Cubs Add Lopez to Pen Mix

The Cubs have added another arm to their pitching corpse. Rodrigo Lopez has been acquired in a trade with the Atlanta Braves. In return, the Cubs send minor league hurler Ryan Butcher. Lopez inked a minor league deal with the Braves before this season and was 6-1 with a 2.59 ERA at Triple-A.

Lopez will be added to the Cubs active roster and used as a swingman out of the pen. He is expected to join the team tomorrow. Justin Berg has been send down to Iowa to make room on the roster. Lopez will join the team on Friday.

Randy Wells will be activated to start Saturday's game against the Pirates. The Cubs still have two starters on the DL (Cashner and Garza), so both Davis and Coleman will remain in the rotation for now. We'll wait and see which one is removed once Garza returns.

The Cubs will have to send down another pitcher, most likely Scott Maine, to make room for Wells. Geovany Soto is expected to return soon, so Welington Castillo will also go back to Iowa as the Cubs slowly get healthier.

The Cubs have just two days off between now and the All-Star Break. In addition, on June 28 they will host the Giants for a day/night twin bill. Hopefully the weather will allow the Pirates to get three full games in this weekend.

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

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.

Catching Up Quick Hits: Call-ups, Injuries, Benchings, & More

• The Cubs activated Carlos Silva from the disabled list and he returned to the rotation on Tuesday. Silva was decent in his first game back but the Cubs fell to the Astros.
• Tuesday was a special day for Hall of Fame slugger Billy Williams. A statue was unveiled outside of Wrigley in his honor. He became the second Cubs player to be honored with a statue.
• The Cubs are 9-6 under Mike Quade so far.
• The Triple-A Iowa Cubs lost back-to-back games on Sunday and Monday to Memphis to miss the playoffs. They finished with the same record as the Redbirds but Memphis took the tie-breaker (record within division).
• Reports earlier this week said that Iowa manager Ryne Sandberg would receive an interview from Jim Hendry for the open big league job within the next ten days, but Carrie Muskat reports that team officials denied these reports.
• Tyler Colvin was presented with the "Heart and Hustle" award for the Cubs this week. The final MLB winner will be announced on November 5.
• Starlin Castro was bench for a couple of days to think about some of the mental errors he has made at shortstop. Castro returned to the lineup on Wednesday, his swing as sharp as ever.
• The Cubs made a slew of September call-ups as soon as the Triple-A team's season ended. Veteran infielder Bobby Scales, Notre Dame grad Jeff Samardzija, right handed pitcher Justin Berg, slugging outfielder Brad Snyder, and spark-plug Sam Fuld have all been added to the 25-man roster.
• John Grabow and Esmalin Caridad were moved to the 60-day DL to make room for Snyder and Scales on the 40-man roster.
• Tom Gorzelanny, out with a thumb injury, threw on the side but is not ready to return to the rotation.
• Aramis Ramirez is still listed as day-to-day with a sore right quad.

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

Catching Up Quick Hits: Wedge Interviews, Silva Rehabs, Girardi Speaks, and More

First of all, I apologize for the hiatus the last few days. It's been a wild week and no posts have made it up onto the blog. We should be back to posting everyday, or every-other-day at the least!

Let's catch up on all the latest Cubbies news and notes:

• Carlos Silva made a rehab start for the Peoria Chiefs last night. He went 2.2 shutout innings and is expected to make one more rehab before returning to the Cubs rotation.
• Tyler Colvin is still taking ground balls at first base, but the Cubs are not going to rush him into game action at his new position.
• Carlos Zambrano flew home to Venezuela to be with his nephew during an illness. He will rejoin the team this weekend and is scheduled to start against the Pirates on Monday.
• Lefty Scott Maine was called up from AAA-Iowa on Tuesday night and made his big league debut on Friday against the Reds. He is the 10th Cubs rookie to break into the bigs this season.
• Justin Berg was optioned back to Triple-A but should be back in the 'pen when rosters expand this coming week.
• Jim Hendry has started the interviewing process to find the next Cubs manager. According to Paul Sullivan, Eric Wedge has received the first known interview for the Cubs job.
• Joe Girardi, who is in town for the White Sox/Yankees series, met with the Chicago media before the game last night. Girardi says that he is focused on the Yankees and winning this year. He is not worried about his contract situation or coming to the Cubs at this point.
• Happy 67th birthday to former Cubs manager Lou Piniella and a happy 28th to tonight's Cubs starter Randy Wells!
• Ken Rosenthal reports that the Dodgers placed Ted Lilly on waivers yesterday, but Jayson Starks says a trade is unlikely.
• Gordon Wittenmyer has sources that tell him that Girardi would be a candidate, possibly a leading candidate, to land the Cubs job if he is available.
• Jon Heyman gave his take on the opening. He says that many feel it will be Ryne Sandberg, Mike Quade is a long shot, and Girardi is listed as the second most likely guy. Tony LaRussa and Bobby Valentine could also be in the mix according to Heyman.

