Cubs

CHICAGO -- Cubs shortstop Nomar Garciaparra missed yesterday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers because of a strained left wrist and his status is day to day. Garciaparra said he strained his wrist in batting practice Friday in Houston. It's the longest the five-time All-Star has been out since being traded to the Cubs July 31 from the Red Sox. "He's good, but not great," manager Dusty Baker said. "We are hoping he will be all right tomorrow with treatment. " Garciaparra took batting practice yesterday.

After seeing his third pitch of the night fly high for a home run, Chicago Cubs left-hander Travis Wood figured his night couldn't get any worse for him. He was right. It was the Cubs' flimsy offense that again let the team down Tuesday night, wasting a solid start by Wood in a 2-1 loss to the Houston Astros to extend their losing streak to a season-high eight games. "I don't know what we have to do to win one game and hit more, because right now we are struggling," said Alfonso Soriano, who provided the Cubs' only run of the night with his fourth homer of the season.

CHICAGO -- Mark Prior was determined to stick around and finish what he started yesterday. And his pitch count was no big deal. "Every once in a while you have to go up there to get it done," Prior said after he threw 126 pitches and finished with a six-hitter as the Cubs beat the White Sox, 4-3, at Wrigley Field to avoid a three-game sweep. "I haven't thrown that many pitches this year. It's probably the best I've felt," added Prior, who started the season on the disabled list with a sore elbow.

John Danks pitched shutout ball into the seventh for his first win in nearly a month and Dayan Viciedo, A.J. Pierzynski and Adam Dunn homered as the Chicago White Sox beat the Cubs 7-4 on Saturday night. The White Sox made it two in a row over the Cubs and played without star first baseman Paul Konerko, who'd been hit near the left eye with a pitch Friday and had to leave the game. Konerko had a shiner Saturday, but tests revealed no major damage and he hopes to play again Tuesday.

The Cubs are one of the teams to put in a bid on Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish , but their bid may not be the highest, according to ESPN. Darvish, 25, was posted by the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters this week. Bidding closed Wednesday, and the Ham Fighters have until Tuesday to accept a bid. The posting process allows major league teams to send a blind one-time-only bid to the Ham Fighters to be able to negotiate the contract exclusively with Darvish. If the bid is accepted, Major League Baseball will announce which team won the rights and that club will have 30 days to agree to a contract.

A day after losing shortstop Julio Lugo and right fielder J.D. Drew , the Los Angeles Dodgers concentrated on trying to sign ace Jason Schmidt away from San Francisco yesterday during action at the winter meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. "We do not have a deal," Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said, as Schmidt's agents, Alan and Randy Hendricks , were still meeting with several teams, including the World...

The Chicago Cubs have exercised their side of a $16 million mutual contract option on third baseman Aramis Ramirez. But Ramirez has informed the team that he will decline his side of the option and explore free agency. He has until Tuesday night to make that decision official. The 33-year-old Ramirez had been interested in a multiyear deal. He joined the Cubs in a 2003 trade from the Pirates and just completed a five-year, $75 million contract. He batted .306 with 26 homers and 93 RBIs last season, his ninth in Chicago.

By Nick Cafardo, Globe Staff According to a team source, Theo Esptein, Larry Lucchino and Tom Werner were seen walking around the Fenway outfield yesterday afternoon involved in an "animated" discussion. So it appears the topic of Epstein going to the Cubs was certainly brought up unless they were discussing the possibility of bringing in the right field fences as they had discussed last season. The Cubs did fill out the proper forms with Major League Baseball to seek permission to speak to Theo Epstein, according to a Major League Baseball source.

By Peter Abraham, Globe Staff You could see this coming. ESPN reports that the Cubs plan to interview Pete Mackanin for their vacancy at manager while the Chicago Sun-Times says Dale Sveum also is on their list. The Red Sox have already interviewed both men. Former Sox GM Theo Epstein, now running baseball operations for the Cubs, helped direct a search for a new manager when he was still in Boston. Now that job is in the hands of new GM Ben Cherington. "Since Theo left, our list has probably changed a little bit," said Cherington, noting that the type of...

