Can career minor-leaguer LaHair shed label with Cubs?

Labels stick. Cubs newcomer Bryan LaHair knows all about that.

LaHair came up from Class AAA Iowa as a September call-up after hitting a franchise-record 38 home runs to lead all of the minor leagues. He also drove in 109 runs and had an OPS of 1.070.

So where has this guy been? Look no further than those sticky labels.

LaHair will be 29 years old in November, and before this year, he saw action in only 45 major-league games, in 2008 with the Seattle Mariners.

In a lot of people's eyes, he's a “career minor-leaguer” long past his prospect days. LaHair says he doesn't let that get to him.

“It's fuel on the fire at the end of the day,” he said before Wednesday night's 6-3 victory over the Reds at Wrigley Field. “But I try not to worry about those things. When does your prime start? It's 27-28. How long is it going to last? Those are the kinds of questions I ask myself.”

LaHair earned his third start, this time in right field, one night after hitting a two-out pinch homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to tie the game at 2-2. The Cubs eventually lost 4-2 to the Reds in 13 innings.

LaHair played first base for Iowa. With Carlos Pena entrenched for the Cubs, at least for the rest of this season, LaHair will get his starts in left field and right field while occasionally spelling Pena at first.

It was Pena who delivered the big blow Wednesday, a 3-run homer over the right-field wall and onto Sheffield Avenue against lefty Bill Bray to break a 3-3 tie in the eighth.

“We'll mix and match,” said manager Mike Quade. “He (LaHair) will give Carlos a day here and there. Carlos doesn't have the flexibility Bryan does. I don't think Carlos has ever been in the outfield. If I can keep him involved in any way, shape or form, whether it's in the outfield or first base, that's what I'm going to try and do. But I still want Pena's power.”

As far as labels go, Quade knows full well they exist. But he says he won't apply them to LaHair.

“In all honesty, sure he does (have labels), but not with me,” Quade said. “But people are going to have opinions, and it is a bit unusual to spend as much time as he has in the minor leagues and not really gotten a shot or gotten an opportunity. And I think that's what makes these first three days even more impressive. He knows what's what.

“Here he is getting an opportunity, and he's put together 5 or 6 really good at-bats when he knows, ‘If I'm going to have a shot, if I'm going to make an impression, I've got to do this.' When you think about that, to (heck) with labels or anything else.”

If there's one thing that could help the 6-foot-5, 240-pound LaHair, it's that he doesn't have an overly big or long swing.

“I think I have a really short swing,” he said. “I worked hard on developing a short swing. Basically, I try to see the baseball and I just try to hit it hard. The only way you can do that is to have a short swing.”

Family matters: Second baseman Darwin Barney left to be with his wife, who is due to give birth. Barney is scheduled to rejoin the team Friday in New York. Recently recalled DJ LeMahieu started at second base in place of Barney and was 2-for-2. On the homestand, Barney is 1-for-14. #8220;Maybe just what the doctor ordered, a break to day and an off-day tomorrow,#8221; Mike Quade said. #8220;A little bit of a freshener.#8221;Getting a Reed on it:Reed Johnson started in center field and made the defensive play of the game Wednesday, throwing out Edgar Renteria at the plate to complete a double play and keep the score 3-3 in the seventh after the Reds tied it. #8220;How about that throw by Reed?#8221; said starting pitcher Ryan Dempster, who saw the bullpen cost him a possible victory. #8220;That's a game-changer, right, because we have a tie game. That was probably the defining moment of the game.#8221;BBN16732001Chicago Cubs manager Mike Quade, left, celebrates with first baseman Carlos Pena after a baseball game and CubsÂ’ 6-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds.Associated PressBBN