Chicago Cubs 2B Darwin Barney Ranks Among League's Best Defenders

In Mark Simon's latest piece for the ESPN blog SweetSpot, he rolls out the latest adjustments to their advanced defensive metrics, and finds that 2B Darwin Barney of the Chicago Cubs ranked as the best defender of the month of July:

Cubs manager Dale Sveum has prioritized defensive positioning, and that seems to have benefited Barney, who has a high rating on both balls hit to the right of where a second baseman makes most plays (10 plays better than average, and to the left (12 plays better than average).

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But Barney passes the eye test, too. He had 16 of what the BIS video-trackers call "Good Fielding Plays" in July, and only five Defensive Misplays & Errors.

Barney, 26, has also had his best year at the plate since coming up in 2010. He has hit 5 home runs with a .269/.310/.390 slash, which about league average for a second baseman.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more comprehensive coverage of this series, head over to Cubs blog Bleed Cubbie Blue. And for more news and notes from around baseball, visit Baseball Nation.

Cubs Vs. Pirates Recap: Chicago Falls 8-4

Chicago Cubs reliever Shawn Camp has been one of the most consistent contributors on the team in 2012, but Wednesday was not his day. In a game that the Cubs lost by four runs, Camp was charged with five runs out of the bullpen without recording a single out. Camp entered the game in the top of the eighth with the Pirates down 2-1 and proceeded to give up seven straight hits before being pulled.

He started off the inning by giving up a single to Josh Harrison and a double to Andrew McCutchen. Garret Jones then brought both home with a single, and that was followed up by a single by new Pirate Travis Snider. The big blast came next, with Michael McKenry hitting a three run homer to put Pittsburgh up 7-1. Camp then gave up two more singles before being pulled for Alberto Cabrera, who was able to get out of the inning without giving up another run. The Cubs put up three runs in the ninth inning, but it would be too little, too late.

Chicago will be back on the field on Friday when they travel west to take on the Los Angeles Dodgers.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more comprehensive coverage of this series, head over to Cubs blog Bleed Cubbie Blue and PIttsburgh Pirates blog Bucs Dugout.

Cubs Could Call Up Top Prospects Brett Jackson And Josh Vitters In August

With the trade deadline passed, the Chicago Cubs have passed what is likely the last significant event of their 2012 season. One thing the franchise is likely looking to do with the remainder of the year is get a feel for which young players might be ready to contribute at the major league level in the 2013 season.

Most of Chicago's best prospects are a bit away from the majors, but there are two who are likely to see some time this year: third baseman Josh Vitters and center fielder Brett Jackson. According to Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago, it's possible that the two will be in Chicago as early as this month:

Josh Vitters and Brett Jackson may be called this month. Both would play every day according to Sveum.

— Bruce Levine (@ESPNBruceLevine) August 1, 2012

Jackson is considered by most to be Chicago's top hitting prospect after recent first round picks Javier Baez and Albert Almora. He has spent this season in Triple-A Iowa, hitting .253/.336/.478 with 47 extra base hits (15 of which are home runs).

Vitters was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2007 draft, but has been seen as a disappointment so far in his career thanks mostly to a lack of plate discipline. That said, he has put up impressive stats in Triple-A as a 22-year-old this year, hitting .296/.349/.496 with 15 homers.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more comprehensive coverage of this series, head over to Cubs blog Bleed Cubbie Blue and PIttsburgh Pirates blog Bucs Dugout.

Cubs Vs. Pirates Preview: Chicago Can Take Series With Victory

Chicago Cubs starter Travis Wood looked to be having a breakout 2012, but his season has gone a bit off the rails in his last three starts. In those starts, Wood has given up a whopping 22 earned runs and nine homers in 15.2 innings. The good news for Wood is that he'll be facing the Pittsburgh Pirates, who are a far step down offensively from the St. Louis Cardinals, a team that Wood faced twice in those aforementioned three starts.

If the Pirates knock Wood around, it will be on the Cubs hitters to pick up the slack vs. Pirates starter Jeff Karstens, who is 3-2 on the season in nine starts with a 3.88 ERA and 1.24 WHIP.

Here is today's lineup for the Cubs:

1. David DeJesus, CF
2. Starlin Castro, SS
3. Anthony Rizzo, 1B
4. Alfonso Soriano, LF
5. Bryan LaHair, RF
6. Jeff Baker, 2B
7. Wellington Castillo, C
8. Luis Valbuena, 3B
9. Travis Wood, P

Game date/time: Wednesday, August 1, 1:20 p.m. CT

Location: Wrigley Field, Chicago, Ill.

