Another bad inning for Marquis

It's pretty easy to tell when Cubs manager Lou Piniella has little taste for a subject.

He usually lets out a sigh and gives a short, clipped answer.

So it was before Tuesday night's 4-3 loss to the San Diego Padres when the subject of starting pitcher Jason Marquis came up.

"We need a good game from him," Piniella said. "I'm looking forward to seeing him pitch well."

Piniella will have to keep looking forward for a solid, end-to-end start by Marquis.

Staked to a 3-0 lead in the second inning, Marquis gave it all back plus 1 more in the fourth.

Marquis, with whom Piniella clashed in spring training, fell to 1-3, with his only victory coming when the Cubs beat the Pirates 13-1 on April 19. It's often been one bad inning that has killed Marquis in his losses this year.

"All his games are about the same," said Piniella, whose team fell to 23-16. "I have no idea. You can talk to the pitcher. You can talk to the pitching coach. I have no idea. But they're all about the same. You know what I mean? One bad inning."

That one bad inning was the fourth. Singles by Adrian Gonzalez and Scott Hairston set the stage for a 3-run homer by Khalil Greene. Later in the inning, Jody Gerut doubled home pitcher Shawn Estes, who had singled with two outs.

"Well, obviously, I made a bad pitch to Khalil Greene, left it up in the zone," said Marquis, who has a 5.26 ERA. "Tonight I really focused on keeping the ball down. With the wind blowing out, obviously, you saw what happened.

"Seems like every mistake I make is getting hit hard. That's what it comes down to. I'm making good pitches and getting the outs I want, and then it seems like the mistakes are being magnified right now more than anything."

Things began well enough for the Cubs on Tuesday. Alfonso Soriano led off the home half of the first with his fifth home run of the year, a high drive to the right of dead-center.

Reed Johnson drove a pair home with a double in the second against one-time Cubs lefty Estes, and it looked like the rout might be on.

Estes, who missed the better part of two years recovering from elbow surgery, wriggled out of minor trouble after that and lasted 5½ innings for his first victory since September 9, 2005, and the 100th of his career.

"More than you can imagine," Estes said of the game's meaning for him. "A lot of frustration the last couple of years. I didn't think I was going to make it back last year. I was going through a lot of pain in my elbow again."

The Cubs had a chance in the fifth, when Marquis and Soriano singled. But Ryan Theriot bunted too hard trying to sacrifice, and Marquis was forced out at third.

"Looked like it," a tight-lipped Theriot said of his bunt being too hard.

The San Diego bullpen shut the Cubs down, with Trevor Hoffman earning his seventh save this year and the 531st of his career. Cubs hitters credited Estes.

"It wasn't so much changing speeds," Johnson said. "He had some good movement on his fastball away, sinking it away from righties. That's a tough pitch to stay on."

Padres 4, Cubs 3

At the plate: Alfonso Soriano led off the bottom of the first with his fifth home run of the season. Reed Johnson drove in 2 with a double in the second, when the Cubs took a 3-0 lead.

On the mound: Jason Marquis lasted 52/3 innings, giving up 9 hits and 4 runs, all in the fourth inning, when Khalil Greene hit a 3-run homer. Scott Eyre retired the only batter he faced, and Michael Wuertz pitched 3 scoreless innings.

-- Bruce Miles