As Jack Brickhouse used to say ... for the happy totals come look in today's Down on the Farm Report.

Wednesday night's game between the Cubs and Phillies was tied at two going into the eighth inning. Matt Garza labored through a 6 2/3 inning start but allowed only two runs and kept his team in the game. Alfonso Soriano (1-for-3 with a home run and two RBI) drove in the Cubs' two runs with his second home run in as many games, a two-run line drive homer to left center in the fourth and gave the Cubs a brief 2-1 lead.

Carlos Ruiz broke the 2-2 tie with his seventh longball of the year with one out in the eighth off Shawn Camp ... then the Cubs' pen imploded in the ninth. The Phillies scored six runs in the ninth and turned a close ballgame into a blowout.

After the Phillies loaded the bases with no outs against the recently recalled Scott Maine, Michael Bowden gave up a two-run single to Ty Wigginton then a pinch-hit grand slam to Hector Luna.

Matt Garza admitted after the game that he is not back to full strength from his bout with the flu. Garza allowed two runs on eight hits with a walk and two strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings. If not for two inning ending double plays turned in by the Cubs' defense, Garza's final line might have looked a lot different. Garza could not put hitters away early, coupled with his yips, he ran up his pitch count and left in the seventh after throwing 107 pitches, 70 for strikes.

While the Cubs' pen was horrible again, the offense was a no show on Wednesday night. There were only two highlights in nine innings ... a two-run home run by Alfonso Soriano in the fourth and a 14-pitch at bat by Bryan LaHair that preceded Soriano's second longball in as many games.

The Cubs managed just three hits and no walks Wednesday night. Phillies' pitching retired the last 17 batters they faced. The Cubs did not manage a single baserunner after Soriano's homer in the fourth.

Bryan LaHair (0-for-4 with a run scored) reached on an error by Juan Pierre and scored on Alfonso Soriano's home run but his streak of reaching base safely ended at 32 games.

With Wednesday's loss, the Cubs dropped to 15-22 on the season ...

Matt Garza (2-1, 2.56/0.98) vs. Kyle Kendrick (0-3, 7.32/2.03)

Updated 7:09pm CDT - Lendy Castillo Placed on 15-day DL with left groin strain. Scott Maine recalled from Triple-A Iowa - Blake DeWitt cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Iowa

The Cubs open a five-game homestand today with the first of two against the Phillies. The homestand concludes Sunday after three with the White Sox. The Cubs split a four-game series in Philadelphia (2-2) a little over two weeks ago.

The Phillies are still without Ryan Howard and Chase Utley but are playing better ball of late. Philadelphia has crept to within a game of .500.

Tonight is a rematch of the game back on April 29 between Matt Garza and Kyle Kendrick. The Cubs won the game 5-1 behind Garza's seven shutout innings. Vance Worley was originally scheduled to start tonight's opener but was scratched late Tuesday afternoon with elbow soreness. The Cubs will miss Cliff Lee and will face Roy Halladay on Thursday night. Chris Volstad is scheduled to take the ball for the Cubs, in what could be one of his last starts unless he starts avoiding the one-bad inning.

In other news ... Steve Clevenger and Carlos Marmol played catch in left field during Wednesday's workout at Wrigley. The Cubs have not announced a timeframe on Steve Clevenger's return. When he is ready to pitch, Carlos Marmol will go on a minor league rehab before being activated from the 15-day DL according to the Tribune.

Updated 4:15pm CDT - Lendy Castillo might be placed on the DL prior to game time. The Cubs' Rule 5 Draft pick has a moderate groin strain and saw a doctor Wednesday. Scott Maine is with the team and would be activated if Castillo is placed on the disabled list.

Tonight all starts with Matt Garza ...

Recently, I had the pleasure of being able to cover the series between the Chiefs and Kane County. It was a pleasant addition to be able to meet some of the executives from the Cubs organization. I'd like to thank Shawn Touney, Director of Public Relations for the Kane County Cougars, as well as Broadcast and Media Manager Nate Baliva of the Peoria Chiefs for their hospitality.

I'd also like to mention reporters Chris Emma of Northsiders Report.com and Mike Knapp of the Beacon News, who were my companions during the series; as well as reporter Larry Peterson of the Fox Valley Labor News, and Woodrow Carroll as they all made me feel welcome in the press box.

The Cubs also announced they signed right-handed reliever Mike MacDougal to a minor league contract. MacDougal reported to Triple-A Iowa and pitched in Tuesday's game.

