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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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MILWAUKEE -- Chicago Cubs manager Dale Sveum might be sending a message to his team after yet another sloppy loss on Saturday night to the Milwaukee Brewers.

"We're making mistakes that rookie ball people make," Sveum said after a 5-1 loss. "It seems to be the story every night."

The Cubs made three more bad errors Saturday leading to four unearned runs, and most alarming is they were made by key players -- two of whom should remain with the team if the Cubs become contenders over the next several years.

"It's unbelievable," Starlin Castro said. "I think we're trying to do too much. Trying to be too perfect."

Castro made his fourth error of the season, with two outs and a man on third base, on the easiest of ground balls in the fifth inning. That was preceded earlier in the inning by a fly ball that Alfonso Soriano dropped after thinking he had to go back for it instead of toward the infield. One inning later, Edwin Jackson threw away a potential double-play ball into center field.

"I double clutched," Jackson said. "Once I doubled clutched I didn't gather back up; caused me to open up instead of stay closed."

As always with this team lately, the outcome of the game is secondary. A more important concern is Castro's ability to play shortstop. Another question is whether Jackson can be a mainstay after starting 0-3. He's signed for four years and $52 million. Castro for seven years and $60 million. Sveum was asked if there really is anything he can do about the defense in terms of personnel considering the miscues are being made by his mainstays.

"There's always options if you can't play," Sveum said cryptically. "To win in the big leagues you have to have people that perform, and perform in 162 days and not once in a while. Otherwise you lose your job."

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MILWAUKEE -- Here's a quick look at the Chicago Cubs' 5-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday:

How it happened: Jonathan Lucroy improved to 6-15 lifetime against Edwin Jackson when he smacked a solo home run in the second inning. The Cubs tied the score in the fourth when Alfonso Soriano drove in Starlin Castro from second base. But the Brewers took the lead for good when the Cubs made two errors in the fifth leading to two unearned runs. First, Soriano dropped a fly ball -- that runner came around to score -- and two outs later Castro flubbed an easy grounder allowing another one to come in. In the sixth inning, Jackson threw away an easy double-play ball and the Brewers scored two more unearned runs. Other than the Castro run in the fourth inning, Cubs bats were silent against first-time starter Hiram Burgos and the Brewers' relief corps.

What it means: There's simply no excuse for many of the errors the Cubs have made this season. It has derailed more than just Saturday's game and more than one decent start from the team's rotation. A lack of focus seems to be the only answer, as these errors have come mostly on routine plays. The rest of the game, as well as Jackson's overall performance, is hard to judge when it comes apart so needlessly. After all, Jackson made one of the errors himself, leading to runs that don't count on his ERA. Maybe they should.

Key stat: Three errors in the game tied the Cubs with the Washington Nationals for the major league lead with 15, though the Cubs have played one fewer game.

What's next: The 5-11 Cubs try to avoid the sweep on Sunday when Scott Feldman takes the mound.

Where ever Edwin Jackson has pitched, he's been dogged by consistency issues. Sunday's 10-7 loss to the Giants was just a microcosm of his career.

After allowing one run in a 28-pitch first inning, Jackson cruised through the next four, allowing only one run, while striking out eight and walking one. However, when Jackson came out for the sixth, it appeared as though his first-inning struggles returned.

"(In the first) he was coming after them with a lot of fastballs, got two quick outs with his fastball," manager Dale Sveum said. "Luckily he only gave up one run out of it. (He) settled down, found his slider, had his fastball then all of a sudden completely lost his fastball. (He) was spiking his fastball and obviously it snowballed out of control."

By the time the top of the sixth ended, the Cubs 4-1 lead had vanished and Jackson was long gone. Jackson said his ultimate undoing was his failure to make adjustments when he lost his feel for his fastball.

"It's no excuses, it shouldn't be something that I allow to affect an inning like that, especially when the team's done a good job," Jackson said. "Those guys bust their butts to get you a lead and it's up to you to hold it. We don't have a pitcher on this staff who shouldn't be able to control a game when you have a (three-)run lead. I can't let the team down like that in one inning when they fought so hard to get you a lead like that."

The mood in the clubhouse after the loss was understandably somber. The Cubs battled the defending World Champion Giants for four games, but came away with only one victory. The 4-8 Cubs have played better than their record at times, but when losses like Sunday become the norm, it can lead to the unraveling of a season.

"That's up to the players, as much as anything," Sveum said about the team avoiding getting in a funk over their losing ways. "I've had my meetings and that. To lose games, you know, whatever reason you want to say we lost that game. The guys battled, we had the lead, we swung the bats good early, got some big hits. We took the lead and had two outs, two strikes."

