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PITTSBURGH -- Before the Chicago Cubs lost 4-2 to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday afternoon, manager Dale Sveum sounded like a man getting frustrated with some of his lineup issues.

After the loss he seemed to direct some of that frustration to the team's $52 million offseason signing, Edwin Jackson. He had little command on the mound, giving up four runs to the Pirates in the first two innings while Pittsburgh completed a series sweep.

"(He) seems to be not coming out with a whole lot of conviction early in games," Sveum said. "There wasn't a whole lot of life coming out of that arm today."

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PITTSBURGH -- Here's a quick look at the Chicago Cubs' 4-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday:

How it happened: Before the rains came, the Pirates jumped all over starter Edwin Jackson, who once again wasn't sharp. Jackson gave up a pair of runs -- on six hits -- in each of the first two innings, raising his ERA back over 6.00. Most were hard hit balls as Travis Snider, Andrew McCutchen and Michael McKendry had the runs batted in. The Cubs got on the board in the fourth inning when an Anthony Rizzo ground out drove in David DeJesus. Then the downpour came causing a one hour, 47 minute delay and knocking both starters out of the contest. After play resumed the Cubs got one run closer in the seventh when pinch-hitter Ryan Sweeney drove in Welington Castillo. But that's as close as the Cubs got.

What it means: The Cubs got swept out of Pittsburgh, scoring just six runs in the three-game series. Games 2 and 3 were defined by getting down early and not getting timely hitting late while Game 1 fell apart due to another bullpen meltdown after a great season debut by Matt Garza. As usual, the Cubs played just well enough to be in the games but not well enough to win any of them. It's the Cubs' 40th game out of 46 decided by four runs or less and 28th decided by two runs or less. They dropped to 10 games below .500 at 18-28.

Jackson regresses: Getting hit like he did in the first two innings didn't give his team a good chance to win the game, and that's always a desire of any starting pitcher. He remains the biggest disappointment of any offseason acquisition.

What's next: The Cubs' road trip continues on Friday in Cincinnati when Scott Feldman tries to end a four-game losing streak. He opposes Bronson Arroyo at 6:10 p.m. CT.

PITTSBURGH -- Count Chicago Cubs pitcher -- and former football player Jeff Samardzija -- as another person who will miss Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher.

Urlacher announced his retirement on Wednesday, after 13 years in the NFL, the same day Samardzija threw seven innings of one-run ball against the Pittsburgh Pirates. But the news of Urlacher's retirement didn't escape Samardzija.

"What a perfect guy to have in that spot on that team," Samardzija said. "I was always a fan of his, it's a sad day."

Samardzija grew up in northern Indiana and was an All-American receiver at Notre Dame, so he followed the Bears and Urlacher from the beginning of his career to the end.

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PITTSBURGH -- Chicago Cubs manager Dale Sveum has seen enough -- at least when a left-hander is opposing his team. He might be ready to make some changes after back-to-back losses against southpaws dropping the Cubs record against left-handers to 4-10 this season.

"I'll tell you the truth, I'm thinking about it now," Sveum said Thursday morning before the series finale with the Pittsburgh Pirates. "Just to see what happens. It's kind of gotten to the point."

The only question might be what took so long? The Cubs have been abysmal all season against lefties.

Sveum has made a habit of sitting David DeJesus, Nate Schierholtz and Luis Valbuena against lefties but with little success. Schierholtz's replacement, Scott Hairston, is hitting .089 against left-handed pitching and between Dave Sappelt -- now in the minors -- and Julio Borbon, center fielders not named DeJesus have a .212 average. It's not nearly good enough against some good left-handed pitching.

"These guys are the top of the line," Sveum said of Wandy Rodriguez, Francisco Liriano and others. "That's how good left-handed pitching is in all of baseball now. There's some quality, quality left-handed starters that are pitching and doing well against a lot of people."

So what can Sveum do? Dipping down to the minors for a right-handed bat doesn't seem like an option.

"We had Sappelt, that didn't work out too well," Sveum said.

It means other lefty hitters -- besides Borbon -- should see playing time against lefty pitchers. DeJesus, Schierholtz and particularly Ryan Sweeney have had much better at-bats -- and in some cases better success -- than their replacements.

And then there are the everyday players, against lefties or righties. The biggest disappointment has to be the right-handed Starlin Castro. He struck out with the bases loaded and one out against Liriano in Wednesday's 1-0 loss to the Pirates.

"I hit the same, stay aggressive, whoever is pitching," Castro said. "He threw nasty pitches. I never change my approach."

Castro is hitting just .217 against left-handed pitching and his slugging percentage is just .283. No matter who Sveum puts out there the main guys need better at-bats against the southpaws in the league.

"The bottom line is our core players have to do the job too," Sveum said.

