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CINCINNATI -- Chicago Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer expressed support for manager Dale Sveum on Tuesday despite Chicago's losing 12 of its past 15 to fall six games behind the first-place Cincinnati Reds.

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CINCINNATI -- When Chicago Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer lent his support to his manager, Dale Sveum, before Tuesday’s game, he also mentioned that Sveum and his coaching staff are always being evaluated. Progress is what Hoyer wants to see out of his young players. But he never mentioned judging Sveum on his in-game moves.

That’s OK. Cubs fans will do it for him.

Sveum will be second-guessed for his handling of the pitching staff in the ninth inning of the Cubs' 4-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds that needed 10 innings to decide.

With Carlos Villanueva pitching a masterpiece, Sveum decided to pull him after walking the leadoff man, Shin-Soo Choo, and giving up a sacrifice bunt in the ninth inning with the Cubs leading 2-1. Villanueva had thrown 99 pitches.

“The fact that I was able to have a chance to go out there and finish it off, as a starting pitcher, that’s all you want,” Villanueva said afterward. “You want to finish what you start.”

Sveum was faced with a myriad of choices with Choo on second base and one out. Joey Votto was at the plate and Sveum could have left Villanueva in to complete the game. Or he could have walked Votto, setting up a double play. Or he could have had lefty James Russell ready to pitch to the lefty Votto. Sveum chose to go with embattled reliever Carlos Marmol. History dictated it.

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CINCINNATI – Here’s a quick look at the Cubs' 4-2 win in 10 innings over the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night:

How it Happened: Darwin Barney hit a 10th-inning home run to break a 2-2 tie after the Reds tied it in the bottom of the ninth on a Joey Votto single off Carlos Marmol. The Cubs added one more as Dave Sappelt drove in Julio Borbon. Carlos Villanueva was masterful in allowing just two runs in 8.1 innings. On offense, Alfonso Soriano singled, then stole second and third on consecutive pitches in the second inning before coming home on a Scott Hairston sacrifice fly for the game’s first run. The next pitch, to newcomer Cody Ransom, left the yard in right center. The Reds pulled within one when Chris Heisey homered in the third inning, but Villanueva shut down the Reds down the rest of the way until the ninth, when he walked the leadoff man. Kevin Gregg struck out Votto with the tying runs on base for the save, and Marmol got the win.

What it Means: The bullpen blew another save and manager Dale Sveum will be second-guessed on his decision to pull Villanueva in favor of Marmol, who had pitched two innings the night before. His numbers against Votto are good, but Votto got the best of him, causing the Cubs' sixth blown save of the year. Still, the story of the night was Villanueva. He painted the corners all night long, mixing speeds from 60 to 90 mph. He walked two batters -- one after an error by Ransom -- then promptly induced a double-play grounder by Heisey. It was a masterful performance against a good hitting team but he just couldn’t finish -- or rather wasn’t allowed to. He left after throwing 99 pitches.

Ransom Debut: Ransom not only homered, but played a stellar third base. Even his errant throw to first in the seventh inning came after a diving stop. He had a few more of those and made a nice first impression.

What’s Next: The rubber game of the series comes Wednesday afternoon, when Jeff Samardzija faces off against Mat Latos.

CINCINNATI -- To say the Chicago Cubs are getting frustrated with their early season results would be an understatement. At 5-13 they're six games out of first and 4.5 games out of fourth place, going into action on Tuesday night. But things could have been different over this first month. As history suggests the Cubs are getting unusual results.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau they're the third team (1966 Reds, 1909 Browns) in major league history to have five or fewer wins in their first 18 games while all 18 were decided by four runs or less. No blowouts here and yet the Cubs still stand eight games under .500 already.

In fact, 15 of 18 have been decided by three runs or less for the first time since 2001. And the last time the first 18 were decided by four runs or less was in 1908.

Pitcher Travis Wood may have summed it up best after yet another tough defeat, 5-4, to the Cincinnati Reds in 13 innings Monday night. The Cubs led 4-2 entering the bottom of the 13th.

"It's easy to be down but it's also hard to be down because we're not getting blown out every game," Wood said. "We're right there every game. We just have to come together as a team and figure out how to pull it out."

