Read More: Greg Maddux (P – LOS), Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago Cubs

On Thursday and Friday, the Chicago Cubs brought in their first managerial candidate, Pete Mackanin (pronounced “ma KAN in”), the Philadelphia Phillies bench manager.

The Cubs, eschewing the typical interview process, will be putting all their managerial candidates through a CIA-like interview process which requires candidates to watch video of a Boston Red Sox game and answer questions as though they were managing the game. The grueling interview process is then followed by a small press conference, meant to give Theo Epstein and the Chicago Cubs execs a feel for the candidate’s ability to handle the press.

The interview schedule, according to CSN Chicago, will follow this general schedule:

Thursday, Friday: Pete Mackanin
The first of the Cubs interviews, Mackanin finished last Friday, describing the process as “comprehensive.” For more on the Mackanin interview, check out his post-interview press conference.

Monday, Tuesday: Dale Sveum
The Brewers hitting coach appears to be the top target for the Boston Red Sox, who interviewed him only days ago. Judging by the Mackanin interview, this interview may last until Tuesday.

Wednesday through Friday (expected): Mike Maddux, Sandy Alomar Jr.
The biggest name of the interview process and another co-candidate for the Red Sox job, famous Texas Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux — brother of Greg Maddux — is expected to interview later in the week. He was originally slated to be interviewed earlier, but a case of laryngitis set him back.

Sandy Alomar Jr., who was widely expected to be a part of the interview process, will indeed recieve and interview sometime this week. Presumably, the Cubs will see Maddux first, then Alomar.

Following Week: DeMarlo Hale, Dave Martinez
CSN reports the Cubs will also give an interview to DeMarlo Hale, current coach for the Red Sox and a Chicago native. Hale was a lead candidate for the Toronto Blue Jays managerial opening last year and is reported to have a good rapport with Epstein.

Dave Martinez, the present bench manager for the Tampa Bay Rays, is also expected to interview at some point, but the Cubs have not officially named him as a candidate yet.

ST. LOUIS — Chicago Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez missed Friday’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals after taking a ground ball to the face on Wednesday.

Ramirez took seven stitches inside the upper left part of his mouth and is day to day. He is getting treatment from the training staff and took batting practice before Friday’s game, saying he will do everything he can to avoid going on the disabled list.

“I’m fine. It’s just inflammation and stitches but I didn’t have any concussion,” Ramirez said before Friday’s game. “I’m not playing today, but we’ll see how it is tomorrow. We’ll take it day by day.”

Rookie D.J. LeMahieu made his first major league start in place of Ramirez.

Ramirez left Wednesday’s 3-1 loss against the Houston Astros after taking a ground ball to the face. Houston’s Chris Johnson hit a sharp ground ball down the third-base line in the seventh inning. Ramirez dove to his right, and the ball popped up and hit him in the face.

“It was bad when I did it,” Ramirez said. “Right now I feel better. But I had a bad cut on the inside of [my mouth]. I was bleeding a lot. When it first happened, a lot of blood was coming out. I knew I was hurt.”

Ramirez is being treated with ice and oral medication.

The Cubs have six players from the Opening Day roster on the disabled list. Left fielder Alfonso Soriano, who has a left quad strain, was the latest addition on Tuesday.

Ramirez is batting .289 with two home runs and 19 RBIs.

Bruce Levine covers the Cubs for ESPNChicago.com and ESPN 1000.

Just as the thermometer pushes past 95 degrees, the Cubs arrived in St. Louis to begin a stretch of schedule that to call grueling is an understatement.

From now until the All-Star break, the Cubs have one day off. Because of a double-header on June 28, they have 38 games scheduled over the next 38 days. Warm up the bus to Iowa because there could be a few pitchers shuttling from Des Moines to Wrigley Field.

The Tigers will be nearly as busy. They don’t have any double-headers planned but they also have only one day off and their schedule includes two trips to the West Coast between now and the break.

The Mariners can feel that exhaustion. Their home game against the Orioles on Friday night will be No. 8 in a 20-games-in-20-day stretch.

Not every club has such a demanding pace. The Cardinals are off on the next four Mondays, though they had to survive a 27-day stretch with 26 games to get there.

When the Dodgers finish a three-city trip that begins Friday in Cincinnati, they can settle in for a long stretch in Southern California. Twenty-two of their last 25 games before the break will be played in L.A. or Anaheim.

The Giants have a quick turnaround with a home game Friday night after playing Thursday night in St. Louis but they should be able to catch up on some rest in the coming weeks. Beginning with this weekend’s series against the Rockies, 19 of their next 22 games will be played in the Bay Area.

“The schedule’s been screwy,” manager Bruce Bochy said of two months that have seen the Giants play 35 road games and only 21 at home. “It’ll be good for guys to be able to sleep in their own beds for a while.”

