8/30 Raley to make last start

Thursday will be Brooks Raley’s last start of the season. The Cubs lefty knows it. He entered the game against the Brewers with 151 innings pitched this season, beginning at Double-A Tennessee. He totaled 136 1/3 innings the previous two seasons.

“Unfortunately, we have to shut him down after today’s game,” Dale Sveum said of the 24-year-old pitcher.

Expect Chris Rusin, 25, to fill that spot in the Cubs rotation for the final month. He has 140 1/3 innings at Triple-A Iowa and five more with the Cubs this season.

The Cubs also have been monitoring Jeff Samardzija’s innings this year, and there’s a chance he won’t finish the season. This is the right-hander’s first year in the rotation.

“We’ll just have to wait and see,” Sveum said. “He’s pitching seven innings every game right now, which hopefully continues. He’s been so strong, we’re just going to have to evaluate that as the season goes the rest of the way and where we are as well with starting pitchers to fill spots, too.”

Samardzija has pitched a career-high 158 2/3 innings so far. He totaled 88 last year.

– Carrie Muskat