ESPN

CHICAGO -- The Cubs made it official Saturday, putting catcher Geovany Soto on the disabled list and recalling Randy Wells to fill out the bullpen.

It’s one of a flurry of moves the club has made of late, including sending Chris Volstad to Triple-A, trading for Koyie Hill, swapping out Blake Parker for Scott Maine and seeing Kerry Wood retire.

Soto had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Friday for a partially torn meniscus. His move to the DL is retroactive to Thursday.

(Read full post)

CINCINNATI -- The return of Kerry Wood and Ryan Dempster on Thursday cost Randy Wells and Scott Maine their spots on the Chicago Cubs' roster.

Read the entire story.

CINCINNATI -- The last act for Randy Wells before he possibly is headed back to Triple-A Iowa could be to pitch in relief for the Cubs.

Wells, who started Saturday against the Phillies, could be available to pitch in an emergency situation Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds. There is a better chance he can be used in relief Wednesday. By Thursday he could be pitching elsewhere.

With Ryan Dempster and Kerry Wood both expected to come off the disabled list Thursday, the Cubs will have to make a pair of corresponding roster moves. While there was some consideration given to keeping Wells in the bullpen beyond Dempster’s return, he figures to be headed back to Iowa so he can continue to start.

He did have his regular between-start bullpen session Monday, but manager Dale Sveum said it wasn’t too taxing.

Wells had been cruising along in his last start, beginning the game with three hitless innings. He lost command, though and never got through four innings. He was 0-1 with a 6.23 ERA in two starts while Dempster was down with a strained right quadriceps muscle.

PHILADELPHIA -- Randy Wells’ night got away in the fourth inning when he faced eight batters, but there was one he just couldn’t get out of his mind.

It wasn’t the two-run single from Carlos Ruiz that wiped away the Cubs' early lead. Nor was in the chalk-rustling two-run double Jimmy Rollins dropped into the right-field corner.

The batter that had Wells still seething long after his outing was complete came when opposing pitcher Joe Blanton worked a four-pitch walk with two outs that gave Rollins his chance in the first place.

“Obviously the walk to the pitcher is unacceptable and it makes me want to throw up,” Wells said. “I made a pretty decent pitch to Rollins and he just kept it fair. But that has nothing to do with it. It was downhill before that even happened.”

Wells had actually been cruising until the fourth, holding the Phillies without a hit over the first three innings before it all fell apart.

“It was too bad because he was pitching pretty well and he just couldn’t even find the strike zone,” manager Dale Sveum said. “Things were looking goo going into that inning and the lineup was set to just run right through it and he couldn’t even get through the pitcher without walking him.”

Sent to Triple-A Iowa to start the season, in part to work on his command, Wells has found it tough to find the strike zone ever since he was promoted last weekend after Ryan Dempster went to the disabled list.

Wells walked five in his season debut against the Cubs last Sunday and had three of his four walks Saturday in the fourth inning. He managed to work his way around trouble against the Reds by giving up just two runs, but his day was done after five innings.

He looked to be much improved and void of nerves Saturday, that is until the Phillies started getting base runners.

“It’s mindboggling to me,” Wells said. “I can watch the tape and see but it’s obviously a mechanical thing. Runners get on and the tension gets high and you kind of rush and speed up and I’m just burying [pitches in the dirt] that aren’t even close. You have to make pitches when your back is against the wall and I didn’t do it tonight.”

The difference between the first three innings and his fateful fourth was a matter of one of his pitches leaving him at the most inopportune moment.

“I had a pretty good changeup going,” he said. “The gameplan was working. I just got away from it and lost command of the changeup. I threw way too many, back to back. I brought the hitters back into the count and didn’t make the pitches when I had to.”

By the end of the trip, when Dempster comes off the disabled list, the Cubs will have to decide what to do with Wells. Sveum said the right-hander is still under consideration for the long-man spot in the bullpen, but getting sent back to Triple-A Iowa is another option.

“I’m not going to talk about that,” Wells said. “It’s beyond my control.”

PHILADELPHIA -- Kerry Wood wasn’t the only Chicago Cubs pitcher to make progress from an injury Friday as Ryan Dempster is on track to return from the disabled list the day he is eligible.

