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Chicago Cubs center fielder Marlon Byrd grabs a fly ball by St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Matt Holiday during the fifth inning at Wrigley Field in Chicago on May 12, 2011. UPI /Mark Cowan 

CHICAGO, June 3 (UPI) — The Chicago Cubs are among nine teams in hot water with Major League Baseball for violations of debt rules, people familiar with the situation said.

Three people familiar with a confidential briefing given at MLB owners meetings last month said the Cubs have been found to be out of compliance with the debt rules alongside the Los Angeles Dodgers, the New York Mets, the Baltimore Orioles, the Detroit Tigers, the Florida Marlins, the Philadelphia Phillies, the Texas Rangers and the Washington Nationals, the Chicago Tribune reported Friday.

The sources were not named because they were not authorized to disclose the information, the Tribune said.

The newspaper said the Cubs’ debt issues are likely tied to an $845 million deal between the Ricketts family and Tribune Co. to take control of the team in October 2009.

Peter Chase, a spokesman for the Cubs, said comment is being deferred to MLB officials due to the issue being “a topic involving many teams.”

LOS ANGELES, May 4 (UPI) — Carlos Zambrano allowed one run over eight innings Wednesday, helping the Chicago Cubs handcuff the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1.

Zambrano (4-1) scattered five hits and a walk, while striking four. He yielded only a sixth-inning sacrifice fly by Jay Gibbons as the Cubs took the rubber match of a three-game series at Dodger Stadium.

Marlon Byrd provided most of Chicago’s offense with a three-run homer during a four-run uprising in the sixth inning.

Geovany Soto and Carlos Pena also provided solo shots in the Cubs’ win.

Dodgers starter Ted Lilly (2-3) surrendered five runs on eight hits and a walk over six innings. He fanned four.

Andre Ethier, who is working on a 29-game hitting streak for Los Angeles, was held out of the game due to an inflamed elbow.

LOS ANGELES – With their fourth and fifth starters sidelined by injuries, the Chicago Cubs are searching for answers.

James Russell, a reliever suddenly thrust into the rotation, hasn’t been able to fill the void the way he or the team had hoped.

Russell gave up five runs — four earned — and six hits over 4 2-3 innings in his fourth major league start, dropping the Cubs’ record to 0-10 when their starters fail to reach the sixth. Shut down by Clayton Kershaw, they lost 5-2 to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night.

“We’re pitching guys that are stretched out and are giving us everything they’ve got,” manager Mike Quade said. “I mean, I didn’t look at Russell as a starter, but he’s starting for us and he’s taken that role and done the best he can with it.”

Russell (1-4) is 0-4 with a 10.05 ERA after being inserted into the rotation because of an injury to No. 5 starter Andrew Cashner. One consolation for left-hander: He got his first big league hit with a single in the second inning.

“He’s gotten better, and I think his approach tonight was better. So we’ll see what happens down the road, as far as Russell’s concerned,” Quade said. “But at this point, he’s done a nice job.”

The Cubs, who hadn’t faced a left-handed starter or reliever since last Tuesday’s 4-3 loss to Colorado’s Jorge de la Rosa, opened the scoring in the first against Kershaw (3-3) with a two-out RBI double by Geovany Soto after the team went 1 for 14 with runners in scoring position during Sunday’s 4-3 loss at Arizona.

Until then, the Dodgers were the only team in the majors that hadn’t allowed a first-inning run at home.

Los Angeles pulled ahead with two runs in the second. Matt Kemp singled, stole second and came home when Juan Uribe got the green light from rookie manager Don Mattingly on a 3-0 pitch and doubled over the head of right fielder Reed Johnson. Rookie Ivan DeJesus Jr., whose father played shortstop for the Cubs and Dodgers and is now Chicago’s third base coach, drove in Uribe with a single inside first base.

The Dodgers didn’t get another hit until the fifth, when Rod Barajas led off with a double and rookie Jerry Sands hit a two-run double. Andre Ethier chased Russell with an RBI infield single, extending his hitting streak to 28 games.

“He makes a real good pitch on Ivan’s kid in the second and jams the daylights out of him, but he fights it off and gets it down the line for an RBI single,” Quade said. “Then he’s a pitch away from getting Sands out in the fifth. And as good as Ethier’s been, that wasn’t a horrible matchup for him, either.”