A young, flamethrowing righty turned in a masterful performance for the Colorado Rockies.

And his name wasn’t even Ubaldo Jimenez.

Jhoulys Chacin tossed a six-hitter for his first career complete game, Chris Iannetta hit a bases-clearing triple and the Rockies won their seventh straight, beating the Chicago Cubs 5-0 on Friday night.

The Rockies are off to their best start in franchise history, improving to 11-2 behind the performance of Chacin, who’s picking up the slack quite nicely with Jimenez sidelined due to a cracked cuticle on his right thumb.

In windy and cool conditions, Chacin (3-0) struck out seven and walked two. He smacked his fist into his glove when the Rockies recorded a 5-4-3 double play to end the game.

With that, Chacin became the first Rockies pitcher to throw a complete-game shutout at Coors Field since Aaron Cook’s gem July 1, 2008, against San Diego. Jimenez also had one on the road last May in San Francisco.

“I feel really happy for this,” Chacin said. “It was big time.”

Especially given the state of the bullpen.

Rockies right-handed relievers Huston Street and Felipe Paulino were off limits Friday after a taxing week. Not that they were even remotely needed, given the way Chacin threw.

“To have this kid step out there tonight and do what he did and basically give the entire group the night off, what a performance that was,” Rockies manager Jim Tracy said. “He’s capable of dominating games when he throws the ball and throws his fastball in the manner he did tonight.”

Count Cubs manager Mike Quade among those impressed with the electric stuff of Chacin.

“What a good-looking young pitcher,” Quade said, shaking his head. “To have that kind of repertoire in this kind of ball park and everything else, I mean he was good. I am impressed.

“I think a lot of us were victims of a good pitching performance.”

Matt Garza (0-2) turned in a third straight erratic performance, surrendering five runs and seven hits in six innings. That despite doing what most pitchers haven’t been able to recently: Limit the damage done by Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki. The three and four hitters in Colorado’s lineup were a combined 1 for 8 on the night.

“I gave up a big hit and that’s why I got beat,” Garza said. “It’s going to turn. It’s going to turn. I know it’s a long season. It’s going to turn.”

Garza’s undoing on Friday was the second inning.

With the bases loaded, Iannetta hit a pitch from Garza to deep center that Marlon Byrd couldn’t quite corral. All three runs scored and when Starlin Castro’s relay throw to third ended up in the dugout, Iannetta sauntered home, too.

The rally was started with a single from Tulowitzki, one of the hottest hitters in the league.

The smooth-swinging shortstop had a torrid four-game series in New York against the Mets, going 10 for 16 with four homers and eight RBIs.

Tulowitzki took a little time to get his swing dialed in — he started the season in an 0 for 9 funk after signing a lucrative long-term deal over the winter — but now even his outs are loud. He entered the game leading the majors with seven homers.

He’s putting together the type of tear like he had last September, when he hit 15 homers, a franchise record for a month.

Tulowitzki insists hitting isn’t as easy as he’s making it look right now.

“At any point and time, you can go south. I know that,” Tulowitzki said. “Just trying to do what I do out there and trying to play the game hard.”

The Rockies have switched around their starting rotation, pushing ace Jimenez’s return to the mound back a day.

Jimenez, who’s on the 15-day disabled list, was scheduled to throw Monday to open a three-game series with San Francisco.

Now, Esmil Rogers will face Tim Lincecum and the Giants, while Jimenez goes Tuesday.

Tracy said Friday the decision was made not so much because of the condition of Jimenez’s cut on his pitching hand, but to keep Rogers on his regular pitching schedule.

“It’s good. I don’t feel any pain,” Jimenez said before the game.

NOTES: Cubs 3B Aramis Ramirez finished with three hits. … First base umpire Jerry Layne left the game in the second inning after being hit by a line drive in the left ankle. The crew chief walked off under his own power, heading straight into the clubhouse. … The Cubs have dropped six straight games at Coors since August 2009.

