Cubs giving Jackson chance to 'right the ship'
NEW YORK -- The Cubs' Edwin Jackson led the National League in losses last season, and he is tied for the most this year with the Phillies' A.J. Burnett and the Padres' Eric Stults, who have 13. And Jackson is staying in the Cubs' rotation in hopes of getting back on track.
The Cubs do want to give innings and possibly starts to Jacob Turner, Dan Straily and Felix Doubront in September when rosters expand, and general manager Jed Hoyer said Friday that he will meet with pitching coach Chris Bosio and Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein to map out a strategy.
Jackson's situation is puzzling. On Thursday, he lasted 4 2/3 innings against the Brewers in a 6-2 loss, and he hasn't finished the sixth inning in 15 of his 25 starts.
"We're trying to give [Jackson] an opportunity to right the ship," Hoyer said. "It seems like the first inning, we're in a hole right away, and he's battling right away, and we haven't been able to solve that problem. Hopefully, we can find a solution by the end of the year and go into the offseason with some momentum."
Jackson, who is in the second year of a four-year contract, is 14-31 with a 5.31 ERA in 56 starts so far with the Cubs.
"I don't think it's stuff-related, I think it's location-related," Hoyer said of Jackson's struggles. "It's been frustrating for him and frustrating for us."
The Cubs do expect rookie Kyle Hendricks to pitch into September, Hoyer said. The right-hander has totaled 41 2/3 innings with the Cubs to go with the 102 2/3 innings he collected at Triple-A Iowa. Last season, he totaled 166 1/3 innings in the Minor Leagues. Hoyer said Hendricks is so efficient that he hasn't thrown as many pitches as the other Cubs starters.