The Chicago Cubs claimed a dubious record during Sunday's 10-7 loss to the San Francisco Giants as two pitchers combined for five wild pitches in one inning.

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Here’s a quick look at the Chicago Cubs' 3-2 defeat by the San Francisco Giants on Saturday:

How it happened: Wrigley Field produced another pitching duel, this time between Jeff Samardzija and Madison Bumgarner, as neither team scored until the fifth inning. The Giants tallied once each in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings while the Cubs finally got on the board on a pinch-hit two-run home run by Dioner Navarro in the bottom of the seventh.

Navarro’s streak: The Cubs' backup catcher has pinch hit home runs on consecutive days from either side of the plate, a feat that, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, hasn't been accomplished since Todd Benzinger did it for the Dodgers in 1992. On Friday, he hit a game-tying blast in the ninth inning from the left side and pulled the Cubs within one Saturday with a long ball from the right side. They're the first two pinch-hit home runs of his career.

What it means: The Cubs battled to the end, but the lack of offense against lefties this season has been striking. In three games, Cubs starters have managed one run combined against left-handers. Manager Dale Sveum says he is sticking with righties Dave Sappelt and Scott Hairston when a lefty is on the mound, which means sitting David DeJesus and .355 hitter Nate Schierholtz. DeJesus had three hits Friday, including a home run, but was on the bench Saturday.

Defensively, the Cubs continue to be sloppy. They left several double plays on the field, and right fielder Hairston made an errant throw as Bumgarner crossed the plate with the eventual winning run in the seventh.

What’s next: The 4-7 Cubs will try to salvage a split of the series when Edwin Jackson takes the mound Sunday.

CHICAGO -- Chicago Cubs starter Edwin Jackson had to battle the elements as well as the Milwaukee Brewers Monday in his Wrigley Field debut.

With winds gusting upwards of 30 mph, Jackson watched the game get away from him in the first inning when Brewers first baseman Martin Maldonado's wind-aided triple went soaring over the head of Cubs right fielder Nate Schierholtz.

“I felt like I put myself in a position to be a pitch away (in the first inning) and I didn’t execute that pitch,” Jackson said. “I had (Jonathan) Lucroy 2-2 and I didn’t put him away. That allowed them to get back into the game. I have to do a better job of executing pitches when I get myself in a position to get myself out of a jam.”

Jackson trailed by five runs after two innings, but gutted his way through four more innings without allowing a run in the eventual 7-4 loss.

“I told (Jackson), ‘Just don’t think about what happened. Just don’t let them score anymore off of you,’” said catcher Welington Castillo, who hit a two-run home run, his first of the season, in the second inning. “I told him to let your ability come through and take care of it.”

Although Jackson, who signed a four-year $52 million contract in the offseason, lost his second game of the season and has an ERA close to six in 11 innings of work, he didn’t really pitch poorly in either ballgame.

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The Chicago Cubs season is one week old and already there's been a month's worth of controversy. There's the closer controversy (it's been resolved for now with Kyuji Fujikawa replacing Carlos Marmol), there's the Wrigley controversy (it's been on-going but an end might be near), and there's the hitting controversy (as in the Cubs can't).

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PITTSBURGH -- Depth was supposed to be a strength of the Chicago Cubs in 2013, in the form of a group of newcomers. So far it’s been anything but.

In dropping a 3-0 decision to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday those new guys came up short.

Both Scott Hairston and Brent Lillibridge struck out looking in the seventh inning -- the only inning in which the Cubs mounted a rally against Pirates starter Wandy Rodriguez. It ended with three runners stranded.

“Worst case scenario is at least get something in the air,” Lillibridge said after his 10-pitch at-bat. “I knew 3-2 he wasn’t just going to lay a fastball in there. I saw breaking ball up. I thought it was a little up.”

The home plate umpire, Ron Kulpa, saw it different, just as he did with Hairston two batters earlier.

“It wasn’t a good pitch. Neither of them were good pitches,” Hairston said about strikes two and three.

Alberto Gonzalez -- another newcomer - flied out to end the threat.

But if he keeps struggling, it’s Lillibridge who might hear it from the fans when the Cubs get back home next week,. He’s 0-2 so far in two games with men in scoring position. Just as important are his four strikeouts in six at-bats this season.

“The cold weather matched with the intensity of the season starting,” Lillibridge explained of his hitting so far. “The last at-bat, I thought it really locked me in going forward.”

It was a good one in which he just missed on a couple of foul balls down the line, but that’s forgotten when he takes strike three a few seconds later.

