Two more riders on Piniella Express
Cubs manager Lou Piniella cautioned Tuesday against reading too much into the latest shuttle between Chicago and Des Moines.
Tuesday's trip brought infielder-outfielder Jake Fox and left-handed reliever Carmen Pignatiello to Chicago and sent infielder-outfielder Eric Patterson and right-handed reliever Sean Gallagher back to Class AAA Iowa.
"It doesn't matter," Piniella said. "We're shuttling young players. We're not doing anything with our veterans, the people who are playing. We're doing things on the periphery to help us, hopefully, with the teams that we're playing."
Piniella cited the left-handed starting pitchers the Reds will be throwing at the Cubs this week and the left-handed bats in the Cincinnati lineup. However, there may be some implications for next month in the wake of Tuesday's moves.
"All we did was shuffle young kids that'll give us a chance to see, also, how we can set up our roster for September," Piniella said.
Major-league teams may expand their rosters above 25 beginning Sept. 1.
Long time coming: Carmen Pignatiello is a graduate of Providence Catholic High School in south suburban New Lenox.
The Cubs took Pignatiello in the 20th round of the 2000 draft. When Pignatiello visited Wrigley Field that year, general manager Jim Hendry, who then was the farm and scouting director, compared Pignatiello to lefty Scott Downs, then a pitcher for the Cubs.
"It's an unbelievable feeling to be here in this clubhouse," Pignatiello said seven years later. "Me and my dad were just talking about that last night. I was a 17-year-old kid in here awe-struck. Now I'm here as a player. It's a pretty special feeling."
At Iowa, Pignatiello was 1-0 with a 2.72 ERA and 2 saves. His WHIP (walks plus hits per inning) was a sparkling 1.06. He gives the Cubs a much-needed lefty in the bullpen. Will Ohman was demoted to Iowa last week, and Scott Eyre gets little use in key situations.
"Jim came up to me today and said, 'We're going to throw you right in there. We're in the race, and we want you to go get those left-handed hitters out,'æ" Pignatiello said. "That's what I'm here to do."
Back for more: Jake Fox was with the Cubs from July 19-27, appearing in two games after his call-up from Class AA Tennessee. After being sent to Iowa, he hit 5 homers, drove in 13 and turned in a huge OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) of 1.044.
Last Saturday, Fox hit 3 homers.
"It's one of those things where you come out and you're feeling good that day, you're seeing the ball well," Fox said. "The kid (the opposing pitcher) made a few mistakes, and we made them pay for them."
Fox, who was drafted in 2003 as a catcher, played left field, right field and first base for Iowa.
Film session: Lou Piniella said he and hitting coach Gerald Perry watched film of first baseman Derrek Lee at the plate, and they may have found something.
Lee did not have a good road trip, going 4-for-27.
"I think we found something that can get Derrek on track," Piniella said, without getting too specific. "Hopefully it will. We need for Derrek to swing the bat. He's another young man who's very capable of carrying you. It's something to do with the hip."