Chicago Cubs baseball team

Former managers and pitchers, a sportswriter, and even the head of concessions have had a chance to run the Cubs. Men with backgrounds in player development and those who boasted about a “New Tradition” have tried to get the team to the World Series.

Now, a 37-year-old Yale graduate, who knows something about dealing with great expectations, will take over the Cubs, who haven’t won a championship since 1908 — the longest drought in professional sports.

Theo Epstein will formally be introduced as president of the Cubs’ baseball operations at an 11 a.m. CT news conference on Tuesday at Wrigley Field, live on MLB.com. He agreed to a five-year contract, reportedly worth $18.5 million. Cubs fans are already putting bottles of champagne on ice.

Epstein got a head start Monday at Wrigley Field. He went to lunch with some of the Cubs’ baseball-operations staff at a restaurant near the ballpark, Vines on Clark. Among those who accompanied him were interim general manager Randy Bush, player development director Oneri Fleita, baseball information manager Chuck Wasserstrom, traveling secretary Jimmy Bank, statistical analysis manager Ari Kaplan and baseball operations director Scott Nelson.

Epstein’s first deal will essentially be for himself. When the Cubs and Red Sox announced on Friday night that Epstein was resigning as Boston’s general manager, compensation had not been determined.

He will pick up negotiations with Ben Cherington, Boston’s assistant GM who will be promoted to the top job with the Red Sox on Tuesday. Both teams will hold news conferences at their respective ballparks then to introduce their new front-office staffs.

If no resolution is reached between the Cubs and Red Sox by Nov. 1, Commissioner Bud Selig said he will get involved. The Red Sox are entitled to compensation because Epstein had one year remaining on his contract.

“They have until Nov. 1 — Theo and Ben and all the parties involved,” Selig said on Sunday night in Arlington, Texas, where Game 4 of the World Series was played. “Hopefully, they can get things done. I always encourage clubs to try to get things done between themselves. Somehow, the Commissioner has enough things of controversy to deal with.

“They’ll either get it done or they won’t. If they don’t, then I will.”

Epstein is expected to reunite his old Boston band in Chicago. The Cubs received permission from the Padres to talk to GM Jed Hoyer about also relocating to Chicago. Epstein and Hoyer joined the Red Sox staff in 2002, and led the team to two World Series championships in 2004 and ’07. Hoyer would be named the Cubs’ GM, their 14th since 1934. Epstein also reportedly wants to bring aboard Jason McLeod, who was the Red Sox scouting director, and is currently the Padres’ assistant GM.

Epstein will be given more of a chance than E.R. “Salty” Saltwell, who was head of concessions at Wrigley Field when tapped by owner P.K. Wrigley to be the GM in 1976. Saltwell lasted one losing season. Epstein can only hope for an extended run like Jim Gallagher, a sportswriter for the Chicago Herald-American. Wrigley challenged him to back up his words, and Gallagher was GM from 1940-49. That stretch included the Cubs’ last trip to the World Series in 1945.

The addition of Epstein, Hoyer and McLeod will result in a realignment of the front office under Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts, who wanted someone to take over the team and not only develop players from within but also a winning culture.

Neither Epstein nor Hoyer played in the big leagues, like former Cubs GMs Dallas Green or Ed Lynch. The bombastic Green charged into Wrigley Field after the 1981 season, and in ’84, the team won its division and made its first trip to the postseason since 1945.

The Cubs did reach the playoffs again in 1989, ’98, 2003, ’07 and ’08 — the latter three trips under GM Jim Hendry, who was dismissed in August. But now, they are coming off back to back fifth-place finishes in the National League Central. Epstein has some work to do.

• Does he keep manager Mike Quade? Quade is under contract for 2012, but wasn’t able to pick up where he left off in 2010 — when the Cubs went 24-13 after he took over for Lou Piniella. Hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo, bench coach Pat Listach and bullpen coach Lester Strode also have contracts for next season. If Quade goes, does Epstein hire Ryne Sandberg? The Hall of Famer, who managed the Phillies’ Triple-A team this season, was not added to the Phillies’ big league coaching staff for ’12.

• Carlos Pena and Aramis Ramirez combined for 54 homers and 173 RBIs, and both will be free agents. Does Epstein bring the corner infielders back? Ramirez, 33, who has a mutual option for 2012, has said he wants a multi-year deal.

• What do you do with Carlos Zambrano? The volatile pitcher has apparently been talking to new Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen, and would seem a perfect fit there. But Florida most likely does not want to pick up the $19 million owed Zambrano next year. The Cubs’ starting pitching needs help. Losing Andrew Cashner and Randy Wells to injuries after their first turns in the rotation this year revealed the lack of depth in the system.