“We don’t have a hit with men in scoring position,” manager Dale Sveum lamented after the game. “We need to get better at that.”

And after Starlin Castro and Anthony Rizzo helped win the first contest the three-game series in Pittsburgh on Monday, someone else needed to step up. The newfound depth of the Cubs couldn’t do it. Injuries at second base (Darwin Barney) and third base (Ian Stewart) have forced Lillibridge and Gonzalez into more prominent roles. In their first chances to come through, they came up short.

“It could be a 2-1 or 2-2 score if I get one,” Lillibridge said. “It changes the game.”

Jackson debut

Edwin Jackson was about the lone new Cub who played well on Wednesday. He had one hiccup, in the fourth inning, when he gave up two runs. It’s all the Pirates needed.

“It wasn’t bad,” he said. “There are always things you can improve on. Probably ran my pitch count up.

“I made one mistake and that was on the double [to Andrew McCutchen].”

Jackson didn’t have total command of his fastball, but he limited the damage. He sailed through the first three innings, even striking out the side in the first. The cold weather -- 35 degrees at game time -- probably affected the hitters more than the pitchers.

“It wasn’t too bad,” Jackson said. “Couple times it was tough to feel the ball. Both teams had to experience the same thing.”

Jackson threw 92 pitches in five innings giving up just three hits and one walk. He struck out five, but his rough fourth inning was the difference.

Notes:

--Hector Rondon made his major league debut pitching the sixth inning. Although he looked shaky -- he walked two -- and took a long time to get through the inning, he did so without any damage.

-Castro made his first error of the season trying to backhand a short hop ball in the fourth inning in order to throw a man out at the plate.

--Pitcher Matt Garza is expected to join the team in Atlanta this weekend as he rehabs from a lat injury. The Cubs are hopeful he can throw off a mound soon.

Key quotes:

“It was about as cold as it was going to get without any wind.” --Sveum, on the decreasing temperatures throughout the night

“He was working both sides of the plate to most guys. We fought there in the 7th and just didn’t come up with it.” -- Rizzo, on the Cubs being shut down by Wandy Rodriguez

“It was tough for me to go after those pitches.” -- Hairston, on not swinging on two borderline strikes in the seventh.

PITTSBURGH -- Here’s a quick look at the Chicago Cubs’ 3-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night:

How it happened: Edwin Jackson tossed one bad inning for the Cubs. But that’s all the Pirates needed, because their pitcher, Wandy Rodriguez, had none. The Cubs managed two hits, a walk and a couple of hit batters off of Rodriguez, but they drove in no runs on a 35 degree night. Jackson was sailing along until he gave up two runs in the fourth inning on back-to-back hits and an error by Starlin Castro. Jackson lasted just five innings, striking out five but giving up three hits and a walk to go along with the two scores.

The key moment: It came in the seventh -- the only inning where the Cubs threatened -- when Scott Hairston and Brent Lillibridge took called third strikes with men on base. Lillibridge battled the count to 3-2 and on the tenth pitch, with the bases loaded, couldn’t pull the trigger. Then with lefty pinch-hit specialist Steve Clevenger on the bench, Dale Sveum elected to let the righty Alberto Gonzalez hit for himself against lefty Tony Watson, and he flied out.

What it means: Cubs injuries might be catching up to them as key role players couldn’t come through when needed. And with Castro and Anthony Rizzo having quiet games after strong ones on Monday, they needed a boost somewhere else. Gonzalez did have a hit, but Lillibridge has looked awful at the plate (0-6) in the early going. His 10-pitch battle with Rodriguez is quickly forgotten when he looks at strike three. The Cubs had a weak night at the plate.

What’s next: The 1-1 Cubs play the rubber game of the series at 11:35 a.m. CT on Thursday before taking off for a three-game set in Atlanta. Travis Wood starts for the Cubs against James McDonald of the Pirates.

PITTSBURGH -- The Chicago Cubs send their biggest offseason acquisition – pitcher Edwin Jackson -- to the mound against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday looking to start the season 2-0 for the first time since 1995.

They'll have a good chance to do so if history is any indication -- Jackson is 4-0 lifetime against the Pirates with a 3.03 ERA.

Jackson was a surprise signing as the Cubs courted him and Anibal Sanchez, eventually landing Jackson for four years and $52 million after Sanchez re-signed with the Detroit Tigers.

With the Cubs in a rebuilding mode, the idea of signing a free agent to big money didn't seem to fit their plans but president Theo Epstein said the Cubs had to act.