If it's not the defense (17 errors in 18 games) it's the bullpen (4.86 ERA). If it's not the bullpen it's clutch hitting (.147 with runners in scoring position). The only thing working is their starting staff (3.11 ERA). But that's not enough, obviously.

"I don't know what we did to (tick) off the baseball gods because they are mad at us and they're letting it show," reliever James Russell said. "You can't cry over spilled milk. It is what it is. You just have to come in every day and be ready. And once we get on that hot streak we'll let it roll and have some fun."

But once some of the other parts of the team come around -- if they do -- will the starting pitching still be there? Those baseball Gods can be devious. Wasting good performances from the most integral part of the game, as the Cubs are doing right now, might just come back to haunt them making things worse.

"We've been in almost every single game," Michael Bowden stated. "It's just a few things here or there. We're close."

But close isn't good enough. All eighteen games have been relatively close but only five have ended up in the win column.

"They are tough because you're doing everything you can," Wood said. "You just have to hang in there and ride it out. Tides will turn."

CINCINNATI -- Chicago Cubs manager Dale Sveum is sticking with his plan to platoon most of his left-handed hitters against left-handed starters as David DeJesus, Nate Schierholtz and Luis Valbuena will start on the bench on Tuesday when Cincinnati Reds southpaw Tony Cingrani takes the mound.

The Cubs are 0-4 this season in games when the opposition starts a left-hander and the decision to start Dave Sappelt, Scott Hairston and Cody Ransom is controversial. Sappelt and Hairston have been abysmal against left-handers this season although that's supposed to be their strong suit.

As a team the Cubs are hitting .196 against lefties while Sappelt and Hairston are hitting .118 and .071, respectively.

Schierholtz, in particular, has an argument with his manager if he wants one. He's a career .284 hitter against lefties. That's a higher average than against righties (.269) and his on-base percentage is comparable (.319 to .322). He also had "conversations" when he signed with the Cubs about playing against left-handers but wasn't guaranteed anything. And he has yet to start against one.

Isn't the definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over again and getting the same result? Maybe Sveum believes the law of averages is in favor of players such as Sappelt and Hairston but at some point he needs to give the lefties -- especially those on hot streaks like the three sitting on Tuesday -- a chance to play. It just won't be in this game.

Cingrani is making his second major league start of his career after beating the Miami Marlins last week. The Cubs counter with Carlos Villanueva.

Here is the Cubs lineup:

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

CINCINNATI -- In the midst of another heartbreaking loss for the Chicago Cubs, 5-4 in 13 innings to the Cincinnati Reds on Monday, there is good news. In fact, it's more important than the outcome of the game.

Travis Wood threw another quality start, defined as a start of six innings or more with three or fewer runs allowed. And Wood has turned in four straight to start the season after giving up two runs over 6 1/3 innings on Monday.

In short, Wood has been every bit as good as Carlos Villanueva and Jeff Samardzija to start the season.

"I was very pleased with the way I pitched today," Wood said. "For me to keep them at one run for six-plus innings, it felt good."

His performance to start the season is reminiscent of last June and early July when he put together five quality starts in a row. But after that run he didn't have more than two in a row the rest of the season. Wood believes he can keep it up this time around, and experience is helping.

"I feel like it," Wood said. "The ball is coming out well both sides of the plate. Hopefully I can stay right there for the whole year."

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Bruce Levine enters the baseball chat room at 12 CT to talk Cubs and White Sox.

Submit questions here and come back for the chat.

CINCINNATI -- Michael Bowden became the fifth different pitcher to blow a save for the Chicago Cubs in their 5-4, 13-inning loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Monday -- and this one happened in dramatic fashion.

“The whole team battled for 13 innings and we lose it like that,” a dejected Bowden said afterwards. “It’s the worst feeling. You let the entire team down.”

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CINCINNATI – Here’s a quick look at the Cincinnati Reds' 5-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs in extra innings on Monday night at Great American Ball Park.