CHICAGO - Ted Lilly had no reason to argue with umpires yesterday. Four days after getting thrown out of a game he wasn't even pitching for arguing balls and strikes, the Cubs' lefthander threw seven strong innings and got a win over the team with the best record in the majors. Koyie Hill homered and Kosuke Fukudome hit a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the seventh, rallying Chicago over the Los Angeles Dodgers, 2-1. After a wild week in which Lilly jumped the dugout railing to yell at umpire Bob Davidson, Ryan Dempster attacked a dugout Gatorade machine, and Carlos...

Jake Peavy pitched three-hit ball into the seventh inning, Adam Dunn hit his 14th homer and the Chicago White Sox beat the crosstown Cubs 6-0 Sunday to complete the weekend sweep. Gordon Beckham and Tyler Flowers also went deep as the White Sox matched season highs with three homers in a game and four straight wins. Not bad, considering Paul Konerko sat out his second in a row after being hit near his left eye by a pitch on Friday. For the Cubs, meanwhile, the misery continued.

Ryan Dempster is still searching for that elusive first victory of 2012. Dating to last Aug. 11, the Cubs right-hander has gone 16 starts without one. On Saturday night before a spirited crowd of 40,228 at Wrigley Field, Dempster had trouble with his command and surrendered back-to-back homers to Dayan Viciedo and A.J. Pierzynski in the third as the White Sox took a 7-4 victory at Wrigley Field. "Just didn't pitch well enough to win," Dempster said. "A loss is a loss.

Kerry Wood arrived in the majors 14 years ago, a fresh-faced kid with No. 34 on his back, slinging fastballs at 100 mph, delivering breaking pitches that were often unhittable and striking out 20 batters in just his fifth start. On Friday, he left the game after one final, emotional appearance with the Chicago Cubs. Fittingly, "Kid K" struck out the last batter he'll ever face and retired at the age of 34, ending a career that was eye-popping at times but hampered by injuries.

Gordon Beckham hit a tie-breaking home run in the eighth inning Friday and the Chicago White Sox overcame the loss of star Paul Konerko to beat the Chicago Cubs 3-2 in what was the final major league game for Cubs reliever Kerry Wood. Beckham's solo shot and a two-run blast from Konerko in the first were the only runs allowed by Cubs starter Jeff Samardzija (4-2). Konerko suffered a laceration above his left eye and swelling when he was hit by a Samardizja pitch in the third inning and had to leave the game.

Cubs starter Chris Volstad might have run out of chances. Volstad hasn't won in his last 19 starts, going 0-11 since last summer after Chicago lost 8-7 to Philadelphia on Thursday night. He lasted just two innings, allowing four runs, six hits and three walks. Volstad (0-6) threw 58 pitches, a total Phillies starter Roy Halladay didn't reach until there was one out in the sixth. "It wasn't much fun," Cubs manager Dale Sveum said. "There's just no life, no command, really none of his pitches.

Kerry Wood, who electrified baseball with a 20-strikeout game as a rookie in 1998 and then became a reliever after his career was slowed by injuries, is expected to retire after pitching one more time for the Chicago Cubs. The 34-year-old Wood was in uniform Friday against the White Sox in the opener of their first interleague series of the season. The Cubs declined comment after multiple media outlets reported Wood's decision, though manager Dale Sveum said Wood was available to pitch if needed.

The Cubs yesterday hired Dale Sveum as their new manager, hoping the Brewers hitting coach can help turn around the long-suffering franchise. The Cubs said Sveum would be introduced at a news conference today at Wrigley Field. Multiple news outlets reported Sveum will sign a three-year contract, with an option for a fourth year. Sveum also interviewed for the Red Sox' managerial vacancy and met a second time this week with officials from both the Cubs and Boston. Sveum served as Boston's third base coach in 2004-05 under new Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein . Sveum,...

By Peter Abraham, Globe Staff When the Cubs asked permission of the Red Sox to speak to general manager Theo Epstein, it was granted with the stipulation that "significant" compensation would be expected in return if Epstein were hired away. But what is significant to the Cubs does not match up with the expectations of the Red Sox. A tedious process will go on, the sides getting permission from Major League Baseball today to keep talking. "We're going to have a little more time to work it out, not sure exactly how much, at least a week I would guess," new Sox GM Ben...