Piniella can't shake questions about his lineups

With Alfonso Soriano back for the second game batting in his familiar leadoff position, the lineup card on the whiteboard in the Cubs' clubhouse was clearly printed in blue: Soriano, Theriot, Lee, Ramirez, Fukodome, DeRosa, Soto, Pie, Hill.

Except for the southpaw batting in the 9-hole, the lineup was identical to Thursday's when the Cubs defeated Milwaukee 6-3 for their first win of the season.

But questions about players' comfort levels at certain spots in the lineup were again raised to Cubs manager Lou Piniella.

"I've never really had this many questions about lineups," Piniella joked with reporters prior to the series opener against Houston. "I think you all fantasize about lineups at night, I really do.

"We try to put lineups together that makes the other manager make pitching moves so that you can always counter. You put lineups together so that you have pinch hitters on your bench that can counter those moves. That's basically it."

Well, not really.

The Cubs' skipper had more to say on the topic.

"It's not the most difficult thing to do in the world," Piniella said. "It's not as hard as doing the crossword puzzle of the New York Times, I can tell you that."

Just a little patience: Collecting 6 walks in Thursday's win over the Brewers, the Cubs upped their season total to 13.

Does this mean Cubs fans can expect a more patient group at the plate this summer?

"We're not the most patient hitting team in the world, let's be honest with that," Piniella said. "But what can we do about it? We have some guys that are aggressive with the bat, and we have a few others that are patient. And probably the most patient of all is the kid that we got from Japan, (Kosuke) Fukudome."

Along with his 4-for-8 effort in the three-game set against Milwaukee, that "kid we got from Japan" drew at least 1 walk in each game, including a pair on Wednesday.

"He hits deeper into the count, he doesn't chase out of the zone," Piniella said. "That's a welcome addition on this club."

Even the free-swinging Soriano got into the act, drawing a two-out, bases-loaded walk against Dave Bush in the fourth inning that gave the Cubs a 3-2 lead.

Familiar face on the Hill: "I would think that today would be a good time to pick up (Rich) Hill," Lou Piniella said prior to Friday's game.

The Cubs manager was referring to right-hander Jon Lieber, who returned to the Cubs this season after a year with the Yankees and the past three with the Phillies. Lieber pitched a perfect seventh in relief of Hill, but after Mark DeRosa bobbled a grounder from Lance Berkman, the righty gave up a go-ahead triple in the eighth to Miguel Tejada.

"It's probably the best I've felt in a while," said Lieber, who went 48-36 in his previous stint (1999-'02) with the Cubs. "The results are definitely not what I had in mind, but get ready for the next game."

A new position: With all the interest in where he's batting in the lineup, Alfonso Soriano found himself in an entirely new position in the ninth inning -- playing second base.

Soriano threw out J.R. Towles and leadoff hitter Michael Bourn in his two chances to field groundballs.

"Man, I think in 2006 when I played for Washingon (nationals), so it's been a long time (since I played second base)," Soriano said.