Extra bases

• Edwin Jackson, who signed a four-year, $52 million contract with the Cubs this offseason, will start the home opener on April 8 against the Brewers.

Cubs manager Dale Sveum and pitching coach Chris Bosio mapped out the rotation for the first week. Jeff Samardzija will start Opening Day, April 1, against the Pirates and be followed by Jackson, then Travis Wood, Scott Feldman and Carlos Villanueva. Samardzija will close the Cubs' first road trip April 7 against the Braves.

• You won't see shortstop Starlin Castro and second baseman Darwin Barney very far from each other. The two hit in the same group in batting practice, they do their fielding drills at the same time, and they even have the same model glove, which Barney designed.

"They always have to be in the same group," Sveum said of his middle infielders. "They have a routine that they got into last year that was good and obviously, the way they played, you don't want to take them out of it."

• The Cubs made one roster move Thursday when they assigned pitcher Barret Loux to Minor League camp.

• Ian Stewart played in a Minor League game Thursday at the Cubs complex at Fitch Park. Josh Vitters was slated to start Friday against Team Japan at HoHoKam Stadium. Both have been sidelined since Feb. 21 with sore left quads injured in an intrasquad game Feb. 21.

• The Cubs players are already talking about the prospect of having a fishing hole at their new Spring Training complex in east Mesa.

"We might have to have a fishing tournament," Sveum said.

The facility will feature a 9,000-square-foot weight room, which Sveum said some players may want to take advantage of year-round. Sveum couldn't remember the Brewers having a weight room at all when he played for them.

"I never lifted weights," Sveum said, "so I wouldn't have known where the weight room was."