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

Breaking News: Howry Signs With Cubs

With the struggles of the Cubs bullpen this season, Jim Hendry has finally added a veteran arm. However, Bobby Howry might not be what most Cubs fans were hoping for.

Howry has signed a one year deal with the Cubs and will earn the league minimum of $410,000. Bob will join the team tonight in Texas for the first interleague game of the year. He was released by Arizona earlier this week.

To make room on the active roster, Justin Berg was sent to AAA-Iowa. David Patton has been DFA'd to make room on the 40-man roster. Patton was the Cubs' Rule 5 Draft Pick in December 2008 and was kept on the 25-man roster (or DL) for all of the 2009 season, but the Cubs' are giving up on him. Patton had a 5.23 ERA in 7 games at Class-A Daytona this season.

This was the second adjustment made to the bullpen this week after Jeff Stevens was called up on Wednesday. Esmalin Caridad has returned to the DL. His new injury is a right elbow strain.

Here are some notes on Howry, who will be used in middle relief:

• B/T: Left/Right
• Drafted: By the Giants in the 5th round in 1994
• Has played with the White Sox, Red Sox, Indians, Giants, and D'backs.
• 10.67 ERA in 14 games before being released by Arizona this season.
• Went 4-5 with a 3.17 ERA in 2006, his first and best year of his first stint with the Cubs.
• Remained a Cub until signing with the Giants after the '08 season.
• 36 years old

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

Getting to Know the Cubs: Justin Berg

The next time you see this guy, a "C" will replace the "I" on his cap. Lou Piniella has said that he will be a member of the Cubs' bullpen. Many of you may not even know who this is, so let's learn a little bit about him!

Full Name: Justin Christopher Berg

Born: July 7, 1984

Position: Pitcher

B/T: Right

College: Indian Hills Community College-Centerville

Drafted: By the Yankees in the 43rd round of the 2003 June Draft

Age: 25

MLB Debut: Auguest 13, 2009

2009 Cub Stats: 0.75 ERA in 11 games

Traded: To the Cubs on August 27, 2005 in the deal that sent Matt Lawton to New York.

Cubs Career: Peoria ('05), Daytona ('06), Tennessee ('07-'08), Iowa ('08-'09), and Chicago ('09)

Winter Ball: Pitched for the Mesa Solar Sox in the 2007 Arizona Fall League

We'll continue to get to know the 2010 Cubs throughout the season!

Weekend Roundup: Berg on the team, Decisions on the Way, & More

Sorting Out the Bullpen
Carrie Muskat reports that Justin Berg has earned a spot in the Cubs' bullpen. He had an 0.75 ERA in an 11 game September callup last season. Prior to that, he went 6-2 with a 2.47 ERA for the Iowa Cubs. Berg will join Esmalin Caridad, John Grabow, Carlos Marmol, and the two guys that lose out of the fifth starter's competition (Silva, Gorzelanny, Marshall, or Samardzija) on the relief core. This leaves one spot left on the Opening Day pitching staff, assumming the Cubs use 12 hurlers to start the year. Rule 5 pick Mike Parisi, NRI James Russell, lefty John Gaub, and Marcos Mateo are the four guys in the mix for this last spot on the staff.

Rotation Decision Nearing
Within the next week we should find out how the starting rotation will pan out. Sean Marshall, Carlos Silva, Jeff Samardzija, and Tom Gorzelanny are all vying for starting jobs. Lou Piniella has an idea of which way he's leaning, but at this point has revealed nothing. The coaching staff will meet to discuss the roster after Monday's game. It should be interesting to see how it turns out!

