Paul Maholm may not be the only left-handed starting pitcher that the Chicago Cubs are pursuing this offseason.

The Cubs are reportedly discussing a trade with their National League (NL) Central rival, the Cincinnati Reds. Reports indicate that the Cubs would receive 24-year-old starting pitcher Travis Wood. The Reds would receive 29-year-old setup specialist Sean Marshall. The Cubs might also get prospects.

Assuming these reports are true, it’s beginning to look like Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer want every left-handed player in MLB other than Prince Fielder on the Cubs’ roster in 2012. Seriously though, they’re placing a strong emphasis on adding left-handed hitters into their lineup and at least one left-handed pitcher into their starting rotation.

Marshall has been one of MLB’s best left-handed setup specialists for the past two seasons. Marshall finished the 2011 season with a 2.26 ERA in 78 appearances. Marshall was praised by some fans as an All-Star candidate as he had a 0.95 ERA after 28.1 innings pitched. A midseason slump prevented him from being selected.

The Reds acquired starting pitcher Mat Latos from the San Diego Padres. They’re currently looking to bolster their bullpen with a quality left-handed reliever. Marshall would be the perfect candidate because of his familiarity with the NL Central. Wood has become expendable because of Latos.

The Reds selected Wood with a second-round pick in 2005. He had a solid MLB debut in 2010 that included a 5-4 record, 3.51 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP in 17 starts. Wood debuted against the Cubs on July 1, 2010. He earned a no-decision after he surrendered two hits and two earned runs in seven innings. Wood took a perfect game into the ninth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies in just his third start.

2011 wasn’t as kind to Wood. He finished with a 6-6 record, 4.84 ERA and 1.49 WHIP. Wood was demoted to Triple-A for approximately two months for underperformance. He was also the subject of trade talks before the July trading deadline.

Was 2010 a fluke? According to RedLegs Baseball, Wood was the No. 4 prospect in the Reds’ farm system heading into 2010. Epstein is also rumored to be intrigued in him.

Wood appears to be extremely dependent on flyballs. That always worries me with pitchers at Wrigley Field. I prefer strikeout pitchers and groundball pitchers. A flyball pitcher is always at risk when the wind is blowing out.

You might be wondering, “Why doesn’t Marshall just move back into the starting rotation?” I’d actually rather see that happen before a straight swap for these two players. I think the Cubs should just keep Marshall if they can’t get more for him.

I’m guessing that Kerry Wood would become the full-time setup specialist. Jeff Samardzija would probably be the secondary guy. The Cubs might attempt to develop Andrew Cashner into a closer if Carlos Marmol doesn’t fix his control issues.

Joshua Huffman grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula as a Green Bay Packers and Chicago Cubs enthusiast. He immediately gained an admiration for Cubs fans after watching numerous games on WGN during the mid-90s. His favorite Cubs moment was Kerry Wood’s(notes) 1-hitter, 20K extravaganza that was only denied of a no-hitter by Kevin Orie’s defensive blunder. As a Packers and Cubs fan, he suffered through Steve Bartman and “4th & 26″ in a span of three months.

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Leake (12-9) made the majors right out of Arizona State and this is just his second season working out of a five-man rotation. The Reds thought it best to limit his innings and do not plan to pitch him again this year.

He finished with 175 innings, with all but seven in the major leagues. He is the Reds’ leader in wins and strikeouts.

“I’d like to finish the year but I understand,” Leake said. “The want to protect me and protect themselves.”

Leake allowed one run on six hits and two walks and struck out two.

Leake pitched a career-high nine innings in his previous start, giving up three hits against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. He took a one-hit shutout into the ninth in that game before giving up Starlin Castro’s two-out infield single and pinch-hitter Bryan LaHair’s tying home run.

“We wanted him to have one more start after that tough ending last time,” manager Dusty Baker said. “He’s matured a lot as a pitcher and a person. He reads bats well, fields his position and is an all-around player. We will limit him to pinch-running and in dire circumstances pinch-hitting.”

Leake was happy with his season, even with a brief demotion to Triple-A Louisville.

“It was a good learning year. It was nice to go down for a couple weeks and prove I belong,” Leake said.

