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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 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.

CINCINNATI -- It’s starting to get ridiculous for the Chicago Cubs' starting staff.

Day after day, night after night, they take the mound and throw quality inning after quality inning ... and come away with very little to show for it.

It was Jeff Samardzija’s turn to see a solid effort wasted; this time it wasn’t the bullpen, but the offense that came up short on Wednesday in the Cubs' 1-0 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.

“It was an unbelievably pitched game. We’re just having trouble hitting the outfield grass when we get people on base,” manager Dale Sveum said afterward.

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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.

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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MILWAUKEE -- Here’s a quick look at the Chicago Cubs' 5-4 defeat to the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night at Miller Park.

How it happened: An awful first inning sunk the Cubs as the first five batters reached via error, single, home run, double and triple. But starter Jeff Samardzija finally shut the door after four runs had crossed the plate, giving his team a chance. The visitors put up three of their own in the third inning on home runs by Luis Valbuena and David DeJesus. But the Cubs offense stalled after that despite putting the leadoff hitter on base in seven consecutive innings. The teams exchanged late-inning home runs when the Brewers’ Carlos Gomez went deep followed by Anthony Rizzo the next inning.

Sveum ejected: Cubs manager Dale Sveum was sent to the showers in the sixth inning after arguing with home plate umpire Chris Guccione. Guccione had removed his mask to respond to Samardzija, who yelled towards home plate after a borderline pitch to Ryan Braun was called a ball. Sveum got in his money’s worth before leaving the field.

What it means: There was some good that came of the loss in that Samardzija once again proved he can overcome adversity. Rizzo’s error on the opening batter and a perfectly executed hit-and-run set the tone for the awful first inning but after the damage was done, Samardzija retired 17 of the next 19 batters.

What’s next: The series continues on Saturday night when Edwin Jackson (0-2, 6.06 ERA) takes the mound for the 5-10 Cubs against the Brewers’ Hiram Burgos (first start of season). Game time is 6:10 CT.

MILWAUKEE – Chicago Cubs manager Dale Sveum was ejected in the sixth inning of the Chicago Cubs’ 5-4 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night after arguing with home plate umpire Chris Guccione.

Guccione called an outside borderline pitch by Jeff Samardzija to Ryan Braun a ball, prompting Samardzija to yell towards home plate. That’s when Guccione ripped off his mask and stared back at the Cubs pitcher.

“As far as I was concerned you can have a little emotion out there about some calls,” Samardzija said afterwards. “I didn’t think I did anything out of line. I made a comment and that was it and he decided to show me up from behind the plate.”

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It’s becoming a trend for the Chicago Cubs. A left-handed starter takes the mound against them, and they produce little on offense.

This time, it was San Francisco Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner who shut them down for six innings before finally giving in to pinch-hitter Dioner Navarro in the Cubs' 3-2 defeat on Saturday.

Navarro homered, but it’s the starting nine that needs help. It’s the third time this season the Cubs have been nearly shut out by a southpaw. The starting group -- consisting of at least seven right-handed hitters -- has produced exactly one run in those three games.

“You also have to look at who we faced,” Scott Hairston said after the game. “Those guys are known to have really good stuff.”

Wandy Rodriguez of Pittsburgh, Mike Minor of Atlanta and now Bumgarner do have good stuff, but one run combined against them? In three games?

Maybe manager Dale Sveum needs to stay with his regular core instead of loading up on the righties.

“These guys are on the team for a reason,” Sveum said of Scott Hairston and others. “Everybody has their role, and right now, Hairston is going to play against lefties, [Dave] Sappelt is going to play against lefties. We’re going to put the best lineup out there to be able to slug and do things.”

Add Brent Lillibridge to the list that starts against left-handers as well. The Cubs are hitting .200 against them, with an on-base percentage of .259, which rank 11th and 12th in the National League, respectively.

Sveum often mentions slugging percentage in explaining why he sits the lefties against lefty pitchers. Sappelt and Hairston, in particular, do have better percentages than those they play in favor of.

But is it the right move to sit the second-leading hitter -- Nate Schierholtz -- on a weak hitting team or a hot hitter in David DeJesus? DeJesus homered and had three hits just the day before.

“These [lefty pitchers] are the type of guys you have to pop a three run home run to beat them,” Sveum said in explaining his righty lineup. “It makes the pitcher work that much harder when runners are in scoring position.”

