Tony Campana in center. Reed Johnson and Jeff Baker are both dealing with nagging injuries.


• Geovany Soto went 0-for-3 in his first rehab apperance at Double-A. He will make his first start tonight. If all goes well, he could rejoin the Cubs on Monday.


• Brett Jackson is rehabbing with the Mesa Cubs. After that work is complete, he will rejoin the Tennessee Smokies. Word is that he is not that far away from being able to play in the bigs.


• Last year's number one pick, pitcher Hayden Simpson, is currently pitching at Class-A Peoria. Oneri Fleita told Bruce Miles that he removes the radar guns when Simpson pitches because he does not want him worried too much about speed.


• The Cubs have 40 total errors this season, the second most in MLB.


• Bruce Levine points out that Doug Davis has not been the answer for the Cubs. He's 0-3 with a 6.75 ERA.

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted as the Cubs try to push through these injuries!

Rain Out Theatre

Today's game between the Cubs and the Giants at Wrigley Field has been postponed due to rain. The contest will be made up as part of a day/night double header on Tuesday, June 28. Those with tickets for today's game will receive tickets for the 1:20 game on the 28th and the scheduled game will take place under the lights. To entertain you on this rain Sunday, let's catch up on some Cub-related nuggets.

• The Sun Times has reported that Tyler Colvin could be headed for the minors. With Reed Johnson and Kosuke both playing well, there may not be room for Colvin, who is hitting just .113, to get much playing time. Blake DeWitt was in the starting lineup in left field for today's game before it was called.


• Geovany Soto suffered a groin strain on injury and was placed on the DL. He will head to Mesa to work out while the Cubs are on their next road trip.


• The Cubs game on June 19 at Wrigley against the Yankees will start at 7:09 on ESPN as the Sunday Night Baseball game.


• Justin Berg was optioned to Triple-A Iowa yesterday to make room for Doug Davis, who pitched five strong innings in his Cubs debut.


• Mike Quade has announced that with today's rainout, Carlos Zambrano and Matt Garza will pitch the two games in Cincinnatti. Ryan Dempster and Casey Coleman will work the two games in Florida Wednesday and Thurday. Doug Davis will pitch the opener against the Boston Red Sox on Friday night.


• All seven games on the upcoming trip are under the lights. There will be six straight 6:10 starts before the 7:10 ESPN game on Sunday night in the series finale with the Bo-Sox.


• Randy Wells will pitch a rehab start in Peoria on Tuesday night. Bruce Miles reports that he could be activated to pitch for the big league club on Sunday night. Randy worked an extended spring game last week, click here for Arizona Phil's recap.


• Last night was the Cubs first rain shortened game since the Cubs 6-1 five inning win over the Pirates in May 2009. It was also the first Saturday night game at Wrigley in 13 years.


• If the Cubs send down Colvin, they will like add an extra outfielder from Triple-A Iowa. Lou Montenez is hitting .369, Tony Campana .339 and Brad Snyder checks in at .308. Fernando Perez, who lost out on the final outfield spot to Reed Johnson in spring training, has struggled all season long and has an average of just .202.


• Top prospect Brett Jackson, who is an outfielder as well, is currently out with a finger injury.

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted on Everything Cubs as always.

The Latest on the Cubs Rotation

James Russell has struggled every time he has received the ball as the Cubs fifth starter. He has been given enough opportunities (4) to prove he can start, but it is clear that he is better suited for the pen. His ERA for the season is 7.85 and his record stats at 1-2.

That being said, the Cubs are in an interesting position. Next Saturday is the next time that they will need the fifth starter. The two injured pitchers, Andrew Cashner and Randy Wells, are making progress but neither will be ready next week. The Cubs options are dwindling.

According to a tweet from Carrie Muskat, former Cardinals right hander Todd Wellemyer, who was pitching in the minors for the Cubs, has retired. He was given a minor league contract and a chance to start in spring training, but a hip injured hindered his progress. He pitched on 3.2 innings for Triple-A Iowa, allowing four runs on eight hits in his lone start last Thursday.

The Sun Times has reported that LHP Doug Davis will work for Iowa on Wednesday, ruling him out for Saturday's start. Davis worked 6.2 scoreless frames for for Class-A Daytona on Thursday.

Wells and Casher both threw on the side yesterday. They will toss live BP at HoHoKam Park in Arizona sometime in the next week.

Ramon Ortiz, signed in April to potential help bolster the rotation at some point, is 1-1 with a 3.45 ERA in five games for the I-Cubs. He could be the prime candidate for Saturday's start against the Giants if the Cubs go with someone other than Russell. The top pitching prospect at Triple-A is Jay Jackson, who could be called up for his big league debut. Cubs relievers Jeff Samardzija and Marcos Mateo are in the mix, but it is unlikely that the team will decide to go in that direction.

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted.

Getting to Know Doug Davis & Ramon Ortiz

In the past week, the Cubs have added two veteran pitchers to their organization. Yesterday, James Russell's debut in the rotation did not go so well. The Cubs could be in need of some pitching help. Here is the little bit of information of the two hurlers inked by the Cubs.

Ramon Ortiz

37 years old

RHP

Signed a minor league contract with the Cubs and assigned to Triple-A Iowa

Spent 2010 with three different organizations (LAD, NYM, TB), making 16 big league appearances and two starts.

Has also played with the Angels (1999-2004), Reds (2005), Nationals (2006), Twins (2007) and Rockies (2007).

Career ERA of 4.93 with a record of 85-82 in 10 seasons.

Pitched 5.2 innings in his Iowa Cubs debut on Monday, allowing 2 earned runs on 5 hits and 3 walks.

Doug Davis

LHP

35 years old

Signed a minor league contract with the Cubs to a pro-rated salary of $900,000 if he pitches in the major with a chance to earn close to #2 million in incentives.

Will report to Fitch Park and work in extended spring training before heading to Iowa

Coming off elbow surgery

Has played for the Rangers (1999-2003), Blue Jays (2003), Brewers (2003-2006, 2010) and D'backs (2007-2009).

Went 1-4 in only eight games for the Brewers last season

Career ERA of 4.38 with a record of 91-101 in 12 seasons

We'll see if these guys can help the Cubs as some point!