Ethier, halfway to the record 56-game streak Joe DiMaggio had in 1941, kept his alive with a grounder to deep shortstop that Starlin Castro couldn’t make a play on. The All-Star right fielder is three games shy of the Dodgers franchise record, set by Willie Davis in 1969.

“I put it in a good spot and I just had my nose down, trying to get to first, and I’m not sure what happened after that,” Ethier said. “It was a tough pitch and I just tried to put it in play. The last seven or eight days I’ve been saying the same thing: Just go up there and try to execute and get the job done.”

Ethier is batting .393 during his streak with three homers and 17 RBIs, a stretch in which the Dodgers have gone 13-15. Davis’ streak included all 28 games he played in August and his first three games in September. He batted .435 during that stretch with one homer and 23 RBIs, while the Dodgers went 13-18.

The closest anyone has come to DiMaggio’s streak since he eclipsed Wee Willie Keeler’s 45-gamer was Pete Rose, who hit in 44 straight in 1978 before it was stopped by Atlanta’s trio of Larry McWilliams, Dave Campbell and Gene Garber.

“Only halfway? It’s nothing to get too caught up in or excited about right now,” Ethier said with a grin. “There’s still a long way to go. I’m more happy about Kershaw getting back on track and us bouncing back after two tough losses to San Diego.”

Kershaw pitched seven innings, allowing two runs and eight hits, including Alfonso Soriano’s major league-leading 11th homer leading off the seventh. The 23-year-old left-hander struck out four and did not walk a batter for the first time in seven starts this season.

Vicente Padilla pitched a perfect eighth and Jonathan Broxton did likewise in the ninth for his sixth save in seven attempts.

NOTES: Cubs RHP Ryan Dempster, who turns 34 on Tuesday, will be pitching on his birthday for the first time in 14 big league seasons when he opposes RHP Chad Billingsley. Dempster is 7-3 with a 2.81 career ERA against the Dodgers in 23 appearances, including 13 starts.

(Sports Network) – Two teams gets a chance to climb back over the .500 mark today when the Chicago Cubs take on the Los Angeles Dodgers in the finale of a three-game series at Wrigley Field.

The Cubs moved to 10-10 on the strength of Saturday’s win in the middle game of the series, which came when Jeff Baker hit a two-run double to cap the Cubs’ five-run eighth inning in a 10-8 triumph.

The Dodgers had climbed a game above .500 with a 12-2 win Friday.

Chicago faced an 8-5 deficit entering the eighth, but got a two-run single from Starlin Castro and an RBI from Darwin Barney to tie the game. After Baker delivered the key hit, Carlos Marmol pitched a scoreless ninth to pick up his fifth save.

Castro and Barney both drove in three for the Cubs. Castro ended with four hits, while Barney had three to set the tone at the top of Chicago’s lineup.

The Cubs’ late rally prevented starter Ryan Dempster from taking the loss. The right-hander allowed seven runs on nine hits — three of them homers — and three walks in 5 2/3 innings. Jeff Samardzija (2-0) tossed 1 1/3 scoreless frames to pick up the win.

Casey Blake hit a two-run homer for the Dodgers, who had won their last three, while Matt Kemp and Rod Barajas added solo shots. Andre Ethier extended his hitting streak to an MLB-best 20 games this season with a double. He is hitting .408 with two home runs and 12 RBI during the streak.

Los Angeles starter Ted Lilly allowed five runs on 11 hits and a walk in 4 1/3 frames, and scoreless appearances by Dodgers relievers Mike MacDougal and Vicente Padilla got them through the sixth.

Venezuelan righty Carlos Zambrano comes off his best outing of the season for the Cubs and seeks his third win without a loss today.

The 29-year-old got a no-decision in the Cubs’ 1-0 defeat of San Diego on April 18 after tossing eight innings of scoreless three-hit ball with one walk and 10 strikeouts.

He’s allowed 12 runs on 22 hits in 25 2/3 innings across four starts.

Zambrano is 2-3 in 12 career meetings with Los Angeles.

The Dodgers start Japanese import Hiroki Kuroda, who has split a pair of career starts against the Cubs.