Dempster has been out with a strained right quadriceps muscle, going on the disabled list retroactive to April 18. He is eligible to return on Thursday in the series finale against the Cincinnati Reds, which is also the final day of the current road trip.

“He’s ready,” manager Dale Sveum said. “He’s running, which was the final step with him. The bullpen and running went great. He’s ready to come back on his normal day.”

(Read full post)

CHICAGO -- The offense rallied to tie it in the middle innings Saturday, but the Chicago Cubs bullpen let it get away in a 4-3 defeat to the Cincinnati Reds.

How it happened: Making his first start of the season, Randy Wells worked his way in and out of trouble, managing to give up just two runs over five innings. The offense couldn’t build on its momentum from Saturday, though, and scored just twice, with one of the runs coming after an errant wild pickoff throw. Alfonso Soriano twice made outs with the bases loaded. Starlin Castro was hit in the elbow by a pitch but remained in the game after a visit from the medical staff and later hit a triple in the ninth inning.

What it means: Wells’ five innings means the bullpen worked another four innings on Sunday as it awaits some reinforcement. The fact that Scott Maine pitched 1 2/3 innings Sunday, two days after throwing an inning makes it likely that he is guy on his way back to Iowa as right-hander Michael Bowden gets ready to join the roster Monday. When it comes to innings pitched, though, the Cubs entered Sunday with 42 2/3 innings from its relievers, still in the bottom third among teams in all of baseball.

Outside the box: Manager Dale Sveum made a curious double-switch to start the sixth inning. Joe Mather remained in the game after batting for Wells. But instead of taking the spot of Soriano, who made the last out in the bottom of the fifth, Sveum had Mather replace Bryan LaHair at first base. Mather can play both positions. LaHair had just driven a run in the fifth with a single and improved his batting average to .361. Soriano, who is barely batting over .200, struck out with one out and the bases loaded in the seventh inning.

Off beat: Speed can be a menace on the baseball field and Tony Campana proved to be a particular issue for Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto. After an infield single in the first inning, Campana coaxed Cueto into a balk. In the third inning Cueto rushed on Campana’s sacrifice bunt back up the box, fumbled the ball and couldn’t get the throw to first base in time. Campana nearly reached base a third consecutive time when Cueto bobbled a comebacker, but his throw to first base was just in time. The call still drew an argument from Sveum with first-base umpire Jerry Meals.

Up next: Cubs right-hander Matt Garza (1-1, 3.66 ERA) will take the mound Monday in the opener of a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals. St. Louis will counter with left-hander Jamie Garcia in the 7 p.m. start from Wrigley Field.

»2012 Cubs Fantasy Projections: Starters | Relievers | Infielders | Catchers | Outfielders

While the Chicago Cubs rotation is where the new front office made some additions, the bullpen is where some serious subtraction took place.

Sean Marshall is gone and so is Jeff Samardzija, who has moved into the rotation. Andrew Cashner could have been moved to the bullpen, but not after he was moved to the San Diego Padres first.

What remains are a lot of question marks, starting with closer Carlos Marmol, who had an inconsistent spring after blowing a baseball-high 10 save opportunities last season. He blew leads in consecutive outings early in the spring and that was before he missed nearly a week after leaving a game because of a cramp in his throwing hand.

Fan favorite Kerry Wood is also back, but at age 35 in June and already held to a limited schedule in the spring, the setup man’s workload will have to be managed. Wood basically rolled his eyes when reporters asked about his low number of Cactus League appearances, essentially saying it was a non-issue.

The facts are that Wood is coming off arthroscopy knee surgery this offseason and an unspecified back issue that cropped up early in camp. He’s ready to go now but if he has any more health issues, the Cubs are at a loss for anybody who can fill in and pitch at the right-hander’s level.

More questions remain down the line, including the fact that James Russell is the only left-hander and Rafael Dolis has pitched in just one game above the Double-A level.

If Marmol struggles early, his replacement figures to be a closer-by-committee situation since it’s possible that Wood wouldn’t be able to absorb all the innings the job would require. Not an ideal scenario by any means.

There seems to be no way the Cubs don’t end up making a trade at some point to help reinforce this group.

Expect Russell to be the workhorse with somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 appearances. He delivered a solid spring and seemed to only get better as the Cactus league schedule progressed.