The offense did their part and tried to complete the two-game sweep in St. Louis but Dale Sveum's staff could not keep the high-powered Cardinals from scoring. The Cubs had to settle for a split against the Redbirds and will limp home after a 2-3 road trip.

The Cubs had an opportunity to complete the sweep and led Tuesday's finale twice. Kerry Wood blew another lead (Wood has two blown saves, the Cubs' pen has eight blown saves in 14 chances) after Reed Johnson broke the 4-4 tie in the seventh with a pinch-hit RBI single. Wood walked two of the first three batters he faced in the seventh ... and the first one, Rafael Furcal, scored the tying run on a single by Allen Craig.

After James Russell surrendered his first home run of the year to lefty Matt Carpenter in the eighth that gave the Cardinals a 6-5 lead, Alfonso Soriano (2-for-4 with a home run, a double and two runs scored) tied the game in the ninth off Jason Motte with his first longball of the season (120th at bat).

But Rafael Dolis gave up a lead-off single to Matt Holliday (3-for-4 with a home run, a walk and three runs scored) in the ninth ... and two outs later, Yadier Molina (1-for-4 with a RBI and a walk) beat the shift and singled past a diving Darwin Barney into right for the walk-off win.

Kerry Wood, James Russell and Rafael Dolis each gave up a run in the final three innings of Tuesday's game.

The Cubs offense jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning before Kyle Lohse shut them down. Starlin Castro (1-for-4 with a RBI) drove in the game's first run. After Bryan LaHair (1-for-4 with a home run) grounded into a 3-6 double play that plated the Cubs' second run, Alfonso Soriano doubled and scored on a two-out single by Ian Stewart (1-for-4 with a RBI) ... but Paul Maholm could not hold the lead.

The Cardinals scored two runs in the first, tied the game in the second and took the lead in the fifth.

Bryan LaHair tied the game in the sixth with his tenth home run of the season (LaHair has reached base safely in each of the last 32 games he's played). Reed Johnson hit for Maholm in the seventh and put Maholm in line for the win.

After a four-game stretch of excellent starts, the Cardinals got to Paul Maholm again. Maholm allowed four runs on seven hits with three walks and five strikeouts in six innings (106 pitches, 69 for strikes) and was hit pretty hard all afternoon.

The Cubs defense made several outstanding defensive plays ... and some not so outstanding as well. Ian Stewart turned in two more tremendous efforts that will end up on a highlight reel.

With Tuesday's loss, the Cubs are still searching for their first three-game winning streak of the season and dropped to 15-21 on the season ...

Paul Maholm (4-2, 4.05/1.08) vs. Kyle Lohse (5-1, 2.08/1.02)

Updated 11:07am CDT - Cubs Signed Mike MacDougal to a Minor League Contract

The Cubs short, five-game trip to Milwaukee and St. Louis comes to an end today with the finale against the Cardinals. The Cubs are 2-2 and have a chance this afternoon to not only finish the trip with a winning record but post their first three-game winning streak of the season.

During his pre-game show Monday, Dale Sveum mentioned he would likely give Bryan LaHair and Geovany Soto the day off this afternoon. Sveum explained that LaHair could probably use a breather ... but that was before Bryan LaHair went 3-for-4 with a walk, two RBI, a stolen base and hit his ninth longball of the season.

Today all starts with Paul Maholm ...

Dale Sveum's Cubs somehow pulled out a win Monday night in a sloppy, bunt-filled game in St. Louis. The Cubs hit the ball all around Busch Stadium and tied a season high with 14 hits. The Cubs loaded the bases three times Monday night and did not push across a single run. In a game that was much closer than it needed to be, the Cubs finished the night 3-for-17 with runners in scoring position and left 14 runners on base.

Alfonso Soriano (1-for-4 with a RBI and a walk) broke up the 4-4 tie in the eighth with his first career hit off Mitchell Boggs, a bloop single to left that plated Tony Campana (1-for-5 with two runs scored, a sac but and a stolen base). The Cubs scored an insurance run in the ninth on a hit by pitch, two Cardinals' errors and a sac bunt.

The Cubs scored four of their six runs in the fifth and actually gave Ryan Dempster run support. Starlin Castro (2-for-5 with a RBI and a run scored) drove in the Cubs' first run in the four-run fifth with a single and he scored on a two-run shot off the bat of Bryan LaHair (3-for-4 with a home run, two RBI, a stolen base and a walk). LaHair has now reached base safely in the last 31 games he's played. Geovany Soto (2-for-4 with a RBI) drove in Ian Stewart (2-for-4 with a double and a run scored) for the Cubs' final run in the fifth.