A new lineup against lefties will have to wait until next week as the Cubs aren't scheduled to see one until then.

PITTSBURGH -- Even before spring training, (Chicago Cubs manager Dale Sveum talked about the organization needing more left-handed hitting. They’ve acquired it to some extent.

But the problem with that notion is what to do when a left-handed starter is on the mound for the opposition. Could the Cubs be too left-handed?

They went down to defeat yet again against a southpaw on Wednesday, just as they did on Tuesday. This time it was Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Francisco Liriano who shut them down in a 1-0 final.

“We just can’t seem to do absolutely anything against a left-handed starter,” a frustrated Sveum said after the game.

The Cubs dropped to 4-10 in games against left-handed starters, and in most of those affairs -- win or lose -- they’ve done little at the plate.

“Today you have to tip your cap to Liriano,” Darwin Barney said. “He kept you off-balance.”

We’ve heard that from Cubs before, especially Sveum. How many great left-handers are there anyway?

He applauded Wandy Rodriguez both on Tuesday and in the team’s second game of the season when he shut them down. Then there was Derek Holland of the Texas Rangers and Madison Baumgarten of the San Francisco Giants. The list goes on and on. Sveum worried about his right-handed hitters against right-handed pitchers this spring, but it’s been the lefties that have killed them.

The Cubs did have one threat -- a bases-loaded, no-one out situation in the third inning, with the top of the order coming up.

“That’s the song and dance,” Sveum said after seeing three straight outs. “We get people on and we just can’t get them in.”

Julio Borbon has not looked good in the leadoff spot the last two nights. He was 1-for-8, with the hit coming on a dribbler to first that he beat out. Then there was the at-bat Wednesday with the bases loaded when he again dribbled one to first.

“When you have a guy like Liriano doing what he was doing, you have to make the most out of that,” Borbon said after the force out at home on the play.

But what is Borbon doing leading off two nights in a row against lefty starters anyway? The Cubs only have two right-handed outfielders, Alfonso Soriano and Scott Hairston, the latter of which is hitting below .100 against left-handed pitching. The mix just doesn’t feel right.

“Whenever you don’t do the job, you want the at-bats to be better,” Sveum said. “We were ahead in the count in all three cases and let the bat get away from us.”

The last four Cubs losses have been by one run. Clutch hitting has escaped them against lefties and righties all season, and a .287 on-base percentage against lefties is as mediocre as it gets. Starlin Castro had one of those at-bats with the bases loaded and failed. Anthony Rizzo had the tying run on base several times Wednesday but couldn’t get it done against a lefty either.

At some point there has to be a breaking point for the starting staff that has pitched so well.

“Take it with a grain of salt,” Jeff Samardzija said. “You can only control what you can control.”

Against lefties this year, the Cubs haven’t controlled much.

Quotable

“That’s the problem. We’re relying on our pitchers to drive runs in.” -- Sveum, only half-kidding about the Cubs offense.

“It’s just the way the game goes sometimes. Other times you get a win and give up five runs.” Samardzija, on tough-luck losses.

Here’s a quick look at the Chicago Cubs’ 1-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday:

How it happened: The Pirates scored their lone run in the first on back-to-back hits with two outs by Andrew McCutchen and Garrett Jones. But Jeff Samardzija shut down the Bucs down for the next six innings. Francisco Liriano did one better, going seven without giving up a run for Pittsburgh. The Cubs really threatened just once after an error in the third inning loaded the bases with none out. Julio Borbon hit into a fielder’s choice, Starlin Castro struck out and Anthony Rizzo flew out. Rizzo struck out with the tying run on third in the eighth. Then Darwin Barney popped up with the tying and lead runs on base in the ninth inning. Liriano retired nine in a row in the middle innings and gave up just two hits while striking out nine.

What it means: It’s another tough-luck loss for a Cubs starter. Unlike Tuesday, the bullpen didn’t blow this game; the offense did. The missed chances in the third inning are a microcosm of Chicago’s season on offense: no clutch hitting. Even a fly ball would have sufficed, but seeing Castro strike out in that situation is all too familiar.

Outside the box: The Cubs dropped to 6-12 in one-run games this year, after playing their 39th of 45 games decided by four runs or fewer. ... Castro’s average with the bases loaded in his career dropped to .225.

What’s next: The Cubs try to avoid the sweep on Thursday afternoon in Pittsburgh when Edwin Jackson opposes Jeanmar Gomez.

PITTSBURGH -- Is there anything the Chicago Cubs' starting staff can’t do? Along with compiling a sparkling 3.42 ERA through nearly two months of the season, they’re getting it done at the plate.

