Ryan Sweeney

Darwin Barney, in the midst of an 0-for-21 streak, will be on the bench Wednesay afternoon for the Cubs-Cardinals game at Wrigley Field. Barney is hitting .147 and a .275 on-base percentage. Alfonso Soriano is also getting a day off, with Anthony...

The Sports Xchange MLB Team Report - Chicago Cubs - INSIDE PITCH The ever-changing Cubs bullpen picture appears for once to be clear -- for now. Manager Dale Sveum, after several seeks of being non-committal, finally announced Wednesday that right-...

Crunching numbers is one of Theo Epstein's specialties, and his reliance on statistical analysis is one of the main reasons Chairman Tom Ricketts hired him away from Boston. During the news conference announcing Jim Hendry's firing in the summer of 2011,...

The Sports Xchange MLB Team Report - Chicago Cubs - INSIDE PITCH Cubs' manager Dale Sveum didn't sound like he was exaggerating Tuesday night when talking about lefty Travis Wood. "He's the best starter in baseball, pretty much," Sveum said after...

The Sports Xchange By Jack McCarthy, The Sports Xchange Cardinals 5, Cubs 4 CHICAGO -- John Jay singled home Yadier Molina in the eighth inning to break a 4-4 tie as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs 5-4 on Wednesday afternoon to split a...

The Sports Xchange By Jack McCarthy, The SportsXChange Cardinals' bullpen shuts down Cubs in 5-4 win CHICAGO -- Jake Westbrook didn't get a decision in a landmark appearance on Wednesday, but he was glad the bullpen had his back as the St. Louis...

The Sports Xchange MLB Team Report - Chicago Cubs - INSIDE PITCH To general manager Jed Hoyer, there's no real surprise to the Cubs' 13-20 record. Hoyer is not singing the popular tune in some club quarters that the losing record easily could be flipped...

Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer sounded disappointed but not discouraged about the team's poor start to the season. "Part of our job is not overreacting to individual games. Looking at every individual baseball game is like checking your stock...

I have been a Cubs fan since 1948, so I have seen some poor baseball. However, it is time to release Marmol for the Cubs' good and also for his own good. Bill A., Newburgh, Ind.   I don’t really see that happening, at least not until they exhaust...

The Sports Xchange By Jack McCarthy, The Sports Xchange Cubs 9, Rangers 2 CHICAGO -- Starlin Castro and Anthony Rizzo each collected a pair of RBIs in a decisive fourth inning as the Chicago Cubs beat the Texas Rangers 9-2 on Monday night. Castro...

The Sports Xchange By Jack McCarthy, The Sports Xchange Cubs end four-game losing streak CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs missed a chance for their first shutout win, but they were just as pleased with their biggest offensive production of the season on...

The Sports Xchange MLB Team Report - Chicago Cubs - INSIDE PITCH The Cubs' bullpen picture remains an evolving one, but Carlos Marmol is still in the team photo. Marmol heard plenty of boos and was the subject of much scrutiny this past weekend after a...