• The Cubs have payroll commitments of $72.6 million for 2012, including $19 million for year No. 6 of Alfonso Soriano’s eight-year contract. Remember, Epstein did deal Manny Ramirez to the Dodgers.

When Epstein joined the Red Sox in November 2002 at the age of 28, he inherited a team that won 93 games. In his first offseason, he signed David Ortiz and Bill Mueller and added Bronson Arroyo and Kevin Millar. The Red Sox ended an 86-year wait when they won the World Series in ’04.

He’s had some missteps with free-agent signings such as Matt Clement, Edgar Renteria, Julio Lugo, Bobby Jenks, John Lackey, and, possibly, Carl Crawford. But the Red Sox also developed their own players, such as Jonathan Papelbon, Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury and Clay Buchholz. Epstein is not afraid, which he showed in July 2004 when he traded popular shortstop Nomar Garciaparra to the Cubs.

In the week since he agreed to the Cubs’ offer, Epstein most likely has put together a “to do” list of his own, evaluated what’s in the system, who is on the baseball-operations staff. On Tuesday, Cubs fans will get their first look at the new guy.

Late in the season, Alfonso Soriano looked around the clubhouse and wondered aloud the same feeling shared by most Cubs fans. Who will be back in 2012?

“Two things can happen,” Soriano said. “It can change, or stay the way it is now. I don’t know what they want to do. We don’t have control of that. We can only play the game and do our job. The owners have the control. We’d like to stay together, but who knows?”

Who knows? How about the new general manager, who will likely be named soon — though Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said on Wednesday there is no timetable for filling the position. The resumes started arriving at Wrigley Field in mid-August, when Jim Hendry was formally dismissed after running the team since July 2002 and winning three division titles.

Ricketts has given player-development director Oneri Fleita a vote of confidence by signing him to a four-year extension. Scouting director Tim Wilken was assured that he can proceed with business as usual in 2012.

That doesn’t mean the new GM can focus on remodeling his office. I hate to use the cliche, but the elephant in the room is Carlos Zambrano, who is owed $18 million next season. Coaches’ contracts expire on Oct. 31. Manager Mike Quade has a contract for 2012, but so did Hendry.

And what about the roster? There could be two new corner infielders. Aramis Ramirez’s agent has declared the third baseman will test the free-agent market. First baseman Carlos Pena, who signed a one-year, $10 million deal with the Cubs, will be a free agent. They’re not linked.

“Whatever Aramis does, he’ll do what’s best for him. And at the end of the day, I’ll do what’s best for me,” Pena said.

After one season in Wrigley Field, and his first in the National League, Pena has made it clear he’d like to return.

“I’ve become emotionally attached to the city and the Cubs,” Pena said. “I knew it was going to be that way. You give your heart and soul to the ballclub you play for. I just fell in love with the place immediately and the opportunity we have of getting to where we want to go to.”

That would be the World Series, where the Cubs haven’t been since 1945. The Cubs’ GM job is one of the most attractive in all of professional sports. It’s a big market, with a loyal fan base. The team drew 3 million fans at Wrigley Field for the eighth straight season.

And the next general manager has a lot of work to do to make them happy.

First base: Will Pena return or will the Cubs gamble that Bryan LaHair, who turns 29 in November, is ready for a full-time job in the big leagues? Pena didn’t disappoint as far as his home-run numbers go, even though he didn’t hit his first one until May 3. LaHair belted 38 homers at Triple-A Iowa and was named Pacific Coast League MVP, but is no Gold Glove candidate. Or, do the Cubs totally convert Tyler Colvin this offseason?

Second base: Darwin Barney was projected as an extra infielder, but won the starting job and got off to a great start, batting .326 in April. He’s a perfect fit in the No. 2 spot in the lineup. His competition next spring could come from DJ LeMahieu, who batted .319 at Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa combined.

Third base: There’s a big hole with the expected departure of Ramirez. The Cubs do have a $16 million mutual option for 2012, but Ramirez’s agent says they want to see what’s available. Ramirez will be the top free-agent third baseman on the market. Ramirez has hinted he’d like another multi-year contract. The only third baseman in the system close to being ready for the big leagues is LeMahieu, and he doesn’t have the power Ramirez does.

Shortstop: He did make the most errors by a Cubs player since Keith Moreland committed 28 in 1987, but Starlin Castro was one of the few bright spots in 2011. The Cubs’ lone All-Star, he led the National League in hits with 207. And he turns 22 next March.

