Sveum says Cubs' 2B deserves serious Gold Glove consideration

Darwin Barney didn't start Saturday's 3-2 Cubs victory over the St. Louis Cardinals as manager Dale Sveum gave the second baseman a bit of a breather.

Barney was 0-for-4 in Friday's series opener and was 3-for-20 on the road trip. He also has played some of the best second-base defense in the National League this year.

“It's not that easy taking a guy like that out of the lineup to give him rest and get him back on track swinging the bat because his defense has been incredible all season long,” Sveum said.

The way Barney has played, he's a legitimate Gold Glove candidate. Cincinnati's Brandon Phillips has won the last two Gold Gloves at second base in the National League and three of the last four. He'll be hard to unseat because of reputation, but Sveum said Barney is deserving.

“I would hate to think that anybody has played second base better this year than he has,” the manager said. “No question about Gold Glove, the way he's played. More than the Gold Glove, he's been as good as I've seen for 100 games. People just don't realize the other things he brings: the constant turning of the double play. There's probably not too many second basemen who go for the popups and catch the popups he does, either.

“There's a lot that just go (unnoticed), exactly knowing where to play every hitter, paying attention to the details and all that has been incredible.”

Barney and Phillips had almost identical sample sizes in the field entering Saturday, with Barney handling 448 total chances and committing 1 error at second base while Phillips had 2 errors in 395 total chances. Barney had been a part of 60 double plays with Phillips helping turn 45.

Barney's fielding percentage was .998 to .995 for Phillips. For those who like advanced stats, Barney's UZR/150 (ultimate zone range) was 13.8 to 9.7 for Phillips. UZR/150 is how many runs a player saves on defense over 150 games.

Garza throws, Cubs hopeful:Pitcher Matt Garza tossed lightly Saturday as he recovers from right-triceps cramping, which forced him out of his July 21 start after 3 innings. The plan is for Garza to throw a bullpen session Monday. On Tuesday, Garza's wife is scheduled to have labor induced as she gives birth. The Cubs are hopeful Garza can pitch sometime next weekend at Los Angeles. He did what?Power-hitting first baseman Anthony Rizzo laid down a drag bunt to first base in the eighth inning, trying for a basehit. Rizzo was out, but Dale Sveum seemed impressed by the effort. #8220;I didn't know he had that in his toolbox,#8221; Sveum said. #8220;You might have to use that sometimes with a guy on third and a left-handed specialist comes in. It's a nice play to have in your toolbox. His mechanics were great on it.#8221;BBN37362506Alfonso Soriano slides into third base ahead of the ball for a triple while St Louis Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter waits for the throw.Associated PressBBN