Phillips homered for the third time in two games. He has 15 home runs this year.

Francisco Cordero pitched the ninth for his 33rd save.

The Cubs saw their three-game winning streak come to an end while wasting a solid pitching performance by Ryan Dempster (10-12). He allowed two runs and six hits, striking out eight in seven innings.

“That was fun,” Dempster said.

After combining for 27 hits, including seven home runs, and 20 runs in Monday’s 12-8 Chicago win, the Reds and Cubs produced a total of 12 hits and three runs with one homer on Tuesday.

Phillips connected in the bottom of the first for his third home run in four at-bats over the last two games.

The Reds made it 2-0 in the fifth. Devin Mesoraco drew a leadoff walk, Leake grounded into a forceout, Phillips walked and Edgar Renteria hit an RBI single. Renteria had three hits.

Carlos Pena led off the Cubs sixth with a double. He moved to third on LaHair’s soft single to left-center field and scored on Alfonso Soriano’s double-play grounder.

NOTES: Castro walked to lead off the game for the second consecutive night. He has reached base at least once in 26 consecutive games. … LaHair extended his career-opening hitting streak to eight games. … Reds RHP Johnny Cueto, Cincinnati’s scheduled starter on Wednesday, trails Los Angeles LHP Clayton Kershaw in the NL ERA race by .0044 percentage points. Cueto has gone four starts without a decision, including two blown saves. … Chicago’s scheduled starter, RHP Casey Coleman, hasn’t won in nine appearances, including seven starts, since May 19 at Florida. He is 0-4 in the span.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Carlos Pena focused on staying calm when he came to the plate with two runners on in a tie game Wednesday night.

That quiet moment of concentration quickly turned into a jubilant jaunt around the bases.

Pena hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning to send the Chicago Cubs to a 6-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

“I think sometimes in those situations we tend to get a little bit anxious and try to do too much,” he said. “So my whole role there was stay under control and not try to save the world, you know.

“Usually when we’re able to stay calm we give ourselves the best opportunity possible to succeed.”

Aramis Ramirez had a two-run double for Chicago, which took two of three against Cincinnati to earn a split of its six-game homestand. Starlin Castro and DJ LeMahieu each had two hits for the Cubs.

Castro sparked the winning rally with a leadoff single against Logan Ondrusek (4-5). Reed Johnson moved Castro to second with a sacrifice before the Reds decided to intentionally walk Ramirez and bring in left-hander Bill Bray to face the lefty-batting Pena.

Big mistake, at least Wednesday night.

Pena pulled Bray’s first pitch onto Sheffield Avenue for his 26th homer and third in his last eight games.

“That was a good home run by Pena, huh,” Cubs starter Ryan Dempster said. “Wow. I would have liked to have seen that with no wind, let alone wind blowing out. Sure did hammer that.”

The big first baseman began the day with a .135 average against lefties, and Bray was holding lefty batters to a .188 average. But this time it didn’t work out for the Reds.

“We had the matchup we wanted,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said. “Billy’s been great against lefties all year. They’re hitting .190 off of him, Pena’s hitting .130 off of lefties, but he made a mistake and hung a slider that didn’t slide, it just spun up there. … He didn’t miss it.”

Yonder Alonso had three hits for Cincinnati, which has lost seven of 10. Joey Votto went 2 for 4 and drove in a run.

Kerry Wood (2-5) pitched a scoreless eighth for the victory and Carlos Marmol worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his 33rd save.

The Reds chased Dempster with three consecutive hits to begin the seventh inning, including pitcher Johnny Cueto’s leadoff infield single. Votto hit a sacrifice fly off James Russell to trim Chicago’s lead to 3-2 and Jay Bruce followed with a bouncer down the third-base line for an RBI double.

The Cubs brought the infield in for Alonso, who hit a fly ball to medium center field. Johnson got in good position, brought it in, then fired a strong throw to catcher Koyie Hill that cut down Edgar Renteria at the plate.

“I was real fortunate,” Johnson said. “When that ball was first hit, my initial thought was it going to be too deep for me to have a chance at him, and then obviously the wind took care of the rest and just kind of allowed me to move through the play.”