Cubs pitchers are No. 1 in the National League in slugging (.307) and OPS (.496) and rank fourth in batting (.177) and third in on-base percentage (.189). And they’re doing things in May that haven’t happened in a long time.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, their eight extra-base hits and 13 runs batted in through Wednesday are the most in any one month since, get this, the Cubs in September 1971, when they knocked in 14 and had 10 extra-base hits. There’s a good chance that record will be broken before June comes around.

“You’re always surprised when these guys are able to hit, but you forget they work hard at it and they’re good athletes along with it,” closer Kevin Gregg said Wednesday about his pitching teammates.

Second baseman Darwin Barney agreed.

“It’s fun to watch them help their cause,” he said. “They get excited about it. It’s everyone’s dream to be a pitcher and hit. [Pitchers are] expected to get out, so you can go up there hacking.”

To put their month at the plate in further perspective, 19 pitchers in the National League have at least two runs batted in, and the Cubs employ five of them, according to data compiled by ESPN Stats & Information. Their OPS for May is a whopping .947; next are the Los Angeles Dodgers hurlers at .500. Cubs pitchers have nine more RBIs than the San Francisco Giants pitchers, who rank second this month.

“I was joking around the other day: We should just let them hit the whole game for themselves,” outfielder Ryan Sweeney said.

Players were shaking their heads in the clubhouse Wednesday after seeing Matt Garza hit a two-run double the night before -- in his first at-bat in 10 months.

“I couldn’t fall behind,” Garza joked. “These other five guys, man ... it was a lot of time in the cage. Just want to be a complete player.”

So the question arose, who’s the best hitting pitcher on the team?

“[Jeff] Samardzija is fun to watch, because he’s got power and what kind of athlete he is,” Gregg said. “I expect a lot out of him. He actually is thinking about it as he goes up there and how he’s going to approach it.”

Several players concurred about Samardzija, but not all.

“That’s a tough question because [Travis] Wood is swinging the back good and [Scott] Feldman, too,” catcher Welington Castillo said.

For the record, after Garza’s 1-for-2 night, it is Wood whose batting average (.263) is the most respectable. But Feldman’s four RBIs lead all pitchers.

Still, it’s Wood who got the most votes.

“He’s the best hitting pitcher,” manager Dale Sveum said. “He’s the most consistent, always has been.”

What do the pitchers say? Not much. They don’t want to jinx it. Even when pushed, they were noncommittal.

“I would say either Samardzija, Edwin Jackson or Woody,” Feldman said.

“I don’t know. It might be a coin toss,” Jackson added.

Maybe the best authority on the subject is hitting coach James Rowson. He’s had a front-row seat for all the raking.

“Right now, take your pick,” Rowson said, laughing. “They’re fun to watch right now.

“In all honesty, probably Travis Wood. He’s a hitter that pitches.”

It might not be straight jealousy, but the position players are starting to envy the pitchers, who don’t mind hearing it from their teammates. It means they’re impressing guys who hit for a living.

“They’re yelling at us, saying, ‘It’s that easy, huh?’” Jackson said. “It’s not like we’re getting pointless hits, either. We’re getting big hits.”

Maybe Barney summed it up best. You don’t want to be shown up by a pitcher at the plate. He should know; they hit right behind him in the order.

“It’s kind of funny when you’re hitting eighth and they’re hitting behind you and you’re struggling,” Barney said, laughing. “Sometimes it’s like, maybe I should bunt guys over for them.”

Cubs second baseman Darwin Barney talks with ESPN Chicago's Jesse Rogers about his 4-for-4 night on Tuesday and his recent surge at the plate.



Click here for more audio from ESPN Chicago.

PITTSBURGH -- Chicago Cubs reliever Shawn Camp has been placed on the disabled list with a sprain in his right big toe, the team announced Wednesday.

"I guess it's been bothering him for about a month," manager Dale Sveum said before the Cubs played the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night. "He got treatment on Sunday to start the process, re-aggravated it and the inflammation got too bad. It was getting tough to push off the mound."

Sveum said the Cubs would have considered putting him on the disabled list before designating reliever Michael Bowden for assignment in order to activate Matt Garza from the disabled list. But the team didn't know the seriousness of the problem until it was too late.

"He came for treatment and we didn't know it was that extensive," Sveum said. "But that would have been the obvious move."

Bowden has to clear waivers before he can be reassigned. The Cubs recalled pitcher Rafael Dolis from Triple-A Iowa to take Camp's place. Camp gave up a grand slam to pinch-hitter Travis Snider in the Cubs' 5-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday.

He appeared in 20 games with a 7.56 ERA after leading the league in appearances last season with 80. Sveum was asked if the injury could be a reason for his struggles this season.

"When you can't push off and it's that painful, you're going to lose something in your legs," Sveum said. "We have to get it calmed down."

Dolis has appeared in two games this season for the Cubs, pitching a scoreless 1 2/3 innings.

