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CHICAGO -- April was arguably as strange a month as the Chicago Cubs will have. Their first 25 games were decided by four runs or less, making it the second-longest such streak to start a season in baseball history. They almost made it a full month of close games if not for Edwin Jackson's performance in a 13-7 loss on Tuesday night. He had the rare bad start in a month of good ones by Cubs hurlers.

The outcome on Tuesday was much more predictable than the first 25 where games were won and lost in the strangest of fashions. Errors, home runs, bullpen meltdowns and wild pitches were the norm. And a look inside the numbers truly tells how weird the first month of the season was for the 10-16 Cubs.

They hit 35 home runs in the first month, or 26 more than they did last April. Combined with lowering their ERA from 4.21 to 3.78 those numbers should equate to more than just a slight increase in their winning percentage from .348 to .385. But it didn't. Why not?

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CHICAGO -- Chicago Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said Wednesday that without new signage in the outfield at Wrigley Field the Cubs will consider leaving the historic ballpark.

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Chicago Cubs reliever James Russell 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.

CHICAGO -- Chicago Cubs starter Edwin Jackson is supposed to be a mainstay.

He was the first major free-agent signing in the Theo Epstein era, someone who wasn’t just brought in as a stop-gap. He’s here for the long haul, supposedly to help lead the Cubs into a winning era, if not this year then very soon.

“It’s been a pretty disappointing month from my standpoint -- to myself, to the teammates, to the organization and to the fans, but it’s a test of character,” Jackson said after getting pounded for eight runs in a 13-7 loss to the San Diego Padres on Tuesday. “It’s one of those times where you can crumble and fold or fight and bounce back. And I definitely have not been one to be known to fold.”

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Here’s a quick look at the Chicago Cubs' 13-7 loss to the San Diego Padres on Tuesday at Wrigley Field.

How it happened: The Padres got out to an 8-0 lead before the Cubs got on the board. San Diego scored two in the second on three straight hits, added one in the third on a sacrifice fly, then batted around in the fifth when they produced six hits and five runs. Yonder Alonso homered that inning as did Carlos Quentin in the next. Eight runs were charged to Edwin Jackson as he failed to get out of that fifth inning. The Cubs put a four-spot on the board in the bottom of the fifth with home runs by Luis Valbuena and Starlin Castro. David DeJesus also homered in the seventh. San Diego's Nick Hundley added a three-run blast in the eighth inning that landed onto Waveland Ave. and the Cubs' Cody Ransom went deep in the ninth.

What it means: It’s really the first time this season the Cubs weren’t in the game until the end and that’s thanks in part to their $52 million investment in Jackson. He’s been anything but a good value through the first month. His location was awful and he failed to battle through any rough innings as his ERA rose to 6.27. It’s hard to know what the issue is, but hopefully it’s not complacency after finally getting a big contract and bouncing around for so many years. The rest of the starting staff has been more than adequate, it’s time for Jackson to earn his keep.

Outside the box: The Cubs' string of 25 consecutive games decided by four runs or less was snapped. ... Valbuena eclipsed his home run total of last season, hitting his fifth on Tuesday, while the Cubs finished the month with 35 long balls overall. They hit only nine home runs last April. ... The DeJesus home run hit the LED board over the fence in right field and needed to be reviewed after initially being called a double.

What’s next: The four-game series continues with Game 3 on Wednesday night when Scott Feldman (1-3, 3.92 ERA) takes on former Cub Andrew Cashner (1-1, 3.26) in a 7:10 p.m. CT start.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Former Chicago Cubs pitcher Randy Wells has retired after going winless in five starts this season for the Texas Rangers' Triple-A team.

The Rangers said Tuesday that Wells' retirement was effectively immediately.

In 98 career games in the majors from 2008-12, all but one with the Cubs, Wells was 28-32 with a 4.08 ERA. He was 1-2 in 12 games last season for Chicago, but became a free agent after refusing a minor league assignment.