Chicago also got a big inning-ending double play in the sixth when Ramon Hernandez lined to shortstop Castro, who threw to LeMahieu before Alonso could get back to second base.

Dempster allowed 10 hits — matching a season high — and is winless in his last five starts.

Pena doubled and scored on LeMahieu’s hit in the fifth, and the Cubs went ahead 3-1 on Ramirez’s clutch double in the sixth.

Cueto allowed seven hits in seven innings and his major league-leading ERA increased from 2.29 to 2.36.

“I want to (win it),” Cueto said of the ERA title. “I put all my best to get it done. Sometimes you throw seven innings and instead of going down, it goes up. Of course I want to (win it).”

Cincinnati pushed across a run after Dempster quickly retired the first two batters of the game. Votto hit a well-placed fly ball to left that landed in front of Alfonso Soriano, then rolled past him for a triple. Bruce walked before Alonso hit a liner up the middle for an RBI single.

NOTES: 2B Darwin Barney left the Cubs to be with his wife for the birth of their second child. Manager Mike Quade said he expects Barney will rejoin the team Friday in New York. … Reds RHP Mike Leake will make one more start this season. Baker said the team will use a six-man rotation for one turn, inserting RHP Edinson Volquez, then Leake will drop out. … The Cubs and Old Style-maker Pabst Brewing Co. announced the brew that has been available to fans since 1950 will be peddled at the Wrigley Field through 2013. Pabst threatened earlier this year to pull the beer from the ballpark. … The Cubs are off Thursday before opening a weekend series at the New York Mets. RHP Casey Coleman (2-7, 6.61 ERA) is scheduled to face Mets RHP Mike Pelfrey (7-11, 4.68) on Friday night. … The Reds are off Thursday, then begin a three-game series at Colorado on Friday night. Reds RHP Homer Bailey (7-7, 4.57 ERA) and Rockies RHP Jhoulys Chacin (11-10, 3.60 ERA) will meet in the opener. … A fan in the second deck made a solid catch on a foul ball in the fifth inning, but one of his friends lost his hat over the railing in the resulting celebration, drawing guffaws from the crowd of 36,797. He went down to the lower section to retrieve his cap, and got a small ovation from his section when he returned.

___

Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap

Matt Garza pitched eight strong innings, Aramis Ramirez had a tiebreaking two-run single, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds 4-3 on Monday.

Garza (8-10) gave up six hits and three runs — one earned — while striking out eight and walking three to win for just the second time at home since June 27. Carlos Marmol finished up for his 32nd save.

Ramirez had his two-run single in the fifth, walked twice and scored a run. Starlin Castro added a single, walk and two runs.

Dontrelle Willis (0-5) allowed six hits and four runs over seven innings, striking out eight and walking five on a crisp day at Wrigley Field. Drew Stubbs singled, walked and scored a run, Yonder Alonso had two singles, a run and an RBI.

With a game-time temperature of 62 degrees and a 21 mph wind howling in from center field, it was a day made for the pitchers.

Willis made his 200th career start looking for his first big-league win since June 5, 2010. He has won just three of his last 38 starts, going back to 2008.

The Reds haven’t scored more than three runs for Willis in any of his 11 starts this season.

Garza had his own problems with support this season, entering with just four wins in 14 starts at Wrigley Field despite a 2.76 home ERA.

Stubbs walked and scored on Alonso’s single in the first to get the Reds on the scoreboard first.

Willis retired the first nine Cubs in order, three by strikeout. He threw just 29 pitches in his first three innings, 24 for strikes.

The left-hander lost track of the strike zone in the fourth, walking the bases full. Soriano tied the score with a first-pitch single to left but Willis recovered to leave the bases loaded.

He got two quick outs in the fifth, but five straight Cubs hitters reached as they scored three runs. Castro singled with two outs. Willis could have escaped the inning, but Alonso couldn’t track down Reed Johnson’s high fly ball into the swirling wind in left. The ball stuck in the ivy, sending Castro back to third. Ramirez then lined a single to left, putting the Cubs up 3-1.

Two batters later, Willis threw a wild pitch with the bases loaded, driving in Ramirez and capping the Cubs’ rally.