Catcher: If Geovany Soto continues his up-and-down career pattern, next season should be great. He won the NL Rookie of the Year Award in 2008, batting .285, then battled injuries the next year. He bounced back in 2010, hitting .280, but struggled this season, especially with runners in scoring position. The Cubs need the good Geo. Welington Castillo batted .286 in the Minor Leagues, but battled injuries. Steve Clevenger, a converted infielder who hit .295 at Double-A Tennessee, has made huge strides behind the plate.

Right field: The Cubs had hoped Colvin would assert himself and claim this spot in 2011. But he did not look like the same hitter who smacked 20 homers in 135 games in 2010. Do they gamble that highly touted prospect Brett Jackson is ready? He batted .274 with 20 homers and 23 doubles between Tennessee and Iowa, but is projected as the center fielder of the future. The new GM may have to shop on the free-agent market.

Center field: Marlon Byrd can cover center field, but he didn’t come through with runners on base. After batting .282 with runners in scoring position in 2010, Byrd didn’t come close to repeating that production. Next season is the last year of his contract, and Jackson is waiting in the wings to take over center.

Left field: The 2012 season will be year No. 6 of Soriano’s eight-year contract. He will hit 20-something homers and drive in 70-plus runs, but he may get more days off to stay fresh. He turns 36 in January.

Starting pitching: Matt Garza and Randy Wells, both arbitration-eligible, will likely be back, but the rest of the starting five is to be determined. Ryan Dempster has a $14 million player option for 2012. Zambrano, who was banned for the final seven weeks because of his insolence, most likely made his last start for the Cubs on Aug. 12, after which he announced his “retirement.” The Cubs hope Andrew Cashner returns healthy after missing most of the season with a strained right rotator cuff. He’ll prep by pitching in the Arizona Fall League. The farm system did not provide much help, which means the new GM may have to look outside the organization for help — and hopefully do better than Doug Davis.

Relief pitching: The closer is set, as Carlos Marmol is under contract through 2013. Sean Marshall, the most reliable setup pitcher, is also signed for next year. Kerry Wood and John Grabow are free agents, and Wood, 34, will be coming off arthroscopic knee surgery. If Wood doesn’t return to the Cubs, he’ll retire. James Russell and Jeff Samardzija were a nice left-right punch in the middle, but Samardzija has said he wants to start. Again, that’s to be determined.

Cubs manager Mike Quade has seen this side of Derrek Lee before.

Quade joined the Cubs in 2003 as the manager of Triple-A Iowa and was promoted to the Major League team in 2007. There he spent almost four seasons with Lee before he was traded to the Braves midway through the 2010 season.

So watching Lee terrorize other clubs is nothing new for the Cubs’ skipper. What is new, however, is watching Lee do it to his own club. That’s exactly what happened when the Pirates first baseman smacked a grand slam with two outs in the ninth off closer Carlos Marmol to propel the Pirates to a 7-5, come-from-behind victory Saturday.

“I used to enjoy it — not anymore,” Quade said. “He’s had a hell of a career. You make a mistake, and he’ll still make you pay.”

Lee was activated from the 15-day disabled list just hours before Saturday’s game, after he was hit by a pitch from Marmol back in early August and fractured his left wrist. Though he hadn’t played since Aug. 9, there was no rust to be found on the veteran slugger as he had his way with his former team, going 3-for-5 with five RBIs in his return, including an RBI single in his first at-bat.

Marmol came on in the ninth to protect a two-run lead given to him in part by Alfonso Soriano’s two-hit, four-RBI day. The Cubs closer gave up a leadoff single to Xavier Paul before walking Jose Tabata and Andrew McCutchen to load the bases for Lee.

That’s when Marmol hung a slider and blew his ninth save of the season.

“He hit a good pitch,” Marmol said. “He took advantage of my mistake. That’s what happens when you hang a pitch.”

Lee, who was teammates with Marmol for five seasons, knew what to look for from the at-times shaky closer.

“He was struggling with his command a little bit, so I was trying to be as patient as possible,” Lee said. “I got the count 1-1 and got the pitch I was looking for.”

The Cubs entered the seventh inning tied at 3 when Soriano drove in his third and fourth runs of the game with a double before a 91-minute rain delay put the game on pause.

Starter Casey Coleman exited with a 3-2 lead after allowing one earned run over six innings, in position to earn his first Major League victory since May 19. That is, until Kerry Wood took over and gave up a leadoff triple to Ronny Cedeno, who later scored on pinch-hitter Garrett Jones’ sacrifice fly.

“He did real well,” Quade said of his starter. “We talked before the game about getting better each time and being consistent and everything else. The way he threw the ball was extremely well. I was glad to get him out in a position to win the game. We didn’t get it done for him, but he pitched great and gave us a chance to win. That’s all you can ask.”

