Michael Bowden

MLB Team Report - Chicago Cubs - INSIDE PITCH Lost amid the shuffle of another bad bullpen blowup was a nice season debut by Matt Garza. Garza, the erstwhile ace of the Cubs' starting rotation, was very good Tuesday night in a 5-4 loss to the...

The Sports Xchange By John Perrotto, The Sports Xchange Pirates 5, Cubs 4 PITTSBURGH -- It was hard to tell Matt Garza had gone exactly 10 months since he last pitched in a major-league game as he worked five near-flawless innings for the Chicago Cubs....

The Sports Xchange By John Perrotto, The Sports Xchange Pirates, Cubs' bullpen spoil Garza's return PITTSBURGH -- The good news for the Chicago Cubs was that Matt Garza was nearly flawless while making his first major-league start in exactly 10 months....

— Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury is off to a poor start but remains one of the more interesting potential free agents. Cubs President Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer know Ellsbury well from their days in Boston and are aware...

PITTSBURGH -- Minor league reliever Eduardo Sanchez, a Cardinals prospect, was claimed off waivers by the Cubs on Tuesday and sent to Triple-A Iowa. The 24-year-old Sanchez had a 3.72 earned-run average in nine appearances at Triple-A Memphis. He made...

The Sports Xchange MLB Team Report - Chicago Cubs - INSIDE PITCH The Cubs made it official over the weekend, saying right-hander Matt Garza would come off the disabled list and start Tuesday night at Pittsburgh. When Garza does return, manager Dale...

The Cubs may be restless, but they are not young. At least that is how manager Dale Sveum views his ballclub. "We're not a young team," he said Sunday. "We've got a couple of young players, but there's no excuses. We've had plenty of guys who have...

The Sports Xchange MLB Team Report - Chicago Cubs - INSIDE PITCH The Cubs aren't disappointed in shortstop Starlin Castro, but they'd like to see their 23-year-old budding star progress more quickly. Castro was a tough 0-for-4 in Sunday's 4-3 loss to...

The Sports Xchange MLB Team Report - Chicago Cubs - INSIDE PITCH Anthony Rizzo is starting to heat up for the Cubs. The first baseman recently signed a seven-year contract extension worth $41 million. He got off to a slow start, batting .173 (14-for-...

The Sports Xchange MLB Team Report - Chicago Cubs - INSIDE PITCH Small steps. After looking like they would bury themselves early with a lack of timely hitting, bullpen blowups and shoddy defense, the Cubs quietly have begun to right the ship. Call...

The Sports Xchange MLB Team Report - Chicago Cubs - INSIDE PITCH Could the Cubs go with a six-man rotation soon? It's possible, but manager Dale Sveum said it might only be for a week or so. The subject came up before Tuesday night's 9-4 loss to the...

The Sports Xchange MLB Team Report - Chicago Cubs - INSIDE PITCH The Cubs this week continued their trend of locking up for the long term young players they feel will be big parts of their future. On Monday, they gave first baseman Anthony Rizzo a...