Camp elected to go back to Chicago to rest his toe while the Cubs continue on their road trip.

PITTSBURGH -- Chicago Cubs manager Dale Sveum will stick with the same lineup Wednesday against another Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander.

Coming off a 5-4 loss to the Pirates and left-hander Wandy Rodriguez, the Cubs will face southpaw Francisco Liriano on Wednesday night.

That means Julio Borbon gets the nod in centerfield over Ryan Sweeney and David DeJesus while Scott Hairston starts in right for Nate Schierholtz. Borbon was 0 for 4 with a walk on Tuesday and is 1 for 7 against left-handed pitching this season while Sweeney is 3 for 8. Hairston is hitting .095 against left-handed pitching this season.

The Cubs rank 13th in the National League with a .296 on-base percentage against left-handed pitching, but their power numbers are mid-pack. Here is the entire lineup:

1. Borbon, CF
2. Starlin Castro, SS
3. Anthony Rizzo, 1B
4. Alfonso Soriano, LF
5. Hairston, RF
6. Welington Castillo, C
7. Cody Ransom, 3B
8. Darwin Barney, 2B
9. Jeff Samardzija, P

PITTSBURGH – Let the debate begin.

Trade him. No, sign him.

If Chicago Cubs pitcher Matt Garza continues to pitch as he did on Tuesday night in his first outing in 10 months, then the Cubs will have a good, but tough decision on their hands. Garza was lights out for five innings in the Cubs' 5-4 defeat to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

“Garza was really, really good,” Cubs manager Dale Sveum said after his one-hit, shutout performance.

The only issue was taking him out of the game. Garza threw 82 pitches and wanted to stay in despite it being his first game back after a long layoff caused by an elbow problem last season and a lat strain this spring. The Cubs want to take it slow with him.

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PITTSBURGH -- Somewhere Chicago Cubs reliever Michael Bowden must be shaking his head. Bowden was designated for assignment -- to make room for the return of Matt Garza -- on the same day current reliever Shawn Camp gave up a grand slam to pinch hitter Travis Snider in the sixth inning of the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-3 victory over the Cubs Tuesday night.

Camp’s ERA is 7.56 after blowing his third save of the season.

“The ball was just up,” Camp said afterwards. “It was just up, that’s what happens. Gotta work down. That’s it.”

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Here’s a quick look at the Chicago Cubs' 5-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday at PNC Park.

How it happened: Anthony Rizzo struck out with the tying run on third base in the ninth inning after Starlin Castro singled home Darwin Barney to pull the Cubs within one. After a great performance by Matt Garza in his season debut, the Cubs' 3-0 lead quickly evaporated due to the bullpen combination of Hector Rondon, James Russell and Shawn Camp. The latter of the three gave up a grand slam to pinch-hitter Travis Snider in the sixth inning after Russell walked in a run. The Cubs jumped on starter Wandy Rodriguez, plating their runs in the second inning. Darwin Barney had an RBI single, followed by a two-run double by Garza, but that’s all the offense they would muster until the ninth. Barney went 4-for-4 on the night. Garza threw five shutout innings, giving up just one hit while walking three.

Garza’s debut: Garza's stuff looked great. He threw 82 pitches: 47 fastballs, 26 sliders, seven curveballs and two change-ups.Though he went to full counts on seven hitters, it didn’t come back to bite him despite the three walks. He pitched, not just threw, and was rewarded with five strikeouts and just one hit given up. No one knows if Garza is a Cub long-term or how he’ll pitch once the adrenaline of his comeback wears off, but for the moment he seems to have returned as a top-of-the-rotation guy.

What it means: Despite another bullpen meltdown, it’s great news for the Cubs and Garza. His average fastball registered at 93.5 mph, exactly the same as last year before his injury. He’ll go longer than 82 pitches next time out and that can only be a good thing considering the bullpen woes this year. To make room for Garza, Michael Bowden was designated for assignment before the game. Shouldn’t he be wondering why him and not Camp?

Outside the box: Cubs pitchers have 13 RBIs this month and eight extra-base hits for the season. That’s four more than any other pitching staff in the majors. ... The Cubs' 2012 first-round pick, Albert Almora, will report to Class-A Kane County on Wednesday to begin his season. He’s been sidelined with a wrist injury since the end of spring training.

What’s next: The series continues on Wednesday when Jeff Samardzija (2-5, 3.49 ERA) takes on Francisco Liriano (2-0, 1.64) in a 6:05 CT start.

Chicago Cubs closer Kevin Gregg is going to take some questions from ESPN Chicago readers. Click here to submit a question and then check back later this week for his answers.

PITTSBURGH -- The Chicago Cubs activated pitcher Matt Garza from the disabled list, and he will make his season debut Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

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