But only if those righties do something with their chances. It’s a small sample size, but Sappelt is hitting .071, Hairston .100 and Lillibridge .042.

“Everybody tries to do an adjustment, especially with a lefty,” Starlin Castro said. “Every right-hander [thinks] it’s easy to hit left-handers, but it’s not.”

Sveum lamented the chances the righties had early in the game.

“We have a chance to take the lead a couple times before they scored, which changes the game around,” he said. “We didn’t put the ball in play when guys were in scoring position.”

Yet Sveum vows to stick with his right-handed lineup against the southpaws. He might need to re-think that strategy.

Quotable:

“Major league players need to make those plays. That’s the bottom line.”
-Sveum, on recent defensive miscues

“That’s two games in a row. That’s unacceptable. That’s on me.”
-Jeff Samardzija, on walking the opposing pitcher in each of his past two starts.

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 pitcher Jeff Samardzjia had some tough words of advice for a potential future teammate in Jorge Soler, who was suspended five games Thursday for approaching an opponent's dugout wielding a bat during a Single-A game in Daytona Beach, Fla.

"If you are going to come here to Chicago, New York, L.A., any big city, you have to know it is not going to go your way all of the time," Samardzija said Thursday. "You have to be able to handle that. If you can't you aren't going to be around for too long. You can't lose your emotions like that. You have to stay under control, and if you don't, you definitely can't use a bat."

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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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ATLANTA -- Chicago Cubs pitcher Jeff Samardzija has seen former teammate Kerry Wood's 20-strikeout performance from 1998 “about a hundred times” in the Cubs clubhouse but wasn’t thinking about that number on Sunday afternoon, though he was well on his way to matching it.

Samardzija struck out 13 in less than six innings of work, yet lost the game to the Atlanta Braves, 5-1.

“It’s a double-edged sword,” Samardzija said after the game. “You strike guys out like that, your pitch count gets up.”

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ATLANTA -- Here’s a quick look at the Chicago Cubs' 5-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Sunday.

How it happened: Jeff Samardzija was sailing along to the tune of 13 strikeouts, but ran into trouble in the sixth inning. A walk and hit batter helped set the table for a bases-loaded single by Ramiro Pena to break a 1-1 tie. The Cubs offense did little after a first-inning leadoff double by David DeJesus. He scored on an Anthony Rizzo ground out, but the Cubs managed just four more hits the rest of the way. Dan Uggla added an eighth-inning home run off of Hisanori Takahashi.

Samardzija’s day: The Cubs starter was on fire with his fastball and splitter that simply fooled many Braves’ hitters. After a leadoff hit by B.J. Upton, Samardzija struck out the next six batters as he whiffed at least one in every inning. But he struggled in the fifth and sixth and after a controversial hit-by-pitch of Chris Johnson (Samardzija didn’t think the ball hit him) Samardzija gave up the two-run single to Pena. His day was done after 105 pitches. He became just the fourth pitcher in the last 20 years to strike out 13 or more batters in less than six innings and the last Cub to strike out at least 13 since Mark Prior in 2004.

What it means: A potentially solid start to the season ends with a 2-4 week. The one day they actually hit the ball, Saturday, they still lost. On Sunday, Samardzija was very good but Tim Hudson outdueled him even if he didn’t match his strikeout total. The Cubs had some timely hitting this week and some timely pitching, but rarely did they have both in the same game.

What’s next: The Cubs will land in Chicago Sunday night in advance of their home opener against the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field on Monday. Edwin Jackson (0-1, 3.60) pitches for the Cubs against Brewers' righty Marco Estrada (0-0, 7.20).

PITTSBURGH -- Maybe an earlier version of Chicago Cubs pitcher Jeff Samardzija doesn’t get out of the first inning on Monday. And maybe he doesn’t go on to pitch a gem in the season opener, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates, 3-1.

But Samardzija has grown up, and after walking the leadoff man -- his only free pass of the day -- then dealing with an error on an easy ground ball to second base, he buckled down.

“Getting out of that first inning was big after that leadoff walk,” Samardzija said afterwards.

He got a groundout and two strikeouts and never looked back.

“He pitched a heck of a game,” manager Dale Sveum said. “He did his job and we came away with a victory.”

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