Cubs’ Dempster not interested in trade rumors

Brady Dempster, draped in a miniature “Dempster 46” Cubs home jersey, roamed a mostly empty big-league clubhouse.

His dad spied his every stop-and-start, as if Brady were a swift runner leading off a bag.

It was the only chasing Daddy was doing after the Cubs’ 4-3 loss to the New York Yankees before a season-best 42,236 fans at hazy Wrigley Field on Saturday.

So much for Ryan Dempster chasing any rumors of the Yankees’ potential interest in changing his Cubbie blue pinstripes to thick, navy blue pinstripes.

“I don’t read the papers,” Dempster said. “I don’t have time to get on the Internet.

“I’m just trying to win my next start. I figure if I can handle that, that’s the easiest way to simplify my life. Chasing around three kids (Brady, Riley, Finley), I’m just trying to come and do my job every fifth day.”

Despite Dempster’s grind-it-out effort in 5-plus innings and Reed Johnson’s solo homer off Mariano Rivera (17th save) leading off the bottom of the ninth, the Cubs failed for the seventh time this season to stretch a winning streak to three games.

Carlos Pena’s 2-run homer in the fourth erased a 2-0 Cubs deficit.

“We played hard,” said Dempster, who suffered the loss and fell to 5-6. “We played a great game. It’s nothing to hang our head about. We’re not going to win every game. We’re playing a really good team over there.”

Multiple outlets reported that really good team — the Yankees — might have an interest in Dempster and Carlos Zambrano. An ESPN New York report later shot down the Yankees’ supposed interest in Zambrano, quoting a source as saying the club had “zero interest.”

After an awful April (1-3, 9.58 ERA, 6 starts), which included first opening-day start as a Cub, Dempster entered Saturday with a 3.21 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 56 innings since May 1.

The 34-year-old right-hander has $7.7 million left on his contract for this season and next season has a player option, which he likely would exercise considering it would pay him $14 million.

Dempster also has 10-and-5 rights, meaning the Cubs can’t trade him without his approval.

Against the Yankees, Dempster showed uncharacteristic control problems, walking a season-high six and throwing 119 pitches in just 5⅓ innings. He also rang up 6 strikeouts.

“We would have loved to have gotten him through the sixth,” manager Mike Quade said. “You can’t be lights out and be great every outing. … Since he’s shook his early stuff, I think he’s been more consistent.”

Dempster had to wriggle out of jams most of his afternoon, including the first inning when he notched back-to-back strikeouts of Robinson Cano and Nick Swisher to escape a bases-loaded mess.

The Yankees stranded two more runners in scoring position in the third, after Cano’s RBI double and Swisher’s sacrifice fly put the Yankees on top. Dempster whiffed Eduardo Nunez for the third out.

“I think I made it harder on myself than it had to be, but we had a chance to win the game at the end, and that’s all you can ask,” Dempster said. “As rough as it was, I made some pitches when I had to make them.”

Dempster left in the sixth after a one-out infield single by Brett Gardner put Yankees on first and third.

“He’ll tell you he didn’t have his best stuff, but he was able to make it work,” Johnson said. “That’s what good pitchers do.”

Lefty James Russell relieved Dempster and immediately allowed a warning-track sacrifice fly to Curtis Granderson, snapping a 2-2 tie.

The Yankees’ sixth ended with the Cubs receiving their loudest ovation, albeit sarcastic. Gardner was caught in a rundown off first and eventually tagged out by shortstop Starlin Castro — a putout that went 1-3-4-3-4-2-6.

Earlier in the week, against Milwaukee, the Cubs had a rundown that went 2-5-1-6-4-2.

“I think we cut it down like three or four throws,” said Quade, his response drawing laughs from the media. “It’s not that funny. It’s progress.

“I figure the next (rundown) we’ll do three throws and be done with it.”

He was being funny.