Worth noting

• With his two hits in Tuesday's 9-1 win over the Reds, outfielder Junior Lake entered Wednesday leading all rookies in hits (60) since the All-Star break.

• With Jeff Samardzija having already set a career high with 189 innings pitched this season before Wednesday's start, Cubs manager Dale Sveum said he's looking forward to seeing how the 28-year-old right-hander finishes.

"He's in uncharted waters now in the big leagues as far as pitching the last month and the grind of the whole season, and knowing you're not getting shut down and knowing there's four more starts," Sveum said. "I don't care who you are, the body starts wearing down, and when you've never done that before -- you've never been there -- it takes a little toll."