Coming into Saturday’s game, Quade’s bullpen owned a scoreless streak that spanned 9 2/3 innings since Aug. 27. His bullpen was taxed for five earned runs as the Cubs picked up their third straight loss.

“Not today,” Quade said. “The bullpen was OK, Marmol just had a bad day. He was well rested. We gotta get that figured out. We need to be more consistent. He’s been throwing the ball extremely well, but today was not one of those days.”

The Trade Deadline passed on Sunday with the Cubs standing pat, but that doesn’t mean general manager Jim Hendry is done doing what he can to improve the team for next year.

“To make a trade today to say we made one and get somebody who we don’t think is the caliber that I’d expect in return, I have no problem not moving the people we didn’t move,” Hendry said.

Hendry did tweak the roster earlier before the Trade Deadline when he sent outfielder Kosuke Fukudome to the Indians for two Minor Leaguers on Thursday. The move was a first step, although not because outfielder Abner Abreu and pitcher Carlton Smith, acquired from the Indians, are close to being Major League ready in 2012. This year was the last of Fukudome’s contract with the Cubs and the team needs to see if outfielder Tyler Colvin is ready to be an everyday player.

“What we wanted to do for sure was to trade Fukudome,” Hendry said Sunday. “We had somebody behind him who needed to play. We tried to stay on top of some things today. We may try to trade some people who might not be back next year.”

It may be hard for fans to stomach inactivity. They see a team that’s 23 games out in the National League Central. Hendry knows that.

“Everybody says ‘Oh, you didn’t do something by 3 o’clock today — this is a disaster, that’s a disaster’ — I don’t put much stock into that,” Hendry said. “The guys we kept are for the most part guys who still have a chance to be involved next year.

“If we do make a trade or two in August, it’s no more or less significant than if we made one today.”

A lot can still happen, but the first priority was to make room in the lineup for Colvin.

He was on the Opening Day roster but scuffled with part-time at-bats, hitting .191 on May 13 when he was optioned to Triple-A Iowa.

The Cubs’ No. 1 pick in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft, Colvin batted .256 at Iowa with seven homers, 12 doubles, six triples and 32 RBIs. The hope is that with regular playing time, he’ll find the power stroke that produced 20 homers last season. He has started two of three games since rejoining the team; Colvin was not in the lineup Sunday.

“We need to find out if he’s an everyday guy or not by the end of this year,” Hendry said. “The outfield situation, just like a few other areas, will have to be addressed in the offseason. Sometimes the development process doesn’t always run the course like you’d like it.”

There was some interest in first baseman Carlos Pena, but the Cubs held onto him. They don’t have anyone in the Minor Leagues ready to step in, and they wanted to make sure the return on their investment was sufficient. In other words, they weren’t going to give him away.

“I try to do what’s best for the organization moving forward,” Hendry said. “I think some people, you wouldn’t get the value back that some people might think you would. If you get a second tier or two prospects back, and you already have equal or better than that in your own system, then you haven’t done anything to help the organization. If you add Minor League players today, that means somebody will be sent backwards in our system or eliminated.”

Looking ahead, the Cubs have a lot of money coming off the books in 2012, and are obligated for about $72.6 million, including $19 million for Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Zambrano and $14 million for Ryan Dempster. Players who are arbitration eligible include Matt Garza, Geovany Soto, Baker, Koyie Hill, Randy Wells and Blake DeWitt.

They will have to make decisions on both Pena and Aramis Ramirez. Do they keep Pena, a solid defensive first baseman who is as advertised — a streaky hitter with power?

What about Ramirez? The list of potential free-agent third basemen whom Hendry can consider includes Wilson Betemit, Casey Blake, Eric Chavez, Mark DeRosa, Greg Dobbs, Edwin Encarnacion, Wes Helms, Melvin Mora, Miguel Tejada and Omar Vizquel. The Cubs’ best move may be to keep Ramirez.

Now that the non-waiver Trade Deadline has passed, deals involving players on the 40-man roster cannot be made unless the players clear waivers. In other words, the player must be offered to the other teams in reverse order of the standings, and if he is claimed by one of the teams, he cannot be traded. The club that placed the player on waivers can either withdraw the request and keep the player, or let the player go to the claiming team, which would then have the rights to the player.

Last year, the Cubs traded both Derrek Lee and Mike Fontenot in August, with Lee going to the Braves and Fontenot to the Giants. There may be a couple moves next month as well.

“We left it with a few people might have some interest in a couple guys in August,” Hendry said. “I never felt like today anything significant was going to happen. We came down to doing Fukudome right away and then if anything was going to be big, it would have to be something that would help us for next year, which would be more significant than a couple A-ball prospects.”

