ESPN

The hiring of Theo Epstein as club president marked a new era for the Chicago Cubs, but there was no chance that the change would manifest itself in the standings this year, and there is little chance that it will change anything next year.

The Cubs' problems are simply defined. They are probably about five or six young pitchers short of have a legitimate shot of contending. They are four or five players short among their position players, and those they do have -- Starlin Castro, Triple-A first baseman Anthony Rizzo -- need more development time.

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HOUSTON -- In a perfect position to stop the Chicago Cubs' slide, Matt Garza only managed to pour gasoline on this brush fire.

The closest thing the Cubs have to an ace gave up a pair of three-run home runs and seven total runs over three innings as his night ended early.

It was easily his shortest outing of the season and this start, as well as a six-run outing April 18 at Miami, were the only times he has given up more than two runs in an outing this season.

“That was not Matt Garza pitching, it was strange,” manager Dale Sveum said. “So many off-speed pitches and breaking balls, it’s not the Matt Garza that I have seen for the first six weeks. I think he got out of whack somehow.”

Sveum made an early visit to the mound to encourage more fastballs and getting ahead in the count, but that only ended in a Chris Johnson home run.

“It was a bad meeting,” Sveum said.

Johnson’s home run came on a fastball, up and out over the middle of the plate.

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CHICAGO -- As Chicago Cubs players worked on bunting in early batting practice, Matt Garza was fielding those bunts and practicing his throws to first base.

Garza’s issues with throwing out runners on comebackers or bunts have been pronounced this season. It cost him a complete game in his second start of the season when he launched a throw into the stands that could have given him the game’s final out.

His latest issues came Wednesday when he made two throws to first base into the ground, one of which went for an error.

Garza, though, has been less than concerned with the throwing issue, considering it more of a lighthearted moment.

“It’s more of comedy; more laughter for me,” Garza said. “If that’s their game plan to (bunt) against me we’re going to have a lot of fun with a lot of quick games. It doesn’t bother me one bit. Just trying to get things better, get everything right: hitting, bunting, everything."

Garza said the extra work Wednesday was to help fine tune him into a complete player. He said he became one-dimensional while pitching for the Tampa Bay Rays since the goal of hitters in the American League East is to “see how far you can hit the ball.”

Manager Dale Sveum has avoided talking about Garza’s apparent throwing issue at length.

“They’re two well-placed bunts and for whatever reason he threw it … I don’t even know,” Sveum said. “But you definitely have to work on it.”

So work on it Garza did, while also downplaying the practice.

“Just playing catch, that’s about it, nothing big,” Garza said. “Just playing catch, throwing it to the guy at first base and being more athletic and not being so robotic out there. I think that’s what it is, I’m getting robotic when I get there.

“I threw a pick to first base yesterday and it was right on the money. It’s not like I can’t throw over there. It’s just awkward situations that put me in awkward spots and at the end of the day it makes me look awkward. I’m not too worried about it.”

CHICAGO -- Once again the bullpen let the Chicago Cubs and starter Matt Garza down in a 9-2 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday.

Garza left the game with two outs in the seventh inning, and James Russell closed out the inning. But Shawn Camp, making his 18th appearance in the Cubs’ 37th game, gave up a solo home run to Carlos Ruiz in the eighth, and Scott Maine and Michael Bowden combined to give up six runs in the ninth inning. The big blow was a grand slam by pinch-hitter Hector Luna off Bowden.

”It is what it is,” manager Dale Sveum said. “We have guys pitching in roles that they probably shouldn’t be pitching in, and it’s tough. They never had to do this (late-inning assignments ) before. They are thrown into this mix all of a sudden, and it’s not the easiest thing to do.”

The Cubs’ closer (Carlos Marmol ) and main set-up man (Kerry Wood) coming out of spring training have been both hurt and ineffective for the first part of the season, leaving Sveum and pitching coach Chris Bosio little choice but to go with pitchers not ready or capable of getting big-league hitters out at the end of the game.

