Cubs manager Mike Quade lets the kids play

SAN DIEGO — Cubs manager Mike Quade followed through Monday night on his promise to “play the kids.”

Because of the Cubs’ losing record, “playing the kids” has become a rallying cry of sorts for fans. Quade said he’s happy to play the kids, but there’s a lot that goes into it.

Veteran Carlos Pena played first base, in part because Quade wanted to give him a chance to reach the 30-homer mark. Pena had 28 entering Monday.

“To get to see them all together, to me, that’s the fun part of it,” Quade said of his lineup. “Everybody’s got a little different evaluation skill. There’s so much that goes into that. People can disagree with me. That’s fine. I believe we’ve done the right thing here. We’ve given some people some opportunities. I think they’ll all be better for it. Otherwise, I wouldn’t do it that way.”

Tony Campana, Bryan LaHair (who’s 28), DJ LeMahieu and Tyler Colvin got starts, as did catcher Steve Clevenger, making his major-league debut. Shortstop Starlin Castro is 21, and second baseman Darwin Barney is 25, but they’re regulars.

Quade dropped Castro from first to third in the order, with Campana leading off.

Casey on the mound:Casey Coleman was Monday#146;s starting pitcher, and he got the Cubs#146; first hit of the night off Padres starter Mat Latos, a triple to right-center field. It was the first triple by a Cubs pitcher since Ted Lilly tripled at Houston in June 2009. More important, Quade said he#146;s like what he#146;s seen recently from Coleman on the mound. Coleman last 5#8532; innings against the Padres Monday, giving up 5 hits and 2 runs while walking two and striking out seven.#147;We need to see, on a more consistent basis, what we saw in his last outing,#148; Quade said, referring to a 5-2 victory over Milwaukee on Sept. 19. #147;Probably the biggest surprise for me was his velocity. I don#146;t necessarily take the gun at Wrigley as a guarantee, but if I#146;m seeing 92s (mph) and 93s and 91s and an occasional 94, that#146;s better than normal. I#146;m also watching hitter reaction. #147;You could tell he was throwing the ball harder. If your velocity goes up 2 or 3 ticks, it#146;s unbelievable how much better the rest of your game can be.#148;