He’s posted a stingy 0.59 earned run average in 15 1/3 combined innings in the two outings, allowing a single earned run on 11 hits with 14 strikeouts.

Kuroda was 2-0 after defeat San Diego and San Francisco, but has since fallen to 2-2 with home losses to St. Louis and Atlanta.

In the first two starts, he gave up 13 hits and three runs in 15 2/3 innings. In the second two, he’s allowed 15 hits and eight runs in 11 1/3 innings.

The Dodgers have won nine of 14 against the Cubs, but did lose two of three at Wrigley Field a season ago.

The Sports Network

There may be trouble down the line between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs.

Following Friday’s 12-2 loss, the Cubs were incensed that Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis attempted to steal with their pitcher up and one out in the fifth inning. Ellis was thrown out at second base. At that time, Los Angeles had an 8-1 lead.

According to Cubs manager Mike Quade, using a hit-and-run or trying to steal in that circumstance is a breach of baseball’s unwritten rules.

“I probably have to get a copy of the Milwaukee and the Los Angeles unwritten rules books,” Quade said in an unsolicited commentary after the game.

“I don’t know if they missed a sign or if it was a hit-and-run or something. I’ve got to brush up on my unwritten rules things. There might be a Los Angeles and Milwaukee version I need to read.”

A similar circumstance occurred when the Cubs played Milwaukee on April 9. At that time, Brewers outfielder Carlos Gomez stole second and third base late in the game with the Brewers leading 6-0.

Quade was asked how many runs are too many for another team not to use the running game.

“I don’t know. I was just curious. I guess 15,” he said tongue-in-cheek. “I was a little surprised at [the attempted steal]. But I believe there was a missed sign in the midst of that.”

Quade is not alone in his ire. One Cub player told ESPNChicago.com that “things like that are always remembered down the road.”

The Cubs and the Dodgers continue their three-game series at 12:05 CT on Saturday.

Bruce Levine covers the Cubs for ESPNChicago.com.