Ryan Dempster finally received some run support but he could not hold the lead and departed with the game tied in the seventh. Dempster was very good once again through five innings. He worked his way out of a bases loaded jam in the second and put together an impressive shutdown inning in the bottom of the fifth after his offense gave him a lead. The Cardinals scored all four of their runs in a long sixth inning off Dempster.

Ryan Dempster allowed four runs on nine hits with a walk and five strikeouts in six innings. Dempster threw 95 pitches, 63 for strikes, and he remains winless in his last 15 starts (Cubs are 3-12 in his last 15 games).

Shawn Camp picked up his second win in as many days after tossing two innings of shutout ball. Camp made three quick outs in the seventh (six pitches) and he pitched around a leadoff double by Allen Craig in the eighth.

Rafael Dolis earned his fourth save with a impressive ninth inning.

With Monday's win, the Cubs improved to 15-20 on the season ...

Ryan Dempster (0-1, 1.02/0.85) vs. Jake Westbrook (4-2, 1.76/1.07)

The Cubs open a quick two-game series tonight in St. Louis. The brief series between the two long-time rivals ends Tuesday afternoon with Paul Maholm scheduled to take on Kyle Lohse.

Dale Sveum's Cubs have split the first six games against the Cardinals this season (3-3) and after tomorrow they will not see St. Louis again until after the All-Star break (July 20 - July 22)

The Cubs might not be catching the defending World Champions at the right time. The Cardinals are coming off a weekend sweep at the hands of the Atlanta Braves. Carlos Beltran is red hot (.298/.406/.653/1.058) and hit his 13th homer of the season Sunday. The Cardinals also received a boost when Lance Berkman returned from the DL for Sunday's finale against the Braves.

Alfonso Soriano is still looking for his first home run of the season and the Cubs are looking for some power from the fifth hitter in the lineup. Dale Sveum finally got him to swing a lighter bat (32 1/4 ounce from 33 1/2 ounce bat) but with the way he was moving Sunday will Soriano be part of Sveum's starting nine for tonight's game?

Tonight all starts with Ryan Dempster ...

To see how things shook down, today's Down on the Farm Report will provide the answers.

The Cubs were able to salvage the last game of the series and end their 10-game losing streak at Miller Park in a game that was much closer than the final score. The Cubs scored in each of their last five at bats and turned a close game into what looked like an easy victory.

The Cubs first two runs came on solo homers by Ian Stewart (2-for-5 with a home run, a double and two runs scored) and Reed Johnson. Stewart's fourth home run of the year tied the game at one in the fifth and Johnson's first of the season gave the Cubs a brief 2-1 advantage in the sixth. Reed Johnson hit for Jeff Samardzija leading off the sixth and put Samardzija in line for the win but the pen could not hold the lead.

After Shawn Camp allowed the Brewers to tie the game in the bottom of the sixth, the Cubs scored the go ahead run in the top of the seventh on a throwing error by Edwin Maysonet. Ian Stewart reached on ground rule double with one out and was awarded home when Maysonet airmailed his throw to first on a grounder to the hole at short off the bat of Darwin Barney (1-for-4 with a double, a run scored, a stolen base and a RBI).

James Russell was able to pitch around two errors in the bottom of the seventh to preserve the one run lead. The Cubs added two in the eighth and three in the ninth to blow the game open.

After not recording their first hit until the fourth, the Cubs scored all eight runs in the finale five innings and finished the day with 13 hits (5-for-13 with RISP, seven left on base).

The top of the lineup was very productive. David DeJesus (2-for-5 with a run scored), Tony Campana (3-for-5 with a RBI, a run scored and a stolen base) and Starlin Castro (2-for-5 with a RBI) were 7-for-15 with two runs scored and two RBI.

Despite being visibly hampered by his left knee, Alfonso Soriano (1-for-4 with a double and a RBI) contributed at the plate with a RBI double in the eighth that plated Bryan LaHair (0-for-4 with a run scored and a walk, reached base safely in last 30 games he's played) with the Cubs' fifth run. Geovany Soto (1-for-3 with a walk, a double and a RBI) and Darwin Barney notched back-to-back doubles in the ninth that kept Dale Sveum from using Rafael Dolis in the ninth.