The 30-year-old Wells went to spring training with the Rangers as a non-roster invitee. The right-hander was 0-4 with a 6.08 ERA for Round Rock.

Rangers general manager Jon Daniels says Wells indicated he "just didn't have the same level of desire" to pitch any more.

CHICAGO -- Even if the Chicago Cubs have a spot on their roster for rehabbing third baseman Ian Stewart he may not be ready to return to the major leagues just yet.

“Right this second, I don’t think I’m ready,” Stewart told the Des Moines Register after going 0-4 on Tuesday for Triple-A Iowa. “That’s just me being honest and knowing myself as a player.”

Stewart has been out since early in spring training with a quad injury. He’s been rehabbing in Iowa Since mid-April, but per the collective bargaining agreement position players only have 20 days of rehab time before they have to be recalled -- although the Cubs could option him right back to the minors. Friday will be Stewart’s 20th day there.

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CHICAGO -- Sometimes the value of a player is never appreciated more than when he's not in the lineup. That theory most definitely applies to Chicago Cubs second baseman Darwin Barney. The lone Gold Glove winner on the team missed the first 12 games of the season with an injury and lo and behold the Cubs defense suffered.

Coincidence or not, his return has coincided with an uptick in play in the field for the Cubs. It helped them win Monday night, 5-3, over the San Diego Padres.

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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.

CHICAGO -– For Chicago Cubs pitcher Kevin Gregg, the ninth inning isn’t like any other inning. Many try to treat it that way, but sometimes accepting it for what it is – three outs filled with tons of pressure –- is the way to go.

“I’m trying to act like it’s the ninth inning and we’re trying to win,” Gregg stated bluntly before earning his fourth save in as many tries on Monday in a 5-3 Cubs win over the San Diego Padres.

And it’s not just finishing off games, it’s how he’s doing it: three 1-2-3 innings over the last four days. The tornado that was the Cubs bullpen as recently as a week ago has dissipated. Still, Cubs manager Dale Sveum doesn’t want to put a label on Gregg or anyone else. He won’t name a closer.

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Chicago Cubs starter Jeff Samardzija picked up a no-decision in his team’s 5-3 victory over the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night after throwing 101 pitches in five innings of work.

Being the consummate professional, he refused to let a cut on his pitching hand from his previous start prevent him from pitching. That said, his high pitch counts that have contributed to early exits lately are troubling to the pitcher.

“You have to take it start by start,” he said. “The circumstances I was under after my last start, I didn’t throw that much in between outings and it caused me to be a little off. I am not going to use that as an excuse. It is my day to pitch and I need to go out and do what I am supposed to do.”

Making it past six innings in only one of his last five outings is not what is expected of a No. 1 starter. But what is even more maddening for the pitcher is the fact he has been dominant in many of his appearances.

Samardzija struck out 47 batters in April, which is second on the Cubs’ all-time list to teammate Matt Garza’s 51 in 2011. Samardzija has only one win in a month where he at times had been unhittable.

“We are just dealing with that pitch count and we can’t seem to get by that one inning,” manager Dale Sveum said. “We just got to the point where we were one pitch away from him going out and getting maybe two more innings. He just unraveled with the walks. Walks are always going to kill your starts.”

Cut finger aside, Samardzija has walked seven men in 11 innings over his last two starts. Getting back to using the fastball is something the young starter is hoping to establish in his next outing.

“You can’t go out there with the fastball I have and thumb your way through seven innings,” he said. “I was working with what I had today. I had a good fastball today, although the location wasn’t great. Sometimes when you don’t have everything (all pitches ) it turns out to be a positive.”

Here’s a quick look at the Chicago Cubs' 5-3 victory over the San Diego Padres on Monday at Wrigley Field.