Randy Wells could have been the long man in this group, and his dejection over getting sent down to Triple-A showed that he would have preferred it over the assignment he received. But the Cubs’ staff essentially decided he would be more valuable starting at Iowa and being prepared to join the major-league rotation if needed over picking up random innings in relief in Chicago.

Three keys to success

•Wood is the obvious steadying force in this group and it would do the bullpen wonders if he came out firing to start the season.

• Marmol has the pitches to have success again and showed them during stretches in the spring. If control issues can be managed and he has an early run of success it can only help his confidence.

• Russell can’t handle all the left-handed scenarios on his own so a right-hander will have to step up and show they can get out hitters from both sides of the plate. A trade for a left-hander seems logical at some point.

MESA, Ariz. – The Cubs made a number of roster moves Thursday in order to close in on a 25-man Opening Day roster, and not all of them were expected.

Also announced was the starting rotation, which was a little more predictable. The Cubs starters, in order, will be Ryan Dempster, Matt Garza, Jeff Samardzija, Chris Volstad and Paul Maholm. Samardzija was able to seal his fate with six scoreless innings against the Indians on Wednesday.

The bench was also set with Joe Mather and Blake DeWitt earning spots, as well as Steve Clevenger, who won the hotly contested backup catcher role. Jeff Baker and Reed Johnson will be on the bench as expected.

(Read full post)

The Chicago Cubs made nine cuts on Thursday morning, none more shocking than the optioning of veteran pitcher Randy Wells to minor league camp.

(Read full post)

MESA, Ariz. -- Chicago Cubs right-hander Randy Wells was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Thursday.

The Cubs have not yet announced their final roster moves, but Wells confirmed the move to reporters.

The only question remain in the bullpen, where two spots are available but Rodrigo Lopez is the favorite for the long relief role.

Wells was 7-6 with a 4.99 ERA last season. His best year was 2009 when he won 12 games as a rookie.

Travis Wood also was sent down.

Steve Clevenger will be the backup catcher.

MESA, Ariz. -- The Chicago Cubs are not shopping their players, but they sure are doing a lot of listening as spring training comes to a close.

Teams have inquired about the availability of pitcher Randy Wells and centerfielder Marlon Byrd. The rotation appears set without Wells, who makes $2.705 million this season. Wells, 29, appears headed to the bullpen or back to Triple-A Iowa. If the Cubs try to send him out he would have to clear waivers (he does have a minor league option left).

If the Cubs make any moves, they’d be looking to get left-handed bullpen help. The Atlanta Braves, and Washington Nationals have inquired, according to a source familiar with the situation.

The Cubs could trade Wells, but may elect to keep him as insurance for the rotation. Wells has not talked to manager Dale Sveum or pitching coach Chris Bosio about his fate, preferring to just focus on his pitching.

A few clubs, including the Braves, have watched Byrd all spring and approached the Cubs about a deal, according to league sources. The Cubs must decide if they are ready to start the major league clock for 23-year-old prospect Brett Jackson, who was the most impressive position player in Cubs camp this spring and has since been sent to minor league camp.

Sveum said last week Jackson was the best young player he had ever seen in a major league spring training. Three players on the current roster told ESPNChicago.com that Jackson is ready for the big leagues and is mature enough to handle himself on and off the field.

“He did not go out one night in spring training, that’s how focused he was,” Byrd said.

The Cubs will meet Wednesday night to discuss the 25-man roster before heading back to Chicago for Opening Day on April 5. The decisions that come out of the meeting, which will include president Theo Epstein, general manager Jed Hoyer, assistant general manager Randy Bush as well as Sveum and his coaching staff, will have an impact on not only who stays on the team but who goes.

MESA, Ariz. -- As of now, the Chicago Cubs have six legitimate candidates for their five rotation spots.

Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza were always considered locks, and perhaps so was Paul Maholm, depending on who you asked. That seemed to create a logjam of about six candidates for the final two rotation spots.

Maholm has shown he belongs, giving up just one run in his two outings. He started Cactus League play a little behind schedule after missing three days with a nasty flu bug.

Other candidates that have proved they deserve to start are Chris Volstad, Jeff Samardzija and Randy Wells.

Volstad was the latest to impress, giving up one run over four innings at Las Vegas against a formidable Texas Rangers lineup. It is the only run Volstad has allowed this spring in three starts (10 innings).