Rodrigo Lopez escaped to the Cubs’ air-conditioned locker room between innings Monday night to change undershirts, dry off his soggy jersey and, most important, cool off.

The heat index was in the mid-to-upper 90s at Wrigley Field, and it got to Phillies starter Roy Halladay, who had to leave the game in the fifth because of the heat. Lopez, on the other hand, made his third straight quality start, giving up one run on five hits over 6 2/3 innings in the Cubs’ 6-1 win, which featured homers by Aramis Ramirez and Carlos Pena — the 250th of his career.

“A lot of Gatorade,” Lopez said of how he stayed hydrated. “I came in to the locker room to get fresh air.”

Lopez (2-2) made his fifth start for the Cubs since being acquired from Atlanta on May 26. Since giving up six runs in his first start, Lopez has a 1.85 ERA in his last four.

“That’s been a big life in the midst of [the Cubs' pitching struggles], so good for him,” Cubs manager Mike Quade said.

Halladay (11-4) was the National League starter in last week’s All-Star Game but left in the middle of Ramirez’s at-bat in the fifth inning after giving up a leadoff single. He repeatedly bent over and grabbed his knees on the mound, and he walked off it for a minute after the Phillies’ trainer came out to examine him.

“You could tell the heat was getting to him a little bit,” Philadelphia pitching coach Rich Dubee said. “I talked to him after the fourth, and he said he was somewhat lightheaded, but he wanted to go back out there. Of course, he went out there in the fifth and just had a tough time staying focused and seeing the signs. He was dehydrated, and he’s doing much better now.”

The right-hander went four-plus innings, his shortest outing since he went three innings June 12, 2009, against Florida. He gave up three runs on seven hits and a walk. The Phillies had won in each of the past 10 starts made by Halladay, who lost his streak of going at least six innings in 63 consecutive road starts. It was the longest such streak by a pitcher since Hall of Famer Walter Johnson did it in 82 straight road games from 1911-15.

Halladay gave up a run in the first on Ramirez’s 12th homer in his past 23 games. The homer was Ramirez’s eighth this year on the first pitch of an at-bat, best in the Major Leagues, and his 17th overall. Ramirez has 25 RBIs in his past 23 games.

“He’s just been unbelievable,” Quade said. “To get us on the board that way … and we’ve talked about Ramirez and Carlos Pena and how important the long ball is. When you get a night like this, it’s pretty conducive to home runs. If you get it elevated, it’s going to go.”

Two innings later, Ramirez just missed a grand slam, hitting a sacrifice fly to the right-field warning track. Pena followed with an RBI single to make it 3-0.

“Aramis is something else,” Pena said. “He’s one of the best hitters I’ve ever been around. I try to stick by him to learn from him.”

The game was on the line in the sixth when Lopez faced Ryan Howard with two on and one out. Howard hit a high fly down the left-field line that was dropped by Alfonso Soriano in foul territory for an error, the Cubs’ second of the game and 84th of the season, the most in the Majors. But Howard flied out to center for the second out, and Lopez struck out Raul Ibanez to escape the threat.

Lopez got a standing ovation when he was removed in the seventh.

“It’s priceless,” he said. “That moment will stay with me forever.”

Lopez has bounced around since coming back from Tommy John surgery in 2007. He pitched in seven games for the Phillies in 2009 and had a 5.70 ERA. Last year, he started 33 games for Arizona and had a 5.00 ERA. But he went 6-1 with a 2.59 ERA to start the season with Atlanta’s Triple-A affiliate in Gwinnett, then carried that over to the Cubs.

“It’s been tough since I got surgery,” he said. “Trying to come back to the big leagues has been tough every year. Came here, big-market team and tried to stay with the team. I think I’ve handled it pretty well. I feel proud of myself, but this is not the end. I want to continue doing it.”

There was definitely some star power among the Cubs’ picks in the First-Year Player Draft, which concluded Wednesday.

Wayne Gretzky’s son, Trevor, was the Cubs’ selection in the seventh round, and former Cubs shortstop Shawon Dunston’s son, Shawon Jr., was taken in the 11th round. Former big league infielder Keith Lockart’s son, Daniel, an infielder at Hebron Christian Academy in Georgia, was picked in the 10th round.

Overall, the Cubs selected 26 pitchers (21 right-handers, five left-handers), 10 infielders, 11 outfielders and three catchers in the three-day Draft. Of the 50 players picked, 29 were college players and 21 high school players.

Cubs scouting director Tim Wilken said they did take more high school players than in the past and did so with Cubs chairman Tom Rickett’s endorsement. Ricketts was in Mesa, Ariz., at the team’s Draft headquarters Monday and Tuesday.