TV: WGN

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more comprehensive coverage of this series, head over to Cubs blog Bleed Cubbie Blue and PIttsburgh Pirates blog Bucs Dugout.

Pirates Vs. Cubs Final Score: North Siders Avoid No-Hitter In 5-0 Loss

Pittsburgh Pirates starter A.J. Burnett didn't no-hit the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night at Wrigley Field, but he did shut them out. Burnett took a no-hitter into the eighth inning until pinch hitter Cubs Adrian Cardenas finally broke it up. The Pirates earned a 5-0 win behind the power pitching performance, improving to 59-44 on the season. Chicago falls to 43-59 with the loss.

Neil Walker drove-in all five runs for Pittsburgh in the win. Walker hit a grand slam off Cubs starter Casey Coleman in the first inning, his 11th homer of the year. Walker drove in another run with a sacrifice fly in the seventh.

The Cubs had three errors in the loss. Coleman allowing seven hits and four earned runs over 4.2 innings while striking out five to fall to 0-2.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more comprehensive coverage of this series, head over to Cubs blog Bleed Cubbie Blue and PIttsburgh Pirates blog Bucs Dugout.

Pirates Vs. Cubs Score Update: Pittsburgh's A.J. Burnett Is No Hitting Chicago Through Six Innings

Pittsburgh Pirates starter A.J. Burnett has held the Chicago Cubs hitless through the first six innings on Tuesday at Wrigley Field. The Pirates currently lead Chicago 5-0 in the top of the seventh inning. The Cubs have certainly lost plenty of talent over the last two days, and it's showing right now.

Burnett has struck out five and walked two thus far. Chicago has hit a few balls hard but nothing has been able to get through.

Neil Walker has driven in all of the runs for the Pirates. Walker's first inning grand slam off Cubs starter Casey Coleman was his 11th home run of the year. Center fielder Andrew McCutchen already has three hits for Pittsburgh.

Burnett has thrown 74 pitches through six innings.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more comprehensive coverage of this series, head over to Cubs blog Bleed Cubbie Blue and PIttsburgh Pirates blog Bucs Dugout. And for more news and notes from around baseball, visit Baseball Nation.

Pirates Vs. Cubs Lineups: Casey Coleman Set For 1st Start Of 2012

The Cubs' roster not surprisingly looks a bit different following the non-waiver trade deadline; pitchers Paul Maholm and Ryan Dempster were traded, as were position players Reed Johnson and Geovany Soto.

Casey Coleman will make his first start of the season on Tuesday night, and Steve Clevenger -- who is starting at catcher -- figures to get a lot more time at that position over the last two months of the season. The full lineups for Tuesday's game are listed below.

Chicago:

1. David DeJesus (L) CF
2. Starlin Castro (R) SS
3. Anthony Rizzo (L) 1B
4. Alfonso Soriano (R) LF
5. Bryan LaHair (L) RF
6. Steve Clevenger (L) C
7. Darwin Barney (R) 2B
8. Luis Valbuena (L) 3B
9. Casey Coleman (L) P

Related: Chicago Cubs vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Preview, Tuesday 7/31, 7:05 CT

Pittsburgh:

1. Starling Marte (R) LF
2. Travis Snider (L) RF
3. Andrew McCutchen (R) CF
4. Garrett Jones (L) 1B
5. Neil Walker (S) 2B
6. Pedro Alvarez (L) 3B
7. Rod Barajas (R) C
8. Clint Barmes (R) SS
9. A.J. Burnett (R) P

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more comprehensive coverage of this series, head over to Cubs blog Bleed Cubbie Blue and PIttsburgh Pirates blog Bucs Dugout. And for more news and notes from around baseball, visit Baseball Nation.

Pirates Vs. Cubs: Trade Deadline Will Finally Pass, Cubs Will Continue To Play

The Chicago Cubs front office is busy trying to work out trades with veteran pitchers Matt Garza and Ryan Dempster, but the players still have to worry about the games on the schedule. On Tuesday, the Cubs take on the Pittsburgh Pirates after claiming game one of the series on Monday night.

Ryan Dempster is scheduled to start for Chicago, but that could all change very quickly if a deal is consummated before the non-waiver deadline passes. The Pirates will turn to A.J. Burnett, who has posted an impressive 12-3 record and 3.52 ERA over 115.0 innings in 2012.