"You can't wait for the perfect opportunity to acquire a pitcher or wait until right when you're ready to win the World Series to add 40 to 60 percent of your rotation," Epstein said in January. "You have to seriously considering adding pitchers when they're there if they check a lot of the boxes that you're looking for.”

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MESA, Ariz. -- Here's a quick look at the Chicago Cubs' 7-6 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday:

The Good: Most of it came at the plate where every Cubs starter save two had at least a hit in the game, including pitcher Edwin Jackson. He had two himself and drove in a run. ... Scott Hairston hit his third spring home run and David DeJesus raised his average to .386 with two more hits. ... Brent Lillibridge tripled and is hitting .484. ... Alberto Gonzalez and Steve Clevenger both doubled in their lone at-bats as they battle for a roster spot.

The Bad: In front of the team that almost traded for him this past offseason, Carlos Marmol again struggled. He walked two and hit a batter giving up the tying run in the eighth inning on a passed ball. ... Luis Valbuena was 0-for-4 with his spring average dipping to .220. ... Like Jeff Samardzija's latest start, Jackson didn't walk anyone but got hit hard in giving up five runs and eight hits in five innings.

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Here’s a quick look at the Chicago Cubs' 5-2 victory over the San Diego Padres on Monday.

The good: Edwin Jackson turned in the best performance by a Cub on the mound this spring. He was in total command, going six innings while giving up just a run on three hits. ... Dave Sappelt continued a hot stretch with a three-run home run, the big blow of the game. ... Brent Lillibridge had two more hits and is batting .478 this spring.

The bad: In their final game with the big league club before being sent to minor league camp, Jorge Soler and Javier Baez combined to go 0-for-8 with three strikeouts, though Baez put bat on ball to drive in a run in the fourth inning.

What we learned: Jackson is progressing exactly as advertised. He’s not throwing a lot of pitches and he’s getting outs. There were very few -- if any -- hard-hit balls off him. ... Lillibridge has all but locked up a spot on this team (if he hadn’t weeks ago) while Sappelt is probably the favorite for the final outfield position. He’s proven once again he can hit left-handed pitching and that’s how he will be used in the regular season, if he makes the team.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Edwin Jackson will make his Wrigley Field debut as a member of the Chicago Cubs in the team's home opener against the Milwaukee Brewers on April 8, manager Dale Sveum said Thursday.

Sveum announced the rotation for the first week of the season with Jeff Samardzija starting Opening Day against the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 1 followed by Jackson and Travis Wood to wrap up the series. Scott Feldman, Carlos Villanueva and Samardzija will start in Atlanta against the Braves April 5-7.

Sveum said he wanted the lefty Wood to pitch in Pittsburgh because he likes the matchup there.

Pitchers Matt Garza and Scott Baker are expected to open the season on the disabled list, allowing Sveum to set up his rotation now.

Garza is recovering from a lat injury he suffered the first week of spring training.

"Everything is great with him," Sveum said of Garza's progress.

Garza has been working his way back to the mound by playing long toss from 45 and 60 feet. If he progresses accordingly, he'll throw from 90 feet this weekend and then get back on a mound.

Baker is recovering from Tommy John surgery which caused him to miss all of last season. His first Cactus League start is scheduled for Sunday against the Oakland Athletics.

Garza and Baker are expected to join the rotation when healthy.

MESA, Ariz. -- Here's a quick look at the Chicago Cubs' 2-0 loss to the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday:

The good: Edwin Jackson didn't have a problem getting through five innings. He gave up a run in the first on a couple of hard hit balls but settled down for a fairly uneventful outing after that ... Dioner Navarro picked off a runner and threw another one out at second base.

The bad: Cubs bats were quiet after their day off on Tuesday although Starlin Castro did have two good at-bats. Alfonso Soriano stranded five runners in his first two at-bats with a fly out and strikeout. The latter came with the bases loaded and no one out in the third inning ... Kyuji Fujikawa struggled through his lone inning of work giving up a run while walking two. The Cubs had just six hits on the day.

Castro's return: The Cubs shortstop only played three innings in his return to game action for the first time since Feb. 27 but he was busy in the field and didn't make an out at the plate. The first batter of the game hit a slow roller to him which he threw wide to first, but later he made four plays in a row including fielding three ground balls. He drew a walk in his first plate appearance and singled to left in his second before being replaced by Javier Baez.

What we learned: The time off did not hurt Castro's timing at the plate at least in his two at-bats ... Jackson did what he normally does. He wasn't overpowering but he got outs and kept the Cubs in the game ... Soriano is going to bat with a lot of runners in scoring position, he needs to perform better especially with less than two outs.