Cubs outfield plays tricky Fenway perfectly

BOSTON - There's a whole lot more to playing the outfield at Fenway Park than worrying about the Green Monster in left field.

That's why Cubs first-base and outfield coach Eric Hinske put in some extra time with his troops before this series with the Red Sox began.

"Especially if you haven't played here before, this is probably the most challenging place to play the outfield," Hinske said Tuesday. "Right field is basically like playing center because it's so big. Center has got all kinds of niches. In right-center, it's 420 (feet from home plate). If (the ball) hits the Monster at the 379 (deep left-center), it shoots to the right.

"What I tell them is the center fielder has to be super accurate. No matter which field the ball is hit to, the center fielder has to be running toward the ball to back up that outfielder."

In the bottom of the second inning Tuesday, Boston's A.J. Pierzynski hit a ball off the 37-foot-high Monster. Cubs left fielder Chris Coghlan played the carom well and threw out Pierzynski easily at second base.

"We're out here early, like we were yesterday before the first game of the series, hitting balls off the wall and just letting them see it," Hinske said.

No park seems affected by the wind as much as Wrigley Field. But outfielders have to be mindful of the breeze in Boston, too.

"Down the left-line, foul balls like to come back to fair territory," Hinske said. "They really come back hard over there. I don't know if it's the way the stadium stands or just the wind coming off the top of Fenway."

Sticking with Lake:

Outfielder Junior Lake struck out four times in Monday's series opener. Lake entered Tuesday having struck out in 34.3 percent of his plate appearances, or 85 strikeouts in 248 plate appearances.

Third baseman Mike Olt had a 38.3 strikeout rate, with 71 Ks in 183 plate appearances.

Manager Rick Renteria said he has not thought about getting Lake at-bats at Class AAA Iowa. In Monday's game, Lake broke his bat over his leg after one of his strikeouts.

"We just need to make sure Junior gets the ball up in the zone a little bit," Renteria said. "Yesterday he had 4 strikeouts, and 3 of the 4 were on balls down. It's just a matter of us making sure we stay positive with him. We're going to continue to give him opportunities to play.

"Obviously for him, it's not been the track he's wanted, but he's showing signs of being able to do things. He's had signs where he's had a little valley. Right now he's in that little valley, and we've got to try to get him out of it."