How it happened: Luis Valbuena homered in the top of the 13th inning to break a 2-2 tie after Welington Castillo reached on an error, but it didn’t hold up. The Reds’ Jay Bruce tied it again with a two-run double in the bottom half of the inning and then Cesar Izturis drove him in with a two-out single to win it. Michael Bowden suffered the loss. The Cubs got on the board with a leadoff home run by David DeJesus, who drove the ball just over the right field fence and inside the foul pole. They added a run in the third when Starlin Castro brought home Darwin Barney with a base hit. The Reds scored two runs in seventh inning to tie the game. Bruce led off with a home run and one out later Chris Heisey singled to end Cubs starter Travis Wood's night. Reliever Shawn Camp balked Heisey over to second then James Russell gave up a triple to pinch-hitter Jack Hannahan.

What it means: Yet again a Cubs starter failed to get a victory despite a quality effort. Wood pitched very effectively into the seventh inning but his relief corps couldn’t help him out by holding a one-run lead. More important, Wood keeps on showing he belongs in the majors as a starter; he faced the best hitting lineup against lefties in baseball coming into the night. They might not be after his four-hit, two-run effort.

Marmol time: Carlos Marmol pitched a scoreless ninth and 10th, striking out Joey Votto with the winning run on third base and two outs in the 10th. He’s gone six straight appearances (7 IP) without giving up a run after getting scored upon in his first three outings of the season.

Key stats: Castro got a hit in his career high 14th consecutive game. …The Reds had just five hits in the first 12 innings but added three in the 13th. … Shin-Soo Choo broke a 109-year-old Reds record by getting hit by a pitch for the 10th time this month when Wood hit him in the sixth. … The Reds entered the game with the best fielding percentage in the National League, but committed 3 errors. The Cubs had none.

What’s next: Carlos Villanueva (1-0, 1.29 ERA) takes the mound against lefty Tony Cingrani (1-0, 1.80 ERA) in Tuesday’s middle game of the series in a 7:10 CT start.

The first edition of “Five questions with” features a sit down with Chicago Cubs pitcher Jeff Samardzija as he answers five questions from Cubs beat reporter Jesse Rogers about baseball life on and off the field.

1. Who is the toughest out for you in all the majors?

Jeff Samardzija: Well he’s in the American League now, but Prince Fielder. In the National League, now it’s Ryan Braun. He’s got a great eye, great hand/eye coordination. Even when you get him out you earn it.

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CINCINNATI -- Chicago Cubs manager Dale Sveum has at least a few concerns about his job after a 5-12 start in which his team has committed 17 errors in 17 games.

“I’d be lying if (I said) you didn’t think about yourself through some of this stuff too,” Sveum said on Monday before opening a series with the Cincinnati Reds. “That’s stuff you don’t have control over. I have control over my job and my coaching staff to prepare everybody, every day. That’s all I can do.”

Sveum saw his team commit six errors and give up eight unearned runs while getting swept by Milwaukee over the weekend. The Cubs played poorly most of last year but Sveum says this is worse.

“Even though we lost last year we really didn’t play this bad of baseball,” he said. “This year is a lot different because (results) can be a lot different. ... Every error we make has been magnified, because one, we haven’t made a pitch behind that mistake and we haven’t recovered from it.”

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Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo 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.

CINCINNATI -- Let's get one thing straight: Despite manager Dale Sveum's more than cryptic comments this past weekend in Milwaukee, the Chicago Cubs are not sending Anthony Rizzo or Starlin Castro or any other everyday player to the minors anytime soon.

If they do, it might mark the first time a team's core player was sent down strictly because of defense. Struggling mightily at the plate is one thing, playing shoddy defense is another. You don't go to the minors for that. You go to the bench.

Isn't the bench the first way to punish or teach or give a breather to a player? It's interesting that Sveum didn't mention this as the more logical answer. Maybe he meant it that way. Who knows, the guy was obviously not happy in Milwaukee where the Cubs committed six errors en route to getting swept by the Brewers.

Then again, benchings aren't part of Sveum's style of managing. This was his view in spring training when asked if Castro should play all 162 games in 2013 as he did last year.

