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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.

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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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CHICAGO -- Boston Red Sox starter Ryan Dempster returned Monday to the city he loved playing in for over eight seasons. It’s his first trip to Chicago since he was traded by the Chicago Cubs to the Texas Rangers at the very last moments before last season’s July 31 trade deadline.

“It has been a fun journey,” Dempster said before the Red Sox’s game against the Chicago White Sox. “Texas was a really good place to go and I was really lucky. It has been awesome being over here. It has been a blast and we have gotten off to a really good start.”

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ESPNChicago.com's Bruce Levine takes your Cubs and White Sox questions during a live chat at noon CT Tuesday. Click here to submit your questions.

The return of Chicago Cubs pitcher Matt Garza to the mound on Tuesday is a big moment for the organization. ESPNChicago.com Cubs reporters Jesse Rogers and Bruce Levine examine the implications:

JR: Bruce, I'm thinking about the long-term implications of Garza's return more than the short-term. It's not like the starting staff has been bad and they're in need of a huge boost from him, although the timing is pretty good for his return considering Carlos Villanueva has been trending the wrong way. Incidentally I wonder if Villanueva can be a 30-game starter in this league anyway. The mental toll it could take on him seems more intense than the physical. He knows he's overmatched in terms of pure talent so he relies on film study and mental preparation. I see him relaxing some in the bullpen, then if called upon to start again, he might be refreshed. I could be wrong but I think it's a good break for Villanueva. Anyway, Garza's value to the team will be felt later rather than sooner. I just don't see him being dominant right away, but if he does progress then two things happen: Just when some Cubs' arms might be tiring he should be fresh enough -- and perhaps peaking -- to make a difference and his trade value will skyrocket. But the first question is, will we see the old Garza -- the one who has never had an ERA above 4.00 since breaking in -- and if so how long do you think it will take?

BL: Jesse, there are numerous positives coming out of a Garza return. First and foremost he should take a tremendous amount of pressure off Jeff Samardzjia and Edwin Jackson. Although Garza has true No. 1 starter stuff, he has not pitched deep enough into games to be looked at as a No. 1 on a playoff-contending club. I believe if he stays healthy the Cubs will offer him a short-term extension that could be a plus for both sides. Garza could rebuild his resume and at the same time help the Cubs retain some quality innings-eating starters. Holding onto 200 inning-plus starters without breaking the bank is a key for Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer while they build the farm system.

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The Chicago Cubs' minor league system has enjoyed a recent resurgence in the past two years. Going from an afterthought to one of the more talked-about farm systems in the game, credit goes not only to the current front office and senior vice president of scouting and player development Jason McLeod, but also to Tim Wilken, who was in charge of a very fruitful 2011 draft and is currently a special assistant to the president and general manager.

With only six weeks of results in, outside of a major injury or a complete degradation of talent, a scouting report on any minor leaguer isn't going to be much different than what it was when the season started. However, it's never too early to check in with some of the more intriguing prospects in the Cubs system and see how things have gone thus far.

A few things to remember when reading this piece: This is not a top-10 list or even a ranking of any sort. It's just a quick glimpse at some players who range from superstar potential to role player. Trying to judge a minor league player on his statistics is a highly imperfect way of analyzing prospects. Minor league stats never tell the whole story. That's why, as always, much of the information provided here is gathered from discussions with scouts and front office members from around the league.

All statistics are updated through Sunday's games.

Javier Baez

Position: SS Age: 20 Current level: High-A Daytona

Baez came into the season as arguably the Cubs' top prospect and among the 25 best prospects in all of the minors. When it comes to power, Baez is near the top, with only Twins prospect Miguel Sano clearly ahead of him on the list. Scouts have also begun to come around on Baez's defense at short. Despite the fact that Baez has 19 errors early on this season, the number of people who believe he can stick at the position in the big leagues continues to grow. There are those who feel that when it's all said and done, he'll be a better option at the position than current Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro.

However, Baez doesn't come without his issues. While a very exciting prospect, it's his aggressive, almost out-of-control style of play that is a concern. This is currently being displayed with his .256/.293/.475 line and most glaringly his 46 strikeouts and only seven walks in 174 plate appearances.

Baez has to learn how to slow the game down and develop an approach. Right now, the book on him is that a pitcher doesn't have to throw him a strike to get him out. To reach his potential, Baez must make adjustments, and the fact is that that process may take some time. The Cubs have the luxury of being able to be patient with Baez since they're not competing, and they already have an All Star-caliber player manning short on the big league roster.

The fact that Baez's early struggles were not unexpected, at 20 he's still young for the league and the Florida State League is known to be pitcher-friendly all make Baez's problems at the plate a little easier to swallow. As one AL scouting director said prior to the season, "It's OK if we see him putting up bad numbers at Daytona -- it's all part of the process." Baez's disappointing start isn't something to get riled up about, but how he reacts and adjusts to these issues in the coming months will tell us a lot about his future.

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CHICAGO -- Chicago Cubs starter Travis Wood felt he only made one mistake on Sunday. Unfortunately for him, it cost his team the game.

With two out and a man on in the seventh inning, New York Mets rookie Juan Lagares drove a two-strike changeup into the left field stands off Wood to tie the game at three. It was Lagares’ first career home run.

“As soon as it left the hand, I didn’t like it,” Wood said. “I was hoping he would pop it up or something. But he didn’t. He put a good swing on it, hit it out of the park to tie the ball game.”

Daniel Murphy would add a solo shot in the seventh off Kyuji Fujikawa to give the Mets the winning run as they went on to defeat the Cubs 4-3.

