Sveum cites the mistakes after the errors
Defensive lapses and errors have hurt the Cubs, but they have been compounded by ‘‘not getting the next guy out,’’ manager Dale Sveum said.
‘‘We have to make a pitch after we make a mistake, and that’s something we haven’t been able to do,’’ he said Friday. ‘‘That’s been our biggest problem. We can’t seem to get that next hitter out after a mistake.’’
Sveum called Thursday’s 4-2 loss to the San Diego Padres ‘‘the toughest we’ve had all year,’’ with the Padres scoring four runs with two out in the eighth. A bloop hit that fell between right fielder Julio Borbon and second baseman Darwin Barney would have ended the inning if caught. After that play, catcher Welington Castillo didn’t move quickly to retrieve a passed ball, allowing the tying run to score.
‘‘If we catch a pop-up that led up to that, we’re not talking about [Castillo],’’ Sveum said. ‘‘It was unfortunate because it was really a great defensive game until that pop-up. Just one play after so many great plays — it was unfortunate to come up on the short end of the game.’’
That loss was the eighth in which the Cubs had led at some point in the game.
Next moves
Third baseman Ian Stewart was activated from the disabled list Friday, then optioned to Class AAA Iowa — an expected move with Stewart still far from being major-league ready.
Right-hander Matt Garza will need at least three more rehab starts before returning, Sveum said. His next is scheduled for Monday at Iowa. The Cubs want him to reach a 100-pitch threshold before returning.
Reliever Kyuji Fujikawa is scheduled to throw Sunday at Iowa as he nears his return.
Streaking
Left-handed reliever James Russell is the first Cub in 44 years to start a season with an 11-inning scoreless streak. According to STATS Inc., right-hander Ted Abernathy threw 16 ⅔ scoreless innings to start the 1969 season before allowing a run on May 2.