How it happened: Bottom of the order guys Cody Ransom and Darwin Barney had back-to-back two-out hits in the sixth inning to break a 3-3 tie after both contributed with RBIs earlier in the game. Ransom hit his second home run of the season in the second inning; it was preceded by a Scott Hairston blast for back-to-back jacks. Barney doubled home a run with two outs in the fourth before doing the same in the sixth. Both Barney and Ransom flashed their gloves at third and second with key defensive plays in the seventh to keep the Padres off the board. Jeff Samardzija lasted only five innings, giving up all three Padres runs while throwing 101 pitches. He walked four and struck out eight. Kevin Gregg earned his fourth save for the Cubs.

What it means: Samardzija’s pitch counts continue to be an issue. He’s thrown 619 pitches in six starts, that’s fifth most in the league. It prevented him from going deep into this game. He hung around without his best stuff but, staked to a 3-1 lead, he could have been better in the fateful fifth. He nibbled too much, walking two that inning and four overall in his outing. ... Good news for the bottom of the order as hitters 6-8 had five hits and all five runs batted in. That will take the pressure off the main guys if it can continue. Barney has been solid on defense while his at-bats have been getting better and better. Gregg is the new closer. He’s come out of nowhere to nail down the job, going 1.1 innings for the save. He struck out two in the ninth for his third 1-2-3 save.

Outside the box: All 25 games the Cubs have played this season have been decided by four runs or less. That’s the second longest streak in baseball history to start a season behind the Detroit Tigers' 33 in a row in 1914. ... The Cubs won for the first time this season when their starting pitcher did not throw a quality start.

What’s next: The 10-15 Cubs take on the Padres in Game 2 of the series on Tuesday night when Edwin Jackson (0-3, 4.76 ERA) faces Edinson Volquez (1-3, 6.39) in a 7:10 CT start.

CHICAGO -- San Diego Padres pitcher Andrew Cashner will always have some Cubby blue in his blood as he pursues the excellence projected for him as Chicago’s first-round pick in 2008.

Traded for Anthony Rizzo in 2011, Cashner will start against his former team on Wednesday. Cashner had been a bullpen pitcher until recently being converted back to a rotation pitcher.

“This is a very special place,” Cashner said of Wrigley Field. “Babe Ruth sat in that same locker room I just left. You can’t deny the history of this place and the Cubs. I made my debut here so it will always be special in that aspect.”

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CHICAGO -- Chicago Cubs starter Scott Baker started the long road back to the major leagues with some light throwing on Tuesday.

Baker was rehabbing from Tommy John elbow ligament surgery in spring training when he re-injured his arm in mid-March, straining a muscle near his elbow. After undergoing an MRI and consulting with the Cubs orthopedic specialist, Dr. Stephen Gryzlo, it was determined that Baker should stop all throwing for at least a month.

Baker played catch from 45 feet Tuesday in his first activity since the muscle strain, but there is no timetable for his return.

Baker, who had the elbow replacement surgery on April 17, 2012, signed a one-year $5.5 million contact with the Cubs on Nov. 13, 2012. He has a lifetime record of 63-48 with a 4.15 ERA.

CHICAGO -- Chicago Cubs manager Dale Sveum downplayed star prospect Jorge Soler's latest incident, which put him back in the headlines at Class-A Daytona. Soler didn’t hustle on two hit balls in a game on Saturday against Lakeland and was subsequently benched for Sunday’s contest.

“Not everybody is going to run every single ball out at 100 percent,” Sveum said before the Cubs took on the San Diego Padres Monday night. “That’s just part of the game but you get a grip on it and hold people accountable and move on.”

Soler signed a nine-year, $30-million contract last season and was noticeable in spring training for his power and patience at the plate. But this is his second time making negative headlines at Daytona in just the first month of the season. He ran towards an opposing dugout with a bat in his hand during a game earlier this month but was stopped by teammates before causing any damage to anyone or anything. He was suspended five games for the incident.

“We have 125 minor league players, I’m sure he’s not the only player to not run a ball out,” Sveum said. “These things get escalated because of who he is and what just happened a few weeks ago too.

“You say something, get a grip on it and then you don’t see it again. You let people know they’re held accountable for everything, and everybody is the same no matter how much money you make or what.”

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