Sorting Out the Bench
The Cubs have confirmed that they would like to keep an outfielder who can play all three spots because of the fact that backup outfielder Xavier Nady will be limited defensively for the first half of the season. Tyler Colvin and Sam Fuld are the leading candidates for this bench position, with Brad Snyder and James Adduci also in the mix. Jeff Baker (or Mike Fontenot), Koyie Hill, and Nady are all already members of what figures to be an experienced bench. Another veteran bat will be added primarily for pinch hitting purposes. Kevin Millar and Chad Tracy are still battling for this spot. It would appear that Micah Hoffpauir has AAA in his near future.

Injury Updates
Aramis Ramirez will get some at bats in as a DH in today's minor league game at Fitch Park. Ted Lilly will toss a side session today and then his second live BP on Monday. Andres Blanco still can't run at full speed, but he has been able to do some hitting and fielding.

Cubs Idol Winners
Justin Berg got more good news today when he found out that he was the co-winner of the "Cubs Idol" competition. He and infielder Darwin Barney were chosen out of the 8 finalists as co-winners. NFL QB Steve Young was a guest judge today along with the usual panel of Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramiez, Ryan Dempster, and Kevin Millar. Other finalists included Jim Aducci, Starlin Castro, Tyler Colvin, James Russell, and Brad Snyder. Berg and Barney each got $10,000 to a charity of their choice.

Today's Games
This afternoon it's a split squad Cubs team out in the valley of the sun. Half the team will host the Kansas City Royals for the first matchup of the spring between the two clubs. The other split squad takes on the Oakland A's in Phoenix. Carlos Zambrano will pitch at HoHoKam while Tom Gorzelanny tries to make his case for a spot in the rotation against Oakland.

The game against KC will be on WGN Radio. Here's the starting nine:

Theriot, SS
Barney, 2B
Lee, 1B
Byrd, CF
Baker, 3B
Soriano, LF
Soto, C
Snyder, RF
Zambrano, P

The game against the A's is on MLB.com's gameday audio if you have the package. Here's the lineup behind Gorzelanny:

Adduci, LF
Kosuke, RF
Colvin, CF
Nady, DH
Hoffpauir, 1B
Fontenot, SS
Tracy, 3B
Hill, C
Scales, 2B

A good chance to see a lot of Cubs play today! That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted!

Cubs Convention Recaps: You Think You Know These Guys?

For the next week our two, I will continue my full recap of the Cubs Convention. Today, we focus on the "You Think You Know These Guys?" session hosted by Garry Meier of WGN Radio. Garry was joined by Ryan Dempster, Ryan Theriot, Micah Hoffpauir, Sam Fuld, and Justin Berg to find a little bit about the personal side of your favorite Cubs.

