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Chicago Cubs

29-40,
4th NL Central

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Cubs Team Report

Yahoo! Sports - Jun 18, 5:10 am EDT

Inside Pitch
Notes, Quotes
Roster Report

The Cubs are in a bit of a roster crunch, and they've had to put one of their potential trading chips on the disabled list.

Center fielder David DeJesus crashed into the wall last Friday night at Citi Field in New York and had to leave the game with a sprained right shoulder.

"I couldn't stop, and it felt like I ran into the wall and my shoulder went the other way," DeJesus said.

Instead of replacing DeJesus on the roster with another outfielder, the Cubs, who lost to the Cardinals 5-2 Monday, instead activated reliever Shawn Camp off the disabled list. That means the Cubs are carrying 13 pitchers, and that could put manager Dale Sveum into a bind during an extra-inning game.

Julio Borbon and Ryan Sweeney both are capable of playing center field and playing it well. It's likely the Cubs will bring an outfielder up from Class AAA (Des Moines) Iowa in the coming days. It could come down to a choice among prospect Brett Jackson, Dave Sappelt and veteran Brian Bogusevic.

Jackson, who struck out 59 times in 120 at-bats in his first major league action last season, is "still developing," according to Sveum. At Iowa, Jackson entered the week with a line of .228/.308/.381 with six homers and 67 strikeouts in 197 at-bats.

Bogusevic, a veteran, made a positive impression in spring training as a non-roster invitee. He entered the week with a line of .320/.421/.505 with eight homers. The problem with Bogusevic is he still is not on the 40-man roster, and clearing space is problematic.

Sappelt is a speedster who saw time with the Cubs late last season and made the Opening Day roster this year.

DeJesus is in the final season of the two-year contract he signed with the Cubs before the 2012 season. He's one of the Cubs' better on-base threats and sees plenty of pitches. He could be a nice piece for a contending team.

Record:

28-40

Streak:

Lost two

Past 10 Games:

4-6

NEXT: Cubs (Jeff Samardzija, 3-7, 3.46) at Cardinals (Adam Wainwright, 10-3, 2.18)

Player Notes:

RF Nate Schierholtz extended his hitting streak to nine games with an RBI single in the eighth inning, matching his career high. Schierholtz is 11-of-32 during that stretch.
LHP Travis Wood didn't pitch badly on Monday night, registering his fourth straight quality start, but it resulted in his sixth loss of the year. Wood allowed seven hits and three earned runs over seven innings, throwing just 83 pitches. He was particularly effective throwing a cutter at the back foot of right-handed hitters, getting a handful of strikeouts and weak groundouts.
RHP Jeff Samardzija owns a 3-2 career record against St. Louis but has been roughed up for a 4.95 earned run average over 40 innings and 16 appearances, five of which have been starts. The former Notre Dame wideout is coming off a no-decision Thursday in which he allowed 10 hits, four walks and five runs over six innings in the Cubs' 6-5, 14-inning win over Cincinnati.
3B Luis Valbuena hit leadoff for the second straight game with OF David DeJesus on the disabled list and reached base three times. Valbuena drew two walks, giving him 28 in 158 at-bats for an on-base percentage of .365—118 points higher than his batting average.
2B Darwin Barney isn't known for his power, but saves his homers for games against St. Louis. Barney cracked a solo homer in the ninth, the 12th of his big-league career. Three of those have come at the Cardinals' expense.

Quote To Note:

"That's definitely frustrating to lose a game like that. It's a game we needed to win. We had them, we needed to put them away and we didn't."

—RF Nate Schierholtz, after his team blew a three-run lead in the ninth to lose to the Mets on Sunday.

Medical Watch:

CF David DeJesus (right shoulder) was placed on the 15-day disabled list June 14. DeJesus will need to undergo an MRI after the swelling in the shoulder goes down to find out the severity of his injury.
RHP Zach Putnam (right elbow soreness) went on the 15-day disabled list June 12. He has been bothered by bone spurs, confirmed by an MRI. There is no timetable for his return.
RHP Kyuji Fujikawa (ruptured ulnar collateral ligament) went on the 15-day disabled list May 27, and he was transferred to the 60-day DL on May 30. He underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery June 11. He is scheduled to rejoin the team in mid-June to begin his rehab.
C/INF Steve Clevenger (strained left oblique muscle) went on the 60-day disabled list April 14. He began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Iowa on June 3.
RHP Rafael Dolis (strained right forearm) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to May 27.
RHP Scott Baker (Tommy John surgery in April 2012) went on the 60-day disabled list March 31. He started a throwing program April 29. There is no timetable for his return.
RHP Arodys Vizcaino (Tommy John surgery in March 2012) went on the 60-day disabled list March 27. He underwent an arthroscopic cleanup of his surgically repaired right elbow in late May.