Garza has now come out of 10 games in the last season and a quarter with a no-decision and in 2011 alone he had the lead in seven games before getting no-decisions.

”They are trying (hard),” Garza said. “They are young. We knew we were going to take some lumps. We have young guys.”

The Cubs’ pen has blown eight out of the 14 save opportunities it has had this season.

“We aren’t going to bring in (closer Rafael) Dolis in that situation,” Sveum said. “So that’s basically all we got right there.”

The front office continues to look at the wavier wire for help as Marmol tries to get recover from a hamstring injury and Wood pitches himself back into game condition .

CHICAGO -- Another outing removed from a nasty flu bug, Matt Garza looked to be back at full strength.

The right-hander still wasn’t at his best, needing 107 pitches to get through 6 2/3 innings, but he continues to move in the right direction.

“I’m just getting my legs back to where I need to be,” Garza said. “When I finish out the sevens, eights and nines (innings) I’ll get used to it. I’m not too worried about it.”

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CHICAGO -- Matt Garza’s throws to the plate seem fine, it’s the ones off flat ground to first base that are an adventure.

Garza added two more odd throws to first base Wednesday, both on balls out in front of home plate by the Philadelphia Phillies’ Juan Pierre.

In the first inning, Garza appeared to guide the ball to first base, throwing it in the dirt. Pierre was called safe at first base and Garza was given the error, although television replays showed that first-base umpire Gerry David missed the call.

Again in the third inning, Garza threw one directly into the ground with Pierre getting a hit on the play.

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CHICAGO -- Make it four consecutive strong starts and counting for Cubs left-hander Paul Maholm, who has joined the team's collection of solid rotation guys.

Ryan Dempster, Matt Garza and Jeff Samardzija have also been impressive in the early going, with the starters posting a 2.52 ERA over the last 16 games.

After allowing just one run in each of his last three starts, Maholm topped that by giving up nothing over seven innings in the Cubs' 1-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday.

"Whenever I take the ball I'm going to expect to go deep into the game and let the defense pick me up and win games," Maholm said. "Whether you're the No. 1 or the No. 5, the day you pitch is your day. You're the No. 1 guy and you have to get the job done. I think the last four games I've pitched well."

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CHICAGO -- The flu virus that has swept through the Cubs clubhouse over the last week. It finally cost somebody their job, and he wasn't even sick.

Blake DeWitt was designated for assignment Sunday so that Travis Wood could be added to the active roster. Wood will start Sunday in place of Matt Garza, who is one of four Cubs players and counting who have come down with a nasty flu-type virus.

DeWitt had been healthy, by physical standards anyway, but his offensive numbers had not been in limited action. The left-handed bat off the bench and occasional utility man was batting just .138 (4-for-29) with one RBI and one run scored.

DeWitt will now have to pass through waivers where he can be claimed by another team. If he makes it through waivers he can accept an assignment to Triple-A Iowa or elect to become a free agent.

“Hopefully he clears waivers and elects to stay with us,” manager Dale Sveum said. “It’s just an unfortunate thing. More than anything, just because of the flu bug it cost a guy a job in the big leagues. Our only chance to do anything was with him.”

Garza joined Scott Maine and Jeff Baker as Cubs players who were stricken by the virus, which first appeared when the team was in Philadelphia. Ian Stewart was the latest to fall ill and was replaced in the lineup Sunday by Joe Mather.

CHICAGO -- A left-handed starter worked well for the Chicago Cubs against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday, so they will give it another try in Sunday’s series finale at Wrigley Field.

Lefty Travis Wood will get the start in place of Matt Garza, who is said to be suffering from a flu-like virus that has swept through the Cubs clubhouse in recent days. Also affected was recently demoted pitcher Scott Maine, as well as utility man Jeff Baker, who hasn’t been available in the series.