"I'm old school that way," Sveum said. "If you have players that good, going into the season you want consistency and if the consistency is there then those guys play 162 games. That's why they get paid a lot of money and they're one of the best in baseball at their job."

Presumably Sveum was talking mostly about their offense. A huge slump at the plate might dictate a day off but maybe a fielding slump should as well. And hopefully the players take it for what it should be: a punishment. It's not like they're fatigued this early on. Make sure they know sitting for a game isn't doing what's best for them, it's doing what's best for the team. There is no better wake-up call then a benching.

And the excuses are over. Cold weather could have contributed to a few mistakes early on this year but Miller Park's roof was closed and still the Cubs couldn't field the ball.

Wake Castro or Rizzo up with a benching because even they don't believe they're going to the minors. But anyone can sit for a game – or more. That should be Sveum's first move.

CINCINNATI -- The 5-12 Chicago Cubs are starting to accomplish some things on defense the organization hasn't seen in quite some time. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it's been 10 years since the Cubs gave up more than 14 unearned runs – as they have this season – in their first 17 games of the season.

The last time they made more than 17 errors in their first 17 games was in 2000. Finally, 1995 was the last time the Cubs committed more than 17 errors and gave up more than 14 unearned runs in the first 17 games. Those aren't numbers any manager wants to see.

It's not a reach by any means to conclude the six errors the Cubs made over the weekend in Milwaukee cost them all three games.

On Friday, the first play of the game – an easy grounder to Anthony Rizzo at first base – was muffed, and the next four batters hit for the cycle putting the Cubs in a 4-0 hole. Losing by a run, 5-4, only highlights the magnitude of that error.

Saturday's miscues led manager Dale Sveum to say the Cubs were making "rookie ball" mistakes. A dropped fly ball by Alfonso Soriano in the fifth followed later in that inning by a bobbled ground ball by Starlin Castro allowed two unearned runs to score as did Edwin Jackson's throw into center field on a double play attempt in the sixth. The final there was 5-1 with four scoring thanks to those errors.
Finally, on Sunday pitcher Scott Feldman couldn't snag a ball hit back to him with two outs in the fifth allowing Ryan Braun to come to bat. He promptly hit a hanging breaking pitch for a 3-run home run.

The biggest culprits in the field so far have been Castro (4 errors) and Feldman (3). But at least Castro has done it over all 17 games. Feldman has appeared in just three. The last Cubs shortstop with more than four errors in team's first 17 games of a season was Castro last season. He had 7 through his first 17 games. The last pitchers with more than errors were Carlos Zambrano and Felix Doubront who each had 3 in 2010.

So the Cubs gave up eight unearned runs out of 14 scored by the Brewers. That's basically handing the entire series to the opponent. And remember it was before this past weekend -- last Tuesday in fact -- team president Theo Epstein said "we're not talented enough to play this sloppy." Obviously, his team wasn't listening.

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic -- He has status as a player and a general manager that approaches legendary in the Dominican Republic, and he is drawing attention from teams in the U.S. that are interested in his developing skills as an executive. Most baseball men in his position might be envisioning an opportunity with a front office in Major League Baseball right about now.

But Moises Alou isn't most baseball men. Right about now, in fact, Alou simply wants to enjoy the finer things in life -- the things he missed over the past 25 years of a career in the game.

Alou, who has won three national titles in the Dominican Republic and two Caribbean Series crowns in his first four seasons as the GM of winter ball team Leones del Escogido, just added another golden page to his short but brilliant résumé as an executive when he served as the general manager of the Dominican Republic team that won the World Baseball Classic in March. That's after a highly successful 17-year career as a player in the majors and a lifetime in one of the first families of baseball.

The logical next step, though -- back into MLB as a team exec -- is not in Alou's plans. At least, not now.

"I don't want to become a GM or work full time with a major league's team office," Alou said in an interview with ESPNdeportes.com. "I want to be relaxed at home, go fishing, hunting. Just enjoy. ... I played 18 years in the big leagues, plus four more in the minors. Then add another two in college; that's 24 years away from my country. I love my country, want to enjoy it. Love hunting, fishing, horse-track racing. And I haven't had the time to enjoy these activities.

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