“Tom came out and told us we’ll be more active on the amateur side,” Wilken said Wednesday. “When you feel you have a shot to sign players, it changes the strategy in how you pick. It was like Christmas Day for scouts.”

What Ricketts’ message meant was that Wilken and his scouts were able to select high school players that might not have been signable in the past. In Wilken’s five years with the Cubs, they have ranked 24th among Major League teams in bonus spending on the amateur side.

The Cubs tabbed high school shortstop Javier Baez with their first pick, ninth overall. Baez’s .771 average at Arlington Country Day School in Jacksonville, Fla., is pretty dazzling. Wilken looked beyond the stats.

“You have to go on skills,” he said.

Baez, a native of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, played a couple games in Puerto Rico and against Francisco Lindnor, a shortstop who was selected eighth overall by the Indians on Monday. Wilken saw Baez in some showcase games and said he could switch to third base. A home run the right-handed hitter launched in a recent Florida All-Star Game is still talked about.

“That was a ‘wow,’” Wilken said. “The kids in the dugout started laughing because they couldn’t believe how far it went.”

Speaking of power, the Cubs’ second-round pick, Daniel Vogelbach, definitely has some. Some of his home runs can be found on YouTube, and he apparently launched one 508 feet at a showcase. Wilken also said not to be fooled by Vogelbach’s physique. He was 288 pounds last summer and was listed on the Draft stats at 250 pounds, but he’s lost more weight and is in shape.

As for Gretzky, son of the Great One and actress Janet Jones, Wilken said his scouts had heard talk from people who said not to bother with the high schooler. Wilken saw the first baseman play in a showcase last fall and was impressed, and Trevor also worked out for the Cubs in Mesa on Saturday. Cubs scout Tim Kissner developed a good relationship with the Gretzkys.

“People would say, ‘Hey, it’s the Great One’s and the movie star’s son and you’re wasting time trying to sign him,’” Wilken said. “We believe we have a chance.”

Dunston’s son, who played at Valley Christian High School in California, has a chance to be a true center fielder. Wilken said Ricketts gave him full support on selecting Shawon Jr.

There was another interesting selection taken on Wednesday. Left-handed pitcher Sheldon McDonald attended Northeastern in Boston for two seasons before transferring to University of British Columbia. He has played for Team Canada, throwing a no-hitter in last summer’s Grand Forks Tournament. This season, the lefty was 7-2 in 11 games (eight starts) with a 1.46 ERA and struck out 55 in 55 2/3 innings. The Cubs picked him in the 33rd round.

You never know. Cubs pitcher Randy Wells was a 38th-round selection in 2002.

Rodrigo Lopez, who makes his Cubs debut against Houston on Monday, hasn’t pitched in more than a week since making his last start for the Braves’ Triple-A Gwinnett club on May 21.

So he’s eager to get on the hill.

“I’m ready for the start,” Lopez said. “Besides that, I haven’t pitched in like 10 days, so I really need to go out to pitch.”

Lopez, 35, threw a bullpen session Saturday. He said the key to his game is his changeup.

“I’m more [of] a spot-guy, trying to keep the ball down and keep the batters off-balance,” said Lopez, 6-1 with a 2.59 in Triple-A. “The changeup is what helps me to get batters out early in the count. I threw a bullpen yesterday, and it’s working fine.”

Lopez said he throws his changeup to right and left-handed batters and uses it to get a lot of ground balls, especially from righties.

Although he debuted in the Majors in 2000, Lopez felt like a rookie when he heard he had been traded to the Cubs.

“I kind of got nervous like my first time being called up to the Majors,” he said.

Lopez has pitched twice at Wrigley Field, both starts, and is 0-2 with a 8.44 ERA. But the veteran said he likes the atmosphere at Wrigley.

“I like this kind of environment — this old ballpark, people pretty close to you,” he said.

He does have one misconception about Wrigley. Lopez said he likes the thick grass that slows down ground balls. But the Cubs laid a new playing surface in the offseason, and the grass is not as thick as it once was.

The problem wasn’t Casey Coleman, although he did leave too many balls up and struggled with his command. It wasn’t a lack of hits as the Cubs added nine more, raising the three-game series total to 39. Nor is the issue the losing record at home.

What’s been puzzling for the Cubs is their inconsistency.

“You have your ups and downs,” Chicago’s Marlon Byrd said. “We need to get that up and keep it for awhile.”

Matt Holliday belted his fifth homer and Jon Jay had three hits and three RBIs to back Jaime Garcia (5-0) and lead the Cardinals to a 9-1 victory Thursday over the Cubs. Give Round 1 of the National League Central rivalry to St. Louis.

The Cubs totaled 39 hits in the three games but stranded 25 runners. Ouch.