The Cubs lost to the Dodgers 5-1 on Saturday, but beat them 5-4 in Friday's series opener behind left-hander Paul Maholm.

“It’s unfortunate that [Garza] isn’t feeling well and there is something that is going on around here, but hopefully I can step in and give them a strong outing and give them a chance to win,” Wood said.

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CHICAGO – With Matt Garza’s status still uncertain for Sunday’s start because of a virus, the Cubs have Travis Wood on hand in case of emergency but is not yet on the active roster.

Garza was supposed to start Saturday against the Dodgers, but couldn’t answer the bell because he has been sick. Reliever Scott Maine, who was sent back to Triple-A Iowa earlier this week, first came down with a similar illiness last week in Philadelphia. Jeff Baker is currently experiencing the same symptoms as Garza and Maine and was not available Saturday either.

Because Monday’s game at Cincinnati was rained out, Chris Volstad had enough rest to start Saturday. Nobody would have enough rest to start Sunday, though, so if it’s not Garza, it will be Wood.

As for what move the Cubs will have to make to get Wood activated to the roster, that remains to be seen. Rule 5 pick Lendy Castillo could be the odd man out. Michael Bowden, recently acquired in the Marlon Byrd trade, would have to go through waivers before he could be sent down.

Manager Dale Sveum said the choice to have Wood on hand as an insurance policy was an easy one to make.

“It's just his day to pitch [Sunday] and he was the logical guy,” Sveum said. “He's on the [40-man] roster and if it does happen, we'll make due and see what happens.”

Wood has been better at Triple-A Iowa after brutal spring training. The left-hander was out of contention for a major league rotation spot almost immediately after his first Cactus League outing and it wasn’t until the end of camp that he started to turn things around.

At Iowa, Wood was has just one victory in five starts with a 5.08 ERA, but does have 30 strikeouts in 28 1/3 innings, with just eight walks.

“It’s been real nice to get things going especially since spring didn’t go the way I wanted it to,” Wood said. “But since then I was able to have some good games and let my pitches work and feel like everything is headed in the right direction.”

CHICAGO -- Chicago Cubs pitcher Matt Garza will miss his start on Saturday against the Los Angeles Dodgers because of a virus and will be replaced by Chris Volstad.

Garza, 2-1 with a 2.67 ERA, is coming off a one-hit, no-run, seven-inning performance against the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday.

PHILADELPHIA -- With playoff hockey going on across the street Sunday in Philadelphia, maybe Matt Garza just wanted to make sure the Chicago Cubs postgame team bus would be able to beat traffic.

The right-hander put in an efficient seven innings Sunday, allowing just one hit in a 5-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies while at one point recording outs on 19 consecutive batters. The outing rivaled his 8 2/3-inning showing on April 12 for being in total control.

“The game plan was to keep them off balance and try to induce weak ground balls or weak popups and that’s exactly what worked,” Garza said. “Certain things were there and certain weren’t. I threw a curveball about 22 feet high but other than that everything else was cool.”

Garza’s only hit allowed came to the first batter he faced on the day, Jimmy Rollins. After that he started mowing down batters one by one, but wasn’t kicking himself that he could have been in the midst of a perfect game had he pitched differently to Rollins.

“Nah, I was just taking it out by out,” Garza said. “That’s what I’ve been doing the last two outings. I just want to go hitter to hitter. You have to have all kinds of respect for those guys because it is the Phillies, you know. They’re a tough team. I just went out there and stuck to my game plan.”

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CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs did just enough on Monday, rallying in the ninth inning to win the opener of a three-game series against the World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals, 3-2.

How it happened: The former Cardinal Joe Mather came through in the clutch with a two-run single. They key to the ninth-inning rally was a long at-bat from Bryan LaHair, who eventually coaxed a walk. Geovany Soto followed with one of his own. Mather fell behind 0-2 before getting back into the count and delivering the game-winner.