Jeff Samardzija was sharp in his five innings of work. Samardzija allowed one run on three hits with two walks and six strikeouts on 91 pitches, 59 for strikes. The Brewers were able to work counts, especially Norichika Aoki (18 pitches in three at bats against Samardzija), and forced Dale Sveum to make a decision earlier than he might have considering how ineffective his pen has been.

James Russell and Kerry Wood pitched two scoreless in relief on Shawn Camp before Michael Bowden closed it out with the Cubs up big in the ninth.

With Sunday's win (4-2 on Sundays in 2012), the Cubs improved to 14-20 on the season ...

Jeff Samardzija (4-1, 3.03/1.19) vs. Marco Estrada (0-2, 4.50/1.12)

Happy Mother's Day from the CCO!

Dale Sveum's Cubs will try to end their weekend in Milwaukee on a positive note today behind Jeff Samardzija. After basically losing two games Saturday, the Cubs have lost their last 10 games at Miller Park dating back to April 8, 2011. Carlos Zambrano beat Randy Wolf 7-3 on the second Friday in April with Carlos Marmol picking up the save.

The Cubs are 1-5 against the Brewers this season and simply have not found a way to hold down the defending NL Central Division Champs.

The Cubs pen should be back at full strength for today's finale after Chris Volstad and Casey Coleman pitched the eight innings in Saturday's loss.

Alfonso Soriano continued to struggle Saturday and appeared to be favoring his left knee in the seventh inning when he could not get to an eventual single off the bat of Aramis Ramirez. Soriano missed a couple of games last week and the Cubs' lineup might benefit from him being held out of today's game. The Cubs are trying to get Soriano going but in 28 games he has yet to hit one out of the park ... his longest drought to start a season.

In other news ... The MRI on Carlos Marmol's right hamstring showed very minimal damage according to multiple reports. Carlos Marmol might have to go on a minor league rehab before returning to the Cubs' pen. Reports indicated that Marmol could end up not missing much more than his required 15 days.

Today all starts with Jeff Samardzija ...

After putting together one of their better homestands in a couple of seasons, the Cubs felt pretty good before they began the three-game series Friday night against the Brewers. Twenty-two innings later, the Cubs lost for the second time on Saturday at Miller Park and dropped their tenth in a row at the Brewers' home park.

Chris Volstad was very solid for five innings at Miller Park on Saturday afternoon but once again Volstad completed six innings of work ... and it was the sixth inning that was Volstad's undoing.

The game was tied at one entering the bottom of the sixth. The Brewers proceeded to put up five runs with the biggest blow coming off the bat of Edwin Maysonet. The career minor leaguer hit the first grand slam of his big league career and just his second Major League home run off Volstad after he intentionally walked Travis Ishikawa to load the bases. The Cubs' bad defense gave the Brewers an extra out in the sixth, Milwaukee took full advantage and put the game away.

Chris Volstad was shaky, but effective in the first five innings on a day his team needed him to step up. Volstad allowed one run in the first five on 62 pitches, 40 for strikes. Volstad hit the mental wall in the sixth and surrendered the five runs on 37 pitches, 23 for strikes. Chris Volstad allowed six runs, all earned, on nine hits with two walks and one strikeout in six innings.

Casey Coleman kept the Brewers off the board in seventh but the Brewers took batting practice off Coleman in the eighth and turned an ugly game into an embarrassment. Coleman allowed two runs on four hits with a walk and no strikeouts in his two innings of work. Coleman threw 46 pitches, 28 for strikes.

The Cubs offense was non existent against Shaun Marcum. Marcum improved to 4-0 in four career starts against the Cubs by allowing one run on three hits with two walks and six strikeouts in seven innings. The Cubs managed only one hit after the first and the only run scored when Starlin Castro (0-for-4) grounded into a 5-4-3 double play in the first inning.

Adrian Cardenas (1-for-1 with a double and a run scored) doubled to start the eighth, his first big league hit. Tony Campana (2-for-4 with a double and a RBI) doubled in Cardenas with the Cubs second run.

The Cubs looked tired Saturday afternoon and for one of the few times this season they looked defeated after Chris Volstad was slammed in the sixth.

With Saturday's loss, the Cubs dropped to 13-20 on the season ...

Chris Volstad (0-4, 6.55/1.39) vs. Shaun Marcum (1-1, 3.41/1.24)

Updated 11:17am CDT - Carlos Marmol Placed on 15-Day DL - Casey Coleman Recalled from Triple-A Iowa

With very little time between the final pitch of Friday's night game that ended Saturday morning and the first pitch of today's game, it will be interesting to see how the Cubs respond to the extra inning loss in which they took a lead into the bottom of the seven and bottom of the ninth.