“We just have to get some guys rolling together,” Jeff Baker said. “It’s not like we’re rolling back to back to back. It’s going to turn.”

The Cubs are well aware of the numbers. They’re trying to motivate from within — there’s a hand-written message on the clubhouse board, “Fortune favors the bold.” They are second in the National League in hitting but near the bottom when it comes to batting with runners poised to score.

“We have to do a better job with runners in scoring position — it’s become its own monster,” Baker said. “It’s the same at-bat, it’s just slowing things down. Hopefully, this will just be a small blip.”

Are guys feeling pressure to deliver?

“Not at all,” Baker said. “Every day you get beat over the head with it. I’m not saying guys don’t think about it — yeah, it bothers us. Guys want to do better with guys in scoring position. Everybody wants to be the guy with that hit. It’s more trying to do too much than lack of preparation or lack of effort.”

Coleman (1-3) could’ve used some help. The right-hander, making his sixth start filling in for injured Randy Wells, took the loss, giving up six runs, nine hits and four walks over 4 1/3 innings. He did retire Albert Pujols three times, but the Cardinals got all the runs they needed without the slugger in a five-run second.

Holliday got things started with a leadoff homer, his fifth, as he launched a 1-0 changeup from Coleman onto Waveland Avenue behind the left-field bleachers. Colby Rasmus singled and reached third on Yadier Molina’s double. One out later, Tyler Greene walked to load the bases. Garcia helped himself with an RBI single, Jay added a two-run double and Allen Craig hit a sacrifice fly to go ahead, 5-0.

“Command is so important for him — it’s his whole game,” Cubs manager Mike Quade said. “He can’t get away with the ball up, he doesn’t have enough velocity. … It’s fun to watch when he’s locked in but a heck of a battle when he’s not.”

Coleman knows that. In the second, he was out of sync.

“Every hit I gave up that inning was up,” Coleman said. “They’re good hitters but they make you pay when you walk a few guys and leave balls up, and that’s what I did that one inning.”

It’s different pitching in April and May when you’re trying to stay in contention than it is in August, which is when Coleman came up last year and the Cubs were out of the race.

“Now you want to do so well for your team, you want to give them six, seven innings, that sometimes I put a little too much pressure on myself and work too quick,” Coleman said. “It is a different feeling, but I have to use it as a positive feeling.”

Garcia, coming off a two-hit shutout against the Brewers, scattered nine hits over seven innings.

“It wasn’t probably the best I’ve felt this year physically,” Garcia said. “But I was just trying to find a way. If one pitch wasn’t working, you go to the next one. You try to give your team a chance to win. And I feel like I did a pretty good job of that. Big series for us, and a big win.”

“Five runs early for a guy who pitches as well as him … that’s a real nice thing for him to deal with,” Quade said. “We have to solve him.”

The Cubs tallied in the sixth on Baker’s RBI single, part of his 3-for-4 day. But they left the bases loaded that inning. The euphoria from Wednesday’s 11-4 win was quickly dashed. Quade isn’t holding his breath for home runs; they rank 10th in homers in the NL.

“Just RBI singles would be fine,” he said.

“We have to be more consistent,” Byrd said. “We’re not finding that yet. Winning one out of three, especially against the Central, is not going to cut it. Our consistency has to be there — hitting, pitching, defense, all around. … Once we put it all together, we’ll get a winning streak going.”

Tony La Russa was back, sort of. Pitcher Kyle Lohse brought out the lineup card wearing sunglasses and La Russa’s No. 10 jersey. He got a round of applause from the Cardinals dugout when he returned. La Russa was in St. Louis, recuperating from shingles, and missed this series.

“I said, ‘Nice tattoo, Tony,’” said Chicago bench coach Pat Listach, who exchanged lineup cards.

“It shocked me to death — I thought they had La Russa under quarantine,” said Quade, who knew it was an imposter.

The Cardinals could afford to have fun. They’re in first place.

Matt Garza has yet to pick up a win in four starts with the Cubs, but he’s happy.

“Wins don’t matter,” Garza said after the Cubs’ 2-1, 11-inning win Wednesday over the Padres in the first game of a doubleheader. “As long as at the end of the day we get that big one, that big ‘W’ that goes on our side.

“I’m here to get to October, and any way we can do it, I’m all for it. If I don’t win a game all year but we win my games, it doesn’t bother me one bit.”

It definitely felt like October on Wednesday with a game-time temperature of 42 degrees. Reed Johnson led off the 11th with a walk-off homer to lift the Cubs to victory. The extra effort also earned him a spot in the starting lineup for the second game as Cubs manager Mike Quade decided to give Marlon Byrd a breather.