FIRST ROUND
           1. Pittsburgh
           2. Seattle
           3. Arizona
           4. Baltimore
           5. Kansas City
           6. Washington
           7. Arizona (unsigned pick Barret Loux)
           8. Cleveland
           9. Chicago Cubs
           10. San Diego (unsigned pick Karsten Whitson)
           11. Houston
           12. Milwaukee
           13. N.Y. Mets
           14. Florida
           15. Milwaukee (unsigned pick Dylan Covey)
           16. Los Angeles Dodgers
           17. Los Angeles
           18. Oakland
           19. Boston (Victor Martinez(notes), Detroit)
           20. Colorado
           21. Toronto
           22. St. Louis
           23. Washington (Adam Dunn(notes), Chicago White Sox)
           24. Tampa Bay (Carl Crawford(notes), Boston)
           25. San Diego
           26. Boston (Andre Beltre, Texas)
           27. Cincinnati
           28. Atlanta
           29. San Francisco
           30. Minnesota
           31. Tampa Bay (Rafael Soriano(notes), N.Y. Yankees)
           32. Tampa Bay
           33. Texas (Cliff Lee(notes), Philadelphia)
COMPENSATION ROUND A
           34. Washington (Adam Dunn, Chicago White Sox)
           35. Toronto (Scott Downs(notes), L.A. Angels)
           36. Boston (Victor Martinez, Detroit)
           37. Texas (Cliff Lee, Philadelphia)
           38. Tampa Bay (Rafael Soriano, N.Y. Yankees)
           39. Philadelphia (Jayson Werth(notes), Washington)
           40. Boston (Andre Beltre, Texas)
           41. Tampa Bay (Carl Crawford, Boston)
           42. Tampa Bay (Grant Balfour(notes), Oakland)
           43. Arizona (Adam LaRoche(notes), Washington)
           44. N.Y. Mets (Pedro Feliciano(notes), N.Y. Yankees)
           45. Colorado (Octavio Dotel(notes), Toronto)
           46. Toronto (John Buck(notes), Florida)
           47. Chicago White Sox (J.J. Putz(notes), Arizona)
           48. San Diego (Jon Garland(notes), L.A. Dodgers)
           49. San Francisco (Juan Uribe(notes), L.A. Dodgers)
           50. Minnesota (Orlando Hudson(notes), San Diego)
           51. N.Y. Yankees (Javier Vazquez(notes), Florida)
           52. Tampa Bay (Brad Hawpe(notes), San Diego)
           53. Toronto (Kevin Gregg(notes), Baltimore)
           54. San Diego (Yorvit Torrealba(notes), Texas)
           55. Minnesota (Jesse Crain(notes), Chicago White Sox)
           56. Tampa Bay (Joaquin Benoit(notes), Detroit)
           57. Toronto (Miguel Olivo(notes), Seattle)
           58. San Diego (Kevin Correia(notes), Pittsburgh)
           59. Tampa Bay (Randy Choate(notes), Florida)
           60. Tampa Bay (Chad Qualls(notes), San Diego)
SECOND ROUND
           61. Pittsburgh
           62. Seattle
           63. Arizona
           64. Baltimore
           65. Kansas City
           66. Philadelphia (Jayson Werth, Washington)
           67. Cleveland
           68. Chicago Cubs
           69. Houston
           70. Milwaukee
           71. N.Y. Mets
           72. Florida
           73. Los Angeles Dodgers
           74. Toronto (Scott Downs, L.A. Angels)
           75. Tampa Bay (Grant Balfour, Oakland)
           76. Detroit
           77. Colorado
           78. Toronto
           79. St. Louis
           80. Chicago White Sox
           81. Boston
           82. San Diego
           83. Texas
           84. Cincinnati
           85. Atlanta
           86. San Francisco
           87. Minnesota
           88. N.Y. Yankees
           89. Tampa Bay
           90. Philadelphia
THIRD ROUND
           91. Pittsburgh
           92. Seattle
           93. Arizona
           94. Baltimore
           95. Kansas City
           96. Washington
           97. Cleveland
           98. Chicago Cubs
           99. Houston
           100. Milwaukee
           101. N.Y. Mets
           102. Florida
           103. Los Angeles Dodgers
           104. Los Angeles
           105. Oakland
           106. Detroit
           107. Colorado
           108. Toronto
           109. St. Louis
           110. Chicago White Sox
           111. Boston
           112. San Diego
           113. Texas
           114. Cincinnati
           115. Atlanta
           116. San Francisco
           117. Minnesota
           118. N.Y. Yankees
           119. Tampa Bay
           120. Philadelphia
COMPENSATION ROUND B
           121. Seattle (unsigned pick Ryne Stanek)
Rounds 4-50
           122. Pittsburgh
           123. Seattle
           124. Arizona
           125. Baltimore
           126. Kansas City
           127. Washington
           128. Cleveland
           129. Chicago Cubs
           130. Houston
           131. Milwaukee
           132. N.Y. Mets
           133. Florida
           134. Los Angeles Dodgers
           135. Los Angeles
           136. Oakland
           137. Detroit
           138. Colorado
           139. Toronto
           140. St. Louis
           141. Chicago White Sox
           142. Boston
           143. San Diego
           144. Texas
           145. Cincinnati
           146. Atlanta
           147. San Francisco
           148. Minnesota
           149. N.Y. Yankees
           150. Tampa Bay
           151. Philadelphia
Compensation Picks
           The former Club of a Player who became a free agent and ranks as a Type A or B Player shall be entitled to receive compensation in the form of a Draft choice in the First-Year Player Draft succeeding the Player's election of free agency.
           A Type A or B shall be a Player who became a free agent and ranks as a Type A or B Player under the statistical system of ranking Players set forth by the Elias Sports Bureau, using statistics based on a two-year average for each respective position group. Type A and Type B players necessitate that the Player's former Club receive a sandwich pick in between rounds one and two. Additional picks in the second, third and fourth rounds are exchanged from one club to another for the losses of Type A free agents.
           Type A Players now rank in the upper 20% of his respective position group by the Basic Agreement, instead of the upper 30% as was stipulated in the previous collective bargaining agreement.
           Type B Players now rank in the upper 40%, but not in the upper 20%, of his respective position group. Under the previous collective bargaining agreement, Type B Players ranked in the upper 50% not in the upper 30%. Before the most recent collective bargaining agreement took effect for the 2008 season, a Club would receive compensation for losing a Type C free agent. Under the new Basic Agreement, Type C free agents no longer call for a Draft pick as compensation.