Game Date & Time: Tuesday, July 31, 7:05 p.m. CT

TV: WGN

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more comprehensive coverage of this series, head over to Cubs blog Bleed Cubbie Blue and PIttsburgh Pirates blog Bucs Dugout. And for more news and notes from around baseball, visit Baseball Nation.

Cubs Fan's Marriage Proposal Goes Wrong (But Eventually Works Out)

On Monday night at Wrigley Field, one brave Chicago Cubs fan made a very public proposal to his girlfriend on the scoreboard. He ran into one fairly big problem, however. When the message "Erica, Will You Marry Me?" flashed on the jumbotron for everyone to see, his girlfriend wasn't in her seat.

For a moment the poor guy looked like he thought Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer had traded his significant other to a rival team. The Cubs did send pitcher Paul Maholm and outfielder Reed Johnson to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for pitchers Jaye Chapman and Arodys Vizcaino and also traded catcher Geovany Soto to the Texas Rangers for 24-year old right-handed pitcher Jacob Brigham on Monday night, so it was a legitimate concern.

In any case, she did catch on and eventually returned to her seat to say "yes," so it all worked out in the end. If you want to see how the whole thing unfolded, be sure to check out the video on MLB.com.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more comprehensive coverage of this series, head over to Cubs blog Bleed Cubbie Blue and PIttsburgh Pirates blog Bucs Dugout. And for more news and notes from around baseball, visit Baseball Nation.

Pirates Vs. Cubs Final Score: Trades Mar North Siders' 14-4 Win Over Pittsburgh

While the Chicago Cubs were in the process of defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates 14-4 at Wrigley Field on Monday night, they were also trading veterans Paul Maholm, Reed Johnson and Geovany Soto. Each of the players was seen hugging teammates in the dugout during the game, prompting speculation about trades. With the victory, the Cubs improve to 43-58. Pirates are now 58-44.

The Cubs broke the game open by scoring three in the fourth inning and nine in the fifth inning, a frame highlighted by three players (Darwin Barney, Anthony Rizzo, Starlin Castro) hitting home runs.

Cubs starter Justin Germano improved to 1-1 on the season by allowing four hits and two earned runs over five innings.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more comprehensive coverage of this series, head over to Cubs blog Bleed Cubbie Blue and PIttsburgh Pirates blog Bucs Dugout. And for more news and notes from around baseball, visit Baseball Nation.

Pirates Vs. Cubs Score Update: 9-Run Fifth Inning Puts Chicago Up 13-2

The of the interest surrounding the Chicago Cubs focuses on tomorrow's trade deadline, but the team still has games to play. On Monday vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates, they're playing quite well. A three-run fourth inning and nine-run fifth has the Cubs up 13-2 as the two teams continue to battle at Wrigley Field.

The Cubs hit three homers in the fifth. Darwin Barney got the party started with a three-run shot to left-center. First baseman Anthony Rizzo would follow with another three-run homer. After the Cubs batted around, Starlin Castro capped things with a two-run shot to center. Castro also belted an RBI double to score Chicago's first run of the game in the bottom of the first inning.

Cubs starter Justin Germano has been pulled. He allowed four hits and two runs over five innings.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more comprehensive coverage of this series, head over to Cubs blog Bleed Cubbie Blue and PIttsburgh Pirates blog Bucs Dugout. And for more news and notes from around baseball, visit Baseball Nation.

Pirates Vs. Cubs Lineups: RHP Justin Germano To Start 1st Game Since 2010

The Chicago Cubs (42-58) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (58-43) square off on Monday as 29-year-old SP Justin Germano takes the mound as a starting pitcher for the first time since October 3, 2010.

Germano, acquired in the 2012 season from the Boston Red Sox, has appeared in 2 MLB games in 2012, totalling 8 and 2/3 innings with a 1.04 ERA and 1.91 FIP. In 17 Triple-A games this season, Germano has compiled 16 starts with a 2.40 ERA and 4.20 FIP, striking out a respectable 17.6 percent of batters while walking only an astonishing 3.2 percent.

Here's a look at the day's full lineups, courtesy of Baseball Press:

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more comprehensive coverage of this series, head over to Cubs blog Bleed Cubbie Blue and PIttsburgh Pirates blog Bucs Dugout. And for more news and notes from around baseball, visit Baseball Nation.

Pirates Vs. Cubs Preview: Chicago Hosts Pittsburgh On Monday

The Cubs welcome the Pirates to Wrigley Field on Monday.