With the game tied at 1 in the first game, Johnson launched a 1-1 pitch from Luke Gregerson (0-1) in his 12th at-bat of the season. It was Johnson’s third hit of the year.

It was the Cubs’ second straight walk-off and extra-inning win. Geovany Soto scored the game-winning run on pinch-hitter Tyler Colvin’s double in the 10th on Monday for a 1-0 win over the Padres. San Diego manager Bud Black had a team meeting between games of the doubleheader.

“Every guy in this dugout, every guy in this clubhouse, he accounts for something,” Garza said. “His job is important. He’s a piece of the puzzle. We’re all pieces of the puzzle. When you get all the pieces fitting well, that’s when things start clicking.

“We did today what you expect every guy to do, is come in and be ready and get the job done.”

Garza was in line for the “W.” He scattered six hits and walked three over six innings and overcame a slip on the field. The Cubs led, 1-0, when he exited, but the Padres tied the game in the ninth on Jason Bartlett’s sacrifice fly off Carlos Marmol.

That didn’t bother the Cubs.

“There’s a lot of fight in us,” Garza said. “We don’t quit after nine. We play hard until it’s over. [Quade] told us in spring we need to be resilient. It’s definitely shown that we are. We’re fighters. We’re not going to roll over. We’re going to scrap until the end.”

The Cubs took a 1-0 lead in the third. Soto doubled to lead off but was forced at third when Dustin Moseley fielded Garza’s bunt attempt and easily threw Soto out. Garza moved up on a fielding error by Bartlett and a fielder’s choice by Darwin Barney before scoring on Byrd’s single. It was Garza’s first run; he’s still waiting for that first hit and is now 0-for-20 in his career at the plate.

“Hey, it kept us in the ballgame,” Garza said. “That was awesome, a good run, but I’d rather it be ‘Geo’ and I get that bunt down to third base.”

Garza got an assist from Alfonso Soriano in the fifth. The Padres had a runner at first and two outs when Bartlett singled into the gap in left-center. Soriano threw to Barney at second for the force to end the inning.

Prior to Bartlett’s at-bat, Garza slipped trying to field Moseley’s grounder that deflected off the mound. After Soriano’s assist to end the fifth, Garza walked the first two batters he faced in the sixth, got Nick Hundley to ground out, then walked Ryan Ludwick to load the bases. But Brad Hawpe grounded into a double play to end the threat.

Garza said he was fine and the fall was not a factor. What was effective was the right-hander’s ability to mix his pitches.

“He’s capable of doing a lot of different things,” Quade said. “He’s a power pitcher, obviously, and throws the ball in the mid-90s [mph], but you’ll see him throw some unbelievable changeups and sliders.”

This was the Cubs’ first doubleheader of any type since a split doubleheader against the Pirates at Wrigley Field on Sept. 30, 2009. They did not have a game postponed last year and did not play a doubleheader for the first time since 1985.

At least it was dry. The doubleheader was necessary after rain washed out Tuesday’s scheduled game. The Cubs need to use the weather to their advantage.

“You walk outside, you see the weather and go play, and that’s it,” Quade said. “Leave the weather out of it.”

The inaugural Bricks and Ivy Ball on Wednesday night raised more than $1.1 million for Chicago Cubs Charities.

The event took place in Navy Pier’s Grand Ballroom in downtown Chicago, where the 2011 team and coaching staff mingled with more than 750 guests.

“When my siblings and I became owners of the Cubs, we made participation in our community one of the pillars of our stewardship,” said Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts in a statement. “Since then, we have invested our ideas and our dollars to develop a winning team both on and off the field.

“We are extraordinarily grateful for the help of Cubs fans, our players and coaches, their wives and the Cubs’ staff who participate alongside us in these efforts and who made Wednesday’s event such a success,” Ricketts said. “The proceeds from [Wednesday] night’s event allow us to continue to support inner city youth baseball and so many other programs and organizations to foster health, fitness, literacy and education throughout our great city.

“The dollars raised will allow us to extend our reach and improve the lives of children and families in Chicago and around the United States,” he said.

In addition to supporting youth sports, health and fitness throughout Chicago and particular needs of the Lakeview Community, Chicago Cubs Charities will donate a portion of the net proceeds to charities supported by Cubs players. Among the agencies to receive funds are the Ryan and Jenny Dempster Family Foundation; Carlos Zambrano’s Big Z Foundation; Make A Wish — Illinois; the ILAC Center fighting diabetes and hypertension in the Dominican Republic; and Wounded Warrior, which provides programs and services to severely injured service members.

The Cubs have supported donations of more than $15 million since 1991, including grants by McCormick Foundation’s Cubs Care of more than $1 million per year for each of the last six years.