Cubs lay a different kind of egg in 9-5 loss to San Diego
The Cubs dined on caviar before Monday night's game against the San Diego Padres.
The Padres, hungry for something else, feasted on Cub when things counted and came away with a 9-5 victory before an announced crowd of 36,814 at Wrigley Field.
The well-heeled Cubs may be able to afford a delicacy like caviar, but the Padres settled for the rib-sticking goodness of a pennant-race victory.
Thus ended another goofy evening around the Friendly Confines.
It started with talk of caviar and ended with manager Lou Piniella issuing a pointed challenge to his young relievers to grab opportunity.
With Piniella on his way out and his club going nowhere, Piniella was asked about recent comments by the Reds' Scott Rolen, who said the outdated facilities at Wrigley Field make it difficult for the Cubs to win.
The Cubs have won three division titles since 2003, but they've failed to make it to the World Series.
Piniella pooh-poohed that theory in a winding discussion that led to, of all things, caviar in the clubhouse.
"The different starting times pose a little bit of a problem," Piniella began. "The facilities? I've never been one for all these batting cages near the clubhouses and everything, I'll be honest with you. I think you take your batting practice, you take your extra batting practice on the field if you want.
"The rest of it, the facilities here, are like every other team. Basically, that's about the only thing that's lacking. Most of these new stadiums have cages right by the clubhouses. I don't think the facilities here are a detriment to winning."
Piniella then checked off the improvements to the players' conditions the new owners have made.
"They improved the weight room," he said. "We've got a decent video room. They've got a players lounge now. They've got a brand-new kitchen; they had caviar in there today. I'm telling you. I told (clubhouse man Tom Hellmann) that if we were in first place, we'd have a chef from France."
Finally, he cut to the chase.
"You get good teams and you stay healthy and you play well, you can win here just as well as anyplace else," he said.
The Cubs won't have to worry about hiring French chefs this year. They did manage to hang with the first-place Padres through four innings before the visitors scored single runs in the fifth and sixth against left Tom Gorzelanny. The Padres scored 3 in the seventh, chasing Gorzelanny. Relievers Justing Berg, Andrew Cashner and James Russell combined to give up 6 hits and 4 runs.
"I tell you what, these young kids we have here pitching wise, they're getting an opportunity of a lifetime, and none of them want to step up," Piniella said. "You can't have better opportunities than what we're giving these guys."
<p class="factboxheadblack">Bruce Miles' game tracker</p>
<p class="News">Padres 9, Cubs 5</p>
<p class="News"><b>Not this time:</b> Cubs starting pitcher Tom Gorzelanny has not won since July 24. He lasted 61/3 innings against the Padres, giving up 9 hits and 5 runs. It was his second straight non-quality start. </p>
<p class="News"><b>Way to go:</b> Rookie Darwin Barney started at shortstop. He picked up his first major-league hit in the first inning, a double down the right-field line.</p>
<p class="News"><b>Comeback kids:</b> The Cubs trailed 5-0 in the seventh. In the bottom of the inning, Kosuke Fukudome hit a 2-run double. After the Padres scored 2 in the eighth, the Cubs got 3 in the home half, 2 coming on Blake DeWitt's third homer of the year. </p>
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