• Meier first realized what Cub national is really like when he sang the 7th inning stretch last summer.
• He told a story about when he was a journalist was assigned to take a blind sportscaster to the game. He didn't know much about the Cubs, so he was a little nervous. When he went in the locker room to interview Ron Santo, he didn't know who Ron was.
• Ryan Theriot would have pursued a career in modeling if he did not become a pro baseball player.
• Sam Fuld says that when you run into the wall at Wrigley, the pain it depend on what time of year it is.
• Dempster feel that guys on steroids are cheating everyone who's ever played the game of Major League Baseball.
• Fuld thinks that Fenway and Wrigley "are in a league of their own" as far as baseball ballparks because of all the history and tradition.
• "If you can't get excited to play at Wrigley, then it's hard to get excited to play anywhere," Fuld said.
• The law of averages say that sooner or later, the World Series is going to happen according to Theriot.
• Ryan Dempster said it took him about 35 minutes to get from the front desk to the elevator because of all the autographs. If the Cubs win the World Series, Demp thinks the players will need to be air lifted out of Wrigley.
• Justin said after the game a lot of guys like to just go out and get some dinner. Berg likes to play guitar or catch a movie in his free time on the road.
• Being superstitious was discussed. Some of the guys like to wear the same clothes the next day when the team wins.
• Dempster's daughter Riley is doing very good.
• Ryan warms up with some light weights, running, and stretching before he starts to throw. This helps be able to get ready throwing quicker.
• Demp told about (once again) the prank the he did for MLB productions a few year back when he hid Will Ohman's tires around the ballpark.
• Fontenot and Theriot are pretty close. They go to each other's house a lot and hang out. In the offseason they hunt and fish together. Ryan feels like he's baby sitting Mike sometimes.
• Milton Bradley was mentioned at almost every session during the weekend. Hoffpauir didn't have much of a problem with Bradley, calling him a pretty good dude.
• Dempster did one of his great Harry Caray impersonations. Ryan loved watch Harry calling Cub games.
• Justin Berg plans to stick with what has got him to wear he is in Spring Training. He plans to throw strikes and get ahead in the count.
• Micah looks up to Derrek Lee calling him one of the more respectable players in the game today.
• The players try to ignore most of the Internet and blog rumors. They try to stay away from all the rumors out there because they can only control their play on the field.
• Dempster thinks that the new ownership is great. The Ricketts want excellence and excellence all the way around. Improving the facilities is OK right now, because the Cubs already have the team to win.
• Ryan has a good time with the rookie hazing. When Demp was a rookie with Florida, he was put in diapers and a bib. Hoffpauir was pork the pig, Berg was superwomen, Fuld was Mrs. American, and Theriot was a cheerleader.
• Jake Fox sulked after being dressed up. Then the guys put a Sponge Bob outfit in his locker after a big home run.
• Dempster never got a cool nickname growing up. He was always just Demp or R.D.
• Theriot gave himself a nickname last week when he was hunting and he missed a dear twice. Ryan thinks his new nickname should be the barber because he shaves the dear but doesn't kill it.
• Sam Fuld was a little upset (jokingly) when a lady told him that Randy Wells signed over his autograph.
• Theriot says that the energy playing at Wrigley Field is like nothing else because of the fans.
• The Riot would love to be a Cub for the rest of his career. He can't see himself playing anywhere else.
• Hoffpauir would like to make a living via hunting or business. Berg would probably be playing in a band. Fuld thinks being a flower delivery guy would be fun, because everyone would probably like you, and it would be a low stress job.
• Demp believes that the pro baseball players have the best job in the world. When you have families, it gets hard during the regular season. The team spends most of their off days travelling. You just have to try to make most of the time you spend at home.
• Micah thinks you get used to the day games. When you're done with a day game, you get home by 6:00 and have a chance to spend some time with your family.
• Theriot thinks it's an advantage for the Cubs because they get used to it, while the visiting teams do not.
• Hoffpauir goes by the motto that his dad told him when he was growing up, "If you don't enjoy what you're doing, then don't do it." Micah says he doesn't play for the money, but because he enjoys it.
• Dempster says the most fun he has all season is facing Albert Pujols because of the challenge.
• Theriot thinks that it's a good idea to have the mental part of the game involved in your everyday preparation because of the 162 game grind.
• A lot of the guys love the heckling and think it's fun.
• Dempster thinks you hear the heckling a lot more as an away player. Demp likes heckling only when it is clean.
• When Theriot made an error at LSU, a fan threw a boot on the field.
• When Demp played in Florida, you could really hear the heckling because there were only about 4,000 fans.
• Dempster got the chance to play soccer, basketball, baseball, and hockey growing up.
• Theriot says that as minor leaguers, you go into Spring Training hoping to catch some body's eye. Ryan's goal has always been to work harder than the guy next to him.
• Sam's favorite movie is "Field of Dreams". He is a little biased being a baseball fan, but he said that it's "not just a baseball movie".
• Justin Berg likes Old School, while Hoffpauir mentioned The Notebook.
• Hoff said that when you miss a good pitch that you should do something with at the big league level, it's frustrating. You don't get a lot of mistakes in the bigs, so you try to take advantage of it whenever you can.
• In 3rd grade, Hoffpauir put on his career goals list that he wanted to be a professional baseball player. The teacher came over and said, "Really, what do you want to be." He showed her.
• Bringing in Greg Maddux to the front office staff was the best Cubs offseason move so far according to Demp.

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