Castro gets chance to hit out of slump

Starlin Castro doesn't want a day off, and Cubs manager Dale Sveum isn't inclined to give him one.

Castro entered Monday night's game against the Cincinnati Reds in a horrible 3-for-38 slump.

“I don't want a day off,” Castro said after taking batting practice. “I want to keep playing and keep doing what I do, and that's try to hit the ball hard. I'm pretty close to getting out of this.”

Castro said he is not frustrated by the slump, which had his hitting line at .243/.283/.339.

“No,” he said. “Sometimes I think too much, but just play baseball.”

Over the weekend, Sveum said he was considering giving Castro a day off. Castro already has been dropped to seventh in the batting order. It doesn't look like he's going to be dropped out of it.

“I just can't pull the trigger on it,” Sveum said. “He's still a fixture on our lineup. Not that other guys aren't capable of doing it, but he's a threat in the lineup. He can still do things. At this point right now, I can't seem to get myself to have enough reasons to do it other than a guy's kind of in a slump. We're still out here trying to win baseball games.”

Castro hit a couple of balls hard Saturday against the Pirates, but Sveum said Castro is not really showing signs of coming out of it.

“I don't see any of the things that I'd like to see changed being changed,” he said. “The timing and the mechanics just aren't changing enough to center a baseball consistently.”

No big deal?Matt Garza will pitch Tuesday night against the Reds. In Cincinnati after his May 26 start, Garza had harsh words for Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto, who threw over the head of David DeJesus.Garza said that Cueto had to grow up and that Cueto knows where Garza's locker is. Reds manager Dusty Baker at the time said Garza should say that directly to Cueto. On Monday, both managers downplayed any possible carry-over. #8220;There's nothing to what whole situation,#8221; Dale Sveum said. #8220;It's up to him,#8221; Baker said of Garza. #8220;He's the one who said it. I don't have anything to say. As far as I'm concerned, it's over. I think Johnny got fined for it. All we can do is play ball. Whoever wants to do something, it's their prerogative. I don't know Garza. I've never spoken to him in my life.#8221;