What it means: Despite Monday’s win, manager Dale Sveum’s right-handed lineup against left-handers has failed to gain any traction in the early going. The Cubs were batting .240 as a team against left-handed pitching and that was before they had just six hits against Jaime Garcia. The left-handed hitting LaHair has been a standout on offense this season, but he is 0-for-6 against left-handers with five strikeouts.

Outside the box: Since he was recalled over the weekend Tony Campana has put together three hits in five at-bats, getting one in the eighth inning Monday after entering late in the game on a double switch. That’s the same amount of hits as center fielder Marlon Byrd had in 43 at-bats before he was dealt to the Boston Red Sox over the weekend.

Off beat: Matt Garza showed that he can handle the bat after all. He didn’t show much in this spring’s bunt tournament but did manage to lay down a sacrifice in the third inning. Then in the fifth inning he slapped a single to right field. Neither successful trip to the plate ended with the Cubs scoring runs that inning, though.

Up next: Cubs right-hander Jeff Samardzija (2-1, 5.71 ERA) will get the start Tuesday in the middle game of the three-game series against the Cardinals. St. Louis will counter with right-hander Adam Wainwright (0-3, 9.88) in the 7:05 p.m. start from Wrigley Field.

MIAMI -- Don’t try to tell Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Matt Garza that Marlins Park isn’t very accommodating for driving the ball a long way.

Donnie Murphy and Hanley Ramirez both hit impressive home runs and with how the Cubs’ offense has struggled of late, his chances at a victory were immediately dashed. The Marlins then poured it on for a 9-1 victory.

It was the first time in six starts that either of the top two pitchers in the Cubs rotation delivered anything less than an impressive outing.

Garza’s outing Wednesday came immediately after a dominating 8 2/3-inning masterpiece last week when he missed out on a complete game only because he overthrew first base on what should have been the last out of the game.

He threw 119 pitches in that outing, the most of any Cubs pitcher this season, but it didn’t seem to have an effect on his velocity Wednesday.

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MIAMI -- The Chicago Cubs saw their losing streak reach four games after getting handcuffed 9-1 on Wednesday by the Miami Marlins.

HOW IT HAPPENED: It was a rough day on the mound and at the plate for the Cubs as Matt Garza was knocked around in a pitchers’ park and the offensive sputters continued. Adding insult to injury is the fact that the Cubs lost the last two games to a former White Sox manager in Ozzie Guillen and a former White Sox pitcher in Mark Buehrle, who even drove in a run with a single.

WHAT IT MEANS: Without a whole lot of power to begin with, and then having to play in a roomy ballpark, stringing together base hits needed to be the Cubs' forte. It just isn’t happening as the offense has yielded very little the past four games ever since an offensive explosion spoiled the Cardinals’ home opener last week. The Cubs entered play batting a dismal .244 with nobody on base and a paltry .229 with runners on.

OUTSIDE THE BOX: That bunt contest the Cubs conducted this spring has yielded very little once Opening Day came. With chances to move over runners in the fifth inning, Garza bunted right back to the pitcher as the Marlins were then able to get the force out at third base. The Cubs have just one sacrifice bunt this season, from Jeff Samardzija, which is tied for last in the last in the National League.

OFF BEAT: Cubs manager Dale Sveum claimed he didn’t see the Marlins’ moving, flashing, spraying center field sculpture when the home team hit a home run Tuesday. So he got two more chances to see the $2.5 million monstrosity in action Wednesday when Donnie Murphy and Hanley Ramirez went deep. What is it? Think 30-foot tall pop-up book from a gift shop in Miami Beach and you only start to get the idea.

UP NEXT: Cubs right-hander Samardzija (2-0, 3.95 ERA) will close out the three-game series when he takes the mound Thursday. He will be opposed by Marlins right-hander Ricky Nolasco (1-0, 3.46) in the 11:40 a.m. CST start from Marlins Park.