3/19 Looking for that good luck charm

Carlos Silva was looking for a rabbit’s foot on Saturday. The right-hander had a tough luck outing against the Reds Friday in which he gave up eight runs — five earned — on 11 hits over three innings. The numbers are ugly but Silva got nothing but encouragement from Cubs manager Mike Quade and pitching coach Mark Riggins.

“Everybody [said], ‘Your stuff is good, your stuff looks great, you’re going to be fine, keep working,’” Silv said Saturday. “I feel comfortable, I feel relaxed and strong but man. I was talking to [Marcos] Mateo and said yesterday, I threw one fastball inside to Joey Votto and it’s a base hit.

“I’m not a guy who believes in good luck, but right now, I’ve got a lot of bad luck,” he said. “I told Mateo we’re going to go to the Grand Canyon to jump to see if it goes away.”

We’re not sure how jumping into the Grand Canyon can change someone’s luck. Finding a four-leaf clover might be tougher but it’s safer.

Carlos Zambrano started Friday’s game and had difficulty getting a grip on his breaking pitches because of the dry air. Silva, battling for one of the openings in the rotation, agreed.

“For a breaking ball, it’s very tough,” he said. “You feel like the ball is coming out of your hand [wrong].”

So, we should look for a good luck charm?

“Find me a big one, too,” Silva said.

– Carrie Muskat