Extra bases
• Starlin Castro was able to run and took some ground balls at shortstop on Tuesday, continuing to progress from a tight left hamstring that has sidelined him for one week.
Castro was not expected to get into a game until Monday.
"It's kind of a non-issue now," Sveum said. "Because we have the luxury to do it, we're going to make sure he's completely healthy, even though he's completely healthy now. He'll get plenty of playing time going into the season so there's no reason to rush it."
Castro played in all 162 games last season.
• There was no controversy over using the designated hitter on Tuesday for the Cubs-Rockies game. On Monday, the Reds and D-backs had some miscommunication that got a little ugly, but Sveum said bench coach Jamie Quirk double-checks. Tuesday was the first day the Cubs did not use the designated hitter.
"It's time for those guys to start hitting," Sveum said. "Even if it's one at-bat, at least they see pitching."
Feldman did fine in his only at-bat, and collected the first Cubs hit off Jeff Francis with two outs in the third.
• The Topps Company and the Cubs have partnered to create an exclusive, 82-card Topps Archives set, featuring current and former Cubs players on classic Topps card designs. The player and design pairings are unique to the set, which will be delivered to Cubs season-ticket holders as part of their package.
Cubs fans will have the chance to secure the entire 82-card set by attending all four Topps promotional games at Wrigley Field. The cards will be given away in four installments on the following dates:
May 3 vs. the Reds: Cards 1-20, featuring Ernie Banks, Ron Santo, Shawon Dunston, Andre Dawson and Anthony Rizzo, among others.
July 5 vs. the Pirates: Cards 21-40, featuring Dave Kingman, Ryne Sandberg, Kerry Wood, Greg Maddux, Jeff Samardzija and Alfonso Soriano, among others.
Aug. 2 vs. the Dodgers: Cards 41-60, featuring Billy Williams, Starlin Castro, Dennis Eckersley, Anthony Rizzo, Mark Grace, Glenn Beckert and Darwin Barney, among others.
Aug. 30 vs. the Phillies: Cards 61-82, featuring Lee Smith, Milt Pappas, Keith Moreland, Fergie Jenkins and Rick Sutcliffe, plus a "Future Stars" card with Jorge Soler, Albert Almora and Javier Baez.
Tickets for the promotional dates are available for purchase now in a custom Cubs six-game pack titled the "Topps Baseball Card Pack," available at www.cubs.com/packs. The first 10,000 fans at each game will receive a pack of the cards outlined above. Collectors are encouraged to arrive early to ensure they receive the cards.
These cards are only available during the designated promotional dates at Wrigley Field and the sets will not be sold through retail. For a complete checklist of the cards included in the set, visit www.cubs.com/Topps.