Wood caught some bad luck in the previous inning when he gave up a run on a bloop single to David Wright.

“That’s baseball,” Wood said. “He was able to fight off a pretty good pitch, I thought, and he put it where we weren’t. Just grinding at-bats.”

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CHICAGO -- Here’s a quick look at the Chicago Cubs' 4-3 loss to the New York Mets on Sunday at Wrigley Field.

How it happened: After falling behind 3-1, the Mets used the long ball to overtake the Cubs. Mets centerfielder Juan Lagares hit his first career major league home run, a two-run shot, to tie the game at three. Then in the eighth, the Mets scored for the third consecutive inning, as Daniel Murphy hit a solo shot for the game-winner. Murphy is hitting .500/.517/.857 with two home runs -- both of which came in this weekend's series against the Cubs -- in his last seven games. The Cubs started the scoring in the fifth when starter Travis Wood helped his own cause by hitting a home two-run homer off Mets starter Dillon Gee to give his team a 2-0 lead. Ryan Sweeney, who went 2-for-3 on the day, led off the bottom half of the sixth with a home run to push the Cubs’ lead back to two at 3-1 after the Mets had scratched one across in the top half of the inning.

What it means: The Cubs failed in their attempt to win three straight series as they try to claw their way back to the .500 mark. It won't get any easier as they face two of the hotter teams in baseball, the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds, on the road in their next six games.

Outside the box: The Cubs have four home runs and 16 RBIs from the ninth spot in their lineup. In comparison, the clean-up spot has delivered five home runs and and only 15 RBIs. Anthony Rizzo ended his no-strikeout streak at 40 plate appearances when he went down swinging in the first. He added two more strikeouts in the fifth and the eighth on a 0-for-4 day.

Up next: After a day off Monday, the Cubs take on the Pirates in Pittsburgh with Matt Garza being activated off the disabled list to make his first start of the season. He'll face lefty Wandy Rodriguez (4-2, 3.25) at 6:05 p.m. at PNC Park.

CHICAGO -- Starlin Castro is undoubtedly one of the most talented players on the Chicago Cubs. But he is one of the more criticized players on the team as well.

The young shortstop has six errors and is putting up a .279/.310/.397 line on the season. While those numbers are a little disappointing (although errors can be a very misleading statistic in regards to defensive evaluation), people often forget that Castro is 23, more than seven months younger than teammate Anthony Rizzo.

But the fact remains that Castro has yet to really fulfill his potential. Cubs manager Dale Sveum said only Castro himself can ensure he extracts every ounce of his vast talent.

“His potential is what he wants it to be, that’s the bottom line with him,” Sveum said. “How good he wants to be, that’s up to him. The hard work, the concentration levels and being able to have all kinds of things in your toolbox as a shortstop as well as a hitter, he’s got all the ability to be top line, but the rest of it is up to him from now on.”

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CHICAGO – The Chicago Cubs got some good news prior to Saturday’s game, when it was announced that pitcher Matt Garza would return to the rotation on Tuesday and make his first start since July.

After hearing that news, Garza’s teammate, Scott Feldman, showed him the standard the Cubs staff has set this season by once again delivering a dominating performance. This time it was the Mets who Feldman stymied, as he tossed 6 2/3 innings of shutout ball, scattering seven hits, while striking out six and walking only one on the day.

“It’s hard to imagine how good he’s been these last five starts,” Cubs manager Dale Sveum said of Feldman. “The last four have been unbelievable. The low stress and the length he’s given, it doesn’t seem like a whole lot of opportunity for the other team to score, other than solo homers. Yeah, it’s been impressive.”

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CHICAGO -- A quick look at the Chicago Cubs' 8-2 win over the New York Mets on Saturday at Wrigley Field.


How it happened: Through three innings, the Cubs managed only one hit off Mets starter Jeremy Hefner. However, they broke through in the fourth with four runs, the big blow coming on a two-out, two-run double off the bat of pitcher Scott Feldman. Feldman was brilliant once again on the mound as well. He tossed 6 2/3 shutout innings, giving up seven hits, while striking out six and walking only one. Feldman lowered his ERA to 2.19 on the season. Anthony Rizzo hit his 10th home run of the season in the fifth to extend the Cubs lead to 5-0 and Nate Schierholtz also homered in the eighth.

What it means: The Cubs have won five of seven games and with their win on Saturday, they've set themselves up for a chance to win three consecutive series for the first time this season.

Outside the box: Rizzo's home run was his fourth against a lefty this season. He's hitting .327/.393/.574 on the season against southpaws. With no strikeouts on the day, he extended his streak to 40 plate appearances without a strikeout. Feldman tossed the Cubs 26th quality start of the season, tied for third most in the NL. Cubs pitchers have a 1.93 ERA in those 26 starts.

Up next: The red-hot Travis Wood (4-2, 2.03) takes on Dillon Gee (2-5, 6.13) as the Cubs look to take the series from the Mets at 1:20 p.m. on Sunday at Wrigley Field.

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs will activate pitcher Matt Garza off the disabled list on Tuesday to start that night against the Pittsburgh Pirates, manager Dale Sveum said before Saturday's game.

"I'm excited and happy I don't have to rehab again," Garza said. "This actually means something, so I can't wait. It's been 10 months in the making, I'm excited to get back out there."

An elbow injury sidelined Garza last July, and while rehabbing this spring, he suffered a lat strain and has been on the disabled list since the start of the season. Tuesday will mark his first start since July 21, 2012.

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