The Cubs will need a long, effective outing from Chris Volstad this afternoon. Even with the day off, the Cubs bullpen is depleted. Carlos Marmol is expected to be placed on the DL with a right hamstring strain. Scott Maine did not pitch Friday night and is expected to rejoin the big league team. But Iowa is on the West Coast and played in Fresno last night.

Rafael Dolis and Kerry Wood will likely not be available after tossing two innings Friday night. Dolis threw 41 pitches, 20 for strikes, in his two frames while Wood only tossed 25 (11 for strikes), he did complete two innings of work.

Geovany Soto will be back in the starting lineup and Tony Campana should be as well. David DeJesus and Ian Stewart were supposed to have Friday off but ended up with just as many at bats as a normal game.

Today is a rematch of the game back on April 9 in which Shaun Marcum beat Chirs Volstad and the Cubs.

This afternoon all starts with Chris Volstad ...

Friday night's game between the Cubs and Brewers that ended early Saturday morning was a 1-0 game going into the seventh inning. Matt Garza gave up a run in the first after the Brewers loaded the bases with no outs. Randy Wolf made the one-run lead hold up through his six innings of work.

The game ended in the 13th after Lendy Castillo hit Rickie Weeks and Ryan Braun to start the inning. Aramis Ramirez singled to right to load the bases and Corey Hart drove in the winning run with a single to center.

There will not be too many highlights from the ugly game at Miller Park that lasted five hours and four minutes. There were five lead changes and both managers used all of their position players and available pitchers in the marathon. The two teams scored a combined 15 runs on 23 hits with 21 walks, four hit batsmen and two errors ... and both teams had plenty of opportunities to end the game long before the 13th inning. The Cubs finished the night 3-for-13 with RISP and left 13 on base while the Brewers were 4-for-16 with runners in scoring position and left 15 on base.

The Cubs finally got on the board and took a big lead with one swing of the bat in the seventh. David DeJesus (2-for-4 with a home run, a triple, five RBI and two runs scored) hit for Jeff Baker and launched the first pitch from Kameron Loe over the right field wall for the second grand slam of his career. DeJesus' first homer in a Cubs' uniform gave the Cubs a short-lived 4-1 lead.

Carlos Marmol basically gave the game back to the Brewers before leaving with a right hamstring strain. Marmol will undergo an MRI in Chicago on Saturday and is likely headed to the disabled list. After Marmol gave up a two-out RBI double to Aramis Ramirez that cut the Cubs' lead to 4-2, Marmol got ahead of Corey Hart 1-2 before he had to leave the game. Michael Bowden replaced Marmol, gave up a single to Hart, walked George Kottaras to load the bases then surrendered a bases clearing double to pinch-hitter Jonathan Lucroy that gave the Brewers a 5-4 lead.

The Cubs battled back, tied the game and took the lead in the ninth against John Axford. Axford blew his first regular season save since April 18, 2011 ... a string of 49 straight. David DeJesus tripled in Ian Stewart then scored the go ahead run on a wild pitch in which Starlin Castro (1-for-6 with a walk and a run scored) actually struck out on. Castro reached, stole second and scored the Cubs' seventh run on a RBI single by Alfonso Soriano (2-for-6 with a RBI and a walk).

Rafael Dolis blew his second save of the season after he gave up a two-run homer to Corey Hart in the bottom of the ninth.

Cubs' pitching came within one free pass of tying a franchise record for the most walks issued in a single game (15 on May 15, 1962 against the Mets in New York). The Cubs issued 14 walks in Friday's game and hit three more batters ... 17 free baserunners.

Matt Garza labored through his five-inning start Friday night. Garza made his first start in 12 days after missing time with the flu. Garza reportedly lost nearly 12 pounds and he appeared weak as he struggled with his command. Garza could not find a rhythm and allowed one run on three hits with a season-high five walks and only three strikeouts. Garza threw 93 pitches, 51 for strikes.

Welington Castillo (3-for-6 with a double) notched the first three-hit game of his big league career and finished the game at first base (Bryan LaHair moved to left in the 13th) but also showed how much he needs to learn in order to be a Major League catcher.

The Cubs have now lost nine in a row at what used to be labeled Wrigley North.

With Friday night's loss, the Cubs dropped to 13-19 on the season ...