The Reds cut the lead to two when Alonso scored an unearned run on a Devin Mesoraco’s groundout in the seventh, the rookie’s first career RBI. Cincinnati pulled within a run when Castro misplayed Joey Votto’s grounder in the eighth, allowing Brandon Phillips to score.

Stubbs walked and stole second in the third, but ran the Reds out of a scoring opportunity by taking off for third on a routine fly out and getting doubled off second base. Stubbs struck out twice, increasing his NL-high total to 184.

NOTES: The Cubs activated RHP Andrew Cashner (strained right rotator cuff) from the 60-day disabled list. Cashner hasn’t pitched in the majors since suffering the injury on April 5, his only outing of the season. Mesoraco made his first big-league start as Willis’ battery mate. The pair worked together at Triple-A Louisville, where Willis went 5-2 earlier this season. Red manager Dusty Baker said Mesoraco will also start on Tuesday. The area around Bronson Arroyo’s left knee was wrapped and the righty walked with a slight limp before Monday’s game, but Baker said he expected Arroyo to make his next start. Arroyo was hit in the fleshy area above the knee by a Rafael Furcal liner drive on Sunday. Mike Leake starts on Tuesday for Cincinnati against the Cubs’ Rodrigo Lopez. Leake leads the Reds with 11 wins on the season.

Matt Garza pitched eight strong innings, Aramis Ramirez had a tiebreaking two-run single, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds 4-3 on Monday.

Garza (8-10) gave up six hits and three runs — one earned — while striking out eight and walking three to win for just the second time at home since June 27. Carlos Marmol finished up for his 32nd save.

Ramirez had his two-run single in the fifth, walked twice and scored a run. Starlin Castro added a single, walk and two runs.

Dontrelle Willis (0-5) allowed six hits and four runs over seven innings, striking out eight and walking five on a crisp day at Wrigley Field. Drew Stubbs singled, walked and scored a run, Yonder Alonso had two singles, a run and an RBI.

With a game-time temperature of 62 degrees and a 21 mph wind howling in from center field, it was a day made for the pitchers.

Willis made his 200th career start looking for his first big-league win since June 5, 2010. He has won just three of his last 38 starts, going back to 2008.

The Reds haven’t scored more than three runs for Willis in any of his 11 starts this season.

Garza had his own problems with support this season, entering with just four wins in 14 starts at Wrigley Field despite a 2.76 home ERA.

Stubbs walked and scored on Alonso’s single in the first to get the Reds on the scoreboard first.

Willis retired the first nine Cubs in order, three by strikeout. He threw just 29 pitches in his first three innings, 24 for strikes.

The left-hander lost track of the strike zone in the fourth, walking the bases full. Soriano tied the score with a first-pitch single to left but Willis recovered to leave the bases loaded.

He got two quick outs in the fifth, but five straight Cubs hitters reached as they scored three runs. Castro singled with two outs. Willis could have escaped the inning, but Alonso couldn’t track down Reed Johnson’s high fly ball into the swirling wind in left. The ball stuck in the ivy, sending Castro back to third. Ramirez then lined a single to left, putting the Cubs up 3-1.

Two batters later, Willis threw a wild pitch with the bases loaded, driving in Ramirez and capping the Cubs’ rally.

The Reds cut the lead to two when Alonso scored an unearned run on a Devin Mesoraco’s groundout in the seventh, the rookie’s first career RBI. Cincinnati pulled within a run when Castro misplayed Joey Votto’s grounder in the eighth, allowing Brandon Phillips to score.

Stubbs walked and stole second in the third, but ran the Reds out of a scoring opportunity by taking off for third on a routine fly out and getting doubled off second base. Stubbs struck out twice, increasing his NL-high total to 184.

NOTES: The Cubs activated RHP Andrew Cashner (strained right rotator cuff) from the 60-day disabled list. Cashner hasn’t pitched in the majors since suffering the injury on April 5, his only outing of the season. Mesoraco made his first big-league start as Willis’ battery mate. The pair worked together at Triple-A Louisville, where Willis went 5-2 earlier this season. Red manager Dusty Baker said Mesoraco will also start on Tuesday. The area around Bronson Arroyo’s left knee was wrapped and the righty walked with a slight limp before Monday’s game, but Baker said he expected Arroyo to make his next start. Arroyo was hit in the fleshy area above the knee by a Rafael Furcal liner drive on Sunday. Mike Leake starts on Tuesday for Cincinnati against the Cubs’ Rodrigo Lopez. Leake leads the Reds with 11 wins on the season.