Constructing the five-man rotation was always going to be one of the coaching staff’s toughest tasks this spring. Starting Monday, the Cubs have 17 spring games remaining, not counting potential “B” games to make their decision.

Wells will pitch in a “B” game on Monday against the Cleveland Indians. He hasn't given up a run in two Cactus League outings.

Samardzija has given up three runs on six hits in 10 innings this spring.

MESA, Ariz. -- With so many starting pitchers to look at, the Chicago Cubs have added a “B” game to the schedule Monday morning against the Cleveland Indians.

Randy Wells will make the 10 a.m. local time start at Goodyear. That means Travis Wood will start in the regularly-scheduled Cactus League game at Peoria against the Seattle Mariners at 1:05 p.m.

It figures to be Wood’s last chance to show that he is worthy of a spot in the major league rotation. He has given up seven runs (six earned) over 2 2/3 innings in two Cactus League appearances and has walked four batters.

Wood has vowed to get it going after struggling against the Milwaukee Brewers in his last outing. Manager Dale Sveum is trying to keep an open mind with Wood, saying the results have not matched his talent level.

Wood was acquired in the offseason, along with two others, from the Cincinnati Reds in a deal meant to bolster major league-ready starting pitching that is still under contract control by the club. The move cost the Cubs dependable late-inning left-hander Sean Marshall.

Competing for a spot on yet another major league roster is nothing new for Rodrigo Lopez. The journeyman starter is in a battle with at least eight other pitchers for five spots coming out of spring training.

The 36-year-old allowed two runs on six hits in his three innings of work on Thursday against Colorado.

”I threw a lot of pitches, but I was pretty satisfied with the pitches I made when I got behind in the count,” Lopez said.

Lopez’s most notable blemish was a two-run home run to Wilin Rosario in the second inning.

”I made probably too many pitches, but the strike zone was a little smaller today,” Lopez said. “The last inning I made an adjustment to get more into the game -- I had a better feel for it.”

Three spots remain open in the rotation although Chris Volstad, Jeff Samardzija, Paul Maholm and Randy Wells appear to be ahead of the wily veteran.

“This is nothing new to me,” Lopez said. ”But I want to make the rotation. That is my goal”

The Cubs traded for Lopez last spring then recalled him from Triple-A Iowa on June 14. He ended the season with a 6-6 record and a 4.42 ERA. The team re-signed him to minor league contract in early January.

Manager Dale Sveum is not counting Lopez out of the competition – at least not yet.

”This guy is a veteran guy who can move the ball all around, “ Sveum said. “His breaking ball looks like it is back. That was his forte when he was with Baltimore having those good years .He had one of those sliders that hitters just couldn’t pick up.”

Lopez has eight years major league experience. He has been in baseball since 1993 having played for six big league clubs.

MESA, Ariz. – While Randy Wells helped himself in the spring-training rotation derby Wednesday, Travis Wood went in the opposite direction.

Wells went three scoreless innings as the starter before giving way to Wood, who managed to get one out, but gave up six runs (five earned) in the fourth inning before he was pulled.

Wood’s outing appeared to thin the pool of potential starters by one, adding credence to the concept that you can’t win a rotation spot after two spring outings but you could probably lose one.

“It’s typical to say it’s early and you’re working out all of the kinks but it’s time to go,” Wood said. “I still have three or four starts left and I have to show what I can do then.”

On Friday against the White Sox, Wells and Wood had their roles reversed, but the results were still similar. Wood started that day and gave up six runs on six hits and two walks in 2 1/3 innings. Wells didn’t give up a run over 2 2/3 innings.

“I feel good, the arm feels great, I feel healthy,” Wood said. “It’s just time to really get after it.”

Despite the strong outing, Wells wasn’t trying to make too much of it. He stressed that he still has work to do.

“I didn’t throw a whole lot of breaking stuff,” Wells said. “I really worked on my fastball command, my sinker and was able to get ground balls. When I did get guys on I was able to get a ground ball and that’s the one thing I’m taking away from today. I have some stuff to work on – the changeup, the slider – but each outing the slider’s getting better. The changeup, I don’t have a feel for now but that will be the focus of my next side session.”

With a stretch of four split-squad games on the schedule over a six-day stretch starting Thursday, the Cubs have plenty of starts to hand out in an attempt to further define the rotation.