A young, flamethrowing righty turned in a masterful performance for the Colorado Rockies.
And his name wasn’t even Ubaldo Jimenez.
Jhoulys Chacin tossed a six-hitter for his first career complete game, Chris Iannetta hit a bases-clearing triple and the Rockies won their seventh straight, beating the Chicago Cubs 5-0 on Friday night.
The Rockies are off to their best start in franchise history, improving to 11-2 behind the performance of Chacin, who’s picking up the slack quite nicely with Jimenez sidelined due to a cracked cuticle on his right thumb.
In windy and cool conditions, Chacin (3-0) struck out seven and walked two. He smacked his fist into his glove when the Rockies recorded a 5-4-3 double play to end the game.
With that, Chacin became the first Rockies pitcher to throw a complete-game shutout at Coors Field since Aaron Cook’s gem July 1, 2008, against San Diego. Jimenez also had one on the road last May in San Francisco.
“I feel really happy for this,” Chacin said. “It was big time.”
Especially given the state of the bullpen.
Rockies right-handed relievers Huston Street and Felipe Paulino were off limits Friday after a taxing week. Not that they were even remotely needed, given the way Chacin threw.
“To have this kid step out there tonight and do what he did and basically give the entire group the night off, what a performance that was,” Rockies manager Jim Tracy said. “He’s capable of dominating games when he throws the ball and throws his fastball in the manner he did tonight.”
Count Cubs manager Mike Quade among those impressed with the electric stuff of Chacin.
“What a good-looking young pitcher,” Quade said, shaking his head. “To have that kind of repertoire in this kind of ball park and everything else, I mean he was good. I am impressed.
“I think a lot of us were victims of a good pitching performance.”
Matt Garza (0-2) turned in a third straight erratic performance, surrendering five runs and seven hits in six innings. That despite doing what most pitchers haven’t been able to recently: Limit the damage done by Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki. The three and four hitters in Colorado’s lineup were a combined 1 for 8 on the night.
“I gave up a big hit and that’s why I got beat,” Garza said. “It’s going to turn. It’s going to turn. I know it’s a long season. It’s going to turn.”
Garza’s undoing on Friday was the second inning.
With the bases loaded, Iannetta hit a pitch from Garza to deep center that Marlon Byrd couldn’t quite corral. All three runs scored and when Starlin Castro’s relay throw to third ended up in the dugout, Iannetta sauntered home, too.
The rally was started with a single from Tulowitzki, one of the hottest hitters in the league.
The smooth-swinging shortstop had a torrid four-game series in New York against the Mets, going 10 for 16 with four homers and eight RBIs.
Tulowitzki took a little time to get his swing dialed in — he started the season in an 0 for 9 funk after signing a lucrative long-term deal over the winter — but now even his outs are loud. He entered the game leading the majors with seven homers.
He’s putting together the type of tear like he had last September, when he hit 15 homers, a franchise record for a month.
Tulowitzki insists hitting isn’t as easy as he’s making it look right now.
“At any point and time, you can go south. I know that,” Tulowitzki said. “Just trying to do what I do out there and trying to play the game hard.”
The Rockies have switched around their starting rotation, pushing ace Jimenez’s return to the mound back a day.
Jimenez, who’s on the 15-day disabled list, was scheduled to throw Monday to open a three-game series with San Francisco.
Now, Esmil Rogers will face Tim Lincecum and the Giants, while Jimenez goes Tuesday.
Tracy said Friday the decision was made not so much because of the condition of Jimenez’s cut on his pitching hand, but to keep Rogers on his regular pitching schedule.
“It’s good. I don’t feel any pain,” Jimenez said before the game.
NOTES: Cubs 3B Aramis Ramirez finished with three hits. … First base umpire Jerry Layne left the game in the second inning after being hit by a line drive in the left ankle. The crew chief walked off under his own power, heading straight into the clubhouse. … The Cubs have dropped six straight games at Coors since August 2009.

Kerry Wood and the Chicago Cubs finalized a $1.5 million, one-year contract Friday that sends the righthanded reliever back to the team he started his major-league career with in 1998.

The 33-year-old Wood left the Cubs as a free agent in December 2008, signing with the Cleveland Indians for two years and $20.5 million. He was traded to the Yankees last July.

During a news conference at Wrigley Field on Friday, Wood said he had offers from three or four other teams but left money on the table because he wanted to return to the Cubs and raise his family in Chicago. Wood said he never really wanted to leave in the first place.

Nishioka gets deal. Japanese batting champion Tsuyoshi Nishioka and Minnesota have agreed to a $9.25 million, three-year contract that includes a club option for the 2014 season.

Bonds wants to keep Giambi away. Lawyers for Barry Bonds want to bar slugger Jason Giambi and other former pro athletes from testifying at his perjury trial scheduled to begin March 21. Bonds’ lawyers filed papers in federal court Friday asking U.S. District Court Judge Susan Illston to prohibit the athletes’ testimony and other key evidence tied to Bonds’ personal trainer, Greg Anderson.

Illston already has ruled off-limits any evidence connected to Anderson because of his refusal to testify.

More deals. Lefthander Pedro Feliciano reached a preliminary agreement on an $8 million, two-year contract with the Yankees. . . . San Diego agreed to an $11.5 million, two-year contract with second baseman Orlando Hudson. . . . Pittsburgh finalized a two-year, $8 million contract with pitcher Kevin Correia. . . . Outfielder Xavier Nady and catcher Henry Blanco agreed to one-year deals with Arizona. . . . Tampa Bay agreed to a $925,000, one-year contract with reliever Joel Peralta. . . . Houston and Bill Hall agreed to a one-year contract, guaranteeing $3.25 million. . . . Outfielder Carlos Gomez signed a one-year contract with Milwaukee, avoiding salary arbitration.