CHICAGO — Though it’s hard to tell from Dontrelle Willis’ record that he’s enjoying a comeback season, he’s not letting the numbers keep him down. Despite throwing seven solid innings, Willis again fell victim to control problems and the Chicago Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds 4-3 on Monday. In his 200th big-league start, Willis (0-5) was still looking for his first win since June 5, 2010. Despite holding Chicago to four runs and striking out eight, he still searching, largely because he walked five. “I felt great,” Willis said. “I had a couple of mental lapses out there as far as pitch selection and it cost me. It’s just frustrating. It’s just one big inning cost us the game.” The Reds haven’t given Willis more than three runs of support in any of his 11 starts this season, but it was the lefty’s loss of command that cost him on Monday. “It’s just a situation where he just lost the strike zone, but then he got it back,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said. “They had the two-out rally, no one on base the next inning.” Matt Garza (8-10) pitched effectively into the eighth and Aramis Ramirez had a tiebreaking two-run single for the Cubs. Carlos Marmol finished up for his 32nd save. “Garza was fantastic,” Cubs manager Mike Quade said. “He pitched around a couple of mistakes. He hasn’t had many leads and he continues to pitch well.” Drew Stubbs singled, walked and scored a run, and Yonder Alonso had two singles, a run and an RBI for the Reds. With a game-time temperature of 62 degrees and a 21 mph wind howling in from center field, it was a day made for the pitchers, but Willis said the blustery conditions weren’t a factor. “I just try to throw the ball over the plate and pitch my game,” Willis said. “Nothing changes with the elements and stuff like that.” Willis has won just three of his last 38 starts, going back to 2008. The 2003 NL Rookie of the Year has been with three different teams since the start of last season but seems to have found a home in Cincinnati. He hasn’t allowed more than four earned runs in any of his 11 starts this season. “I have another start in four days,” Willis said. “I try to keep battling and prevent the big inning. Hopefully I get a ‘W’ out of it. You try to live and learn and stay positive for your teammates. I think that’s contagious for our ballclub. “It’s frustrating because I’ve pitched worse and worn. But at the same token, I like the way me and (rookie catcher Devin) Mesoraco worked back there today.” Willis retired the first nine Cubs in order, three by strikeout. He threw just 29 pitches in his first three innings, 24 for strikes. The left-hander lost track of the strike zone in the fourth, walking the bases full. Soriano tied the score with a first-pitch single to left but Willis recovered to leave the bases loaded. “He had great command of the strike zone until that inning, then just lost it in that one inning,” Baker said. “Fortunately for us, they only got the one run out of it but then they had the (three)-run rally with the possible windblown ball that could have been caught in left.” He got two quick outs in the fifth, but five straight Cubs hitters reached as they scored three runs. Castro singled with two outs. Willis could have escaped the inning, but Alonso couldn’t track down Reed Johnson’s high fly ball into the swirling wind in left. The ball stuck in the ivy, sending Castro back to third. Ramirez then lined a single to left, putting the Cubs up 3-1. Two batters later, Willis threw a wild pitch with the bases loaded, driving in Ramirez and capping the Cubs’ rally. It was another tough loss for Willis, but he’s keeping his chin up. “This was my 200th big-league start, so I’m happy to have that longevity,” Willis said. “I’m going to continue to battle and fight and hopefully I’ll get won and then they’ll come in bunches.” NOTES: Mesoraco made his first big-league start as Willis’ battery mate. The pair worked together at Triple-A Louisville, where Willis went 5-2 earlier this season. Baker said Mesoraco will also start on Tuesday. The area around Bronson Arroyo’s left knee was wrapped and the righty walked with a slight limp before Monday’s game, but Baker said he expected Arroyo to make his next start. Arroyo was hit in the fleshy area above the knee by a Rafael Furcal liner drive on Sunday. Mike Leake starts on Tuesday for Cincinnati against the Cubs’ Rodrigo Lopez. Leake leads the Reds with 11 wins on the season.