How long can Cubs' pen lean hard to right?

There was a hint of October in the air at Wrigley Field on Tuesday night.

Or maybe December.

Either way, and despite wind chills in the 20s by game's end, the Cubs stayed hot at home with a 3-1 victory over the Dodgers.

But if you tend to ponder October -- and there's no reason not to if you're a Cubs fan -- you have to wonder where exactly the Cubs are going with their left-handed relievers.

While he's not likely to admit it very loudly, Cubs manager Lou Piniella has shown a fairly obvious reluctance to pitch Scott Eyre in difficult situations of late.

It caused one odd double-switch in an extra-inning game in Pittsburgh, where Eyre pitched to only one batter, and was clear Tuesday when setup man Carlos Marmol didn't have his best stuff.

Even with lefty after lefty coming to the plate for Los Angeles, Piniella had righties Bob Howry and Kerry Wood up and throwing in the eighth, and Eyre was nowhere to be found.

Marmol managed to wriggle out of a bases-loaded jam, Howry sat down, and Wood came in to close it down in the ninth.

Said Piniella of Marmol, "I'm going to have to rest him just a little more, and stay away from pitching him 2 innings as much as I can.''

That makes sense, but having no lefty available in crunch time doesn't.

The eighth inning Tuesday night makes you wonder if the Cubs can get by much longer with Eyre as the only lefty in the pen, and whether the Cubs will take another shot with Neal Cotts, who's catching fire at Iowa (AAA).

Cotts has saved games in his last 3 outings and has a WHIP of 1.22, with 33 strikeouts and only 10 walks.

It's too obvious an issue to ignore, and you have to believe someone's going to be left out.

Or brought in.

Sutcliffe returns

ESPN broadcaster Rick Sutcliffe flashed the trademark grin and offered bear hugs all around Tuesday afternoon at Wrigley Field, but the smile quickly vanished when Sutcliffe talked of the people he has met while battling colon cancer.

"I'd go from the couch to the hospital for treatment, and back to the couch again. They want you to get a lot of rest and take it easy,'' Sutcliffe said. "But everyone I saw at the hospital was older than me, and every one of them was still working.

"I saw construction workers and meter readers, and they weren't going home to the couch. They had to work and they couldn't afford a day off, let alone a few weeks off.

"I'm supposed to feel sorry for myself? I can't stop thinking about all the people I met. I worry about them.''

Sutcliffe is finished with treatments and will work until a June 16 surgery that is supposed to sideline him for about a month.

Short stops

It wouldn't be completely crazy if Lou Piniella has considered switching Ryan Theriot and Ronny Cedeno, moving Theriot back to second -- where he played more games in the minors -- and Cedeno to short -- which is his natural position.

As much as you have to love the way Theriot plays the game, there are times when it looks like he's got a second baseman's arm, and it would be no demotion to move a few feet to his left.

The fact that Piniella hasn't already done it leads you to believe he still doesn't trust Cedeno's all-around game, though he did give Theriot "a breather,'' started Cedeno at short, and had Mike Fontenot at second Tuesday.

Tip of the cap

To Cubs broadcaster Bob Brenly, who was merely telling the truth when he talked recently about the awful outfield play of Alfonso Soriano.

It's not the first time Brenly and partner Len Kasper have painted an honest picture of the Cubs' left fielder, and unlike some local broadcast teams, they rarely pull their punches.

Calling Cabrera

Most players complain about official scorer's calls, and many contact scorers, though they usually have coaches and managers phone on their behalf, rather than suffer the embarrassment of begging.

What was a concern among a few players Thursday night in the White Sox' clubhouse was Orlando Cabrera's "intent,'' or, in other words, his unwillingness to sacrifice his body in order to catch a throw from home on a steal attempt, and his apparent need to make the play appear quite difficult.

It was that perception, and the fact that the ball wasn't caught, that received more attention than concern over the call itself.

The Dusty trail

A popular topic of conversation Tuesday at Wrigley Field was Dusty Baker's abuse of his starting pitchers in an 18-inning loss to San Diego on Sunday night.

In case you missed it, he brought back Aaron Harang on two days' rest (after throwing 103 pitches) and used him for 4 innings and 63 pitches.

As for 24 year-old Edinson Volquez, he got one whole day off, and (after tossing 92 pitches) Baker made him throw 1¿ innings and 39 pitches.

A manager who truly sees the big picture and has players' best interests at heart understands that sometimes you have to be willing to lose a game to win later, and pitch a position player in such a situation.

Release and catch

After the Cubs dump Jim Edmonds, like, any minute now, who's your pick for his next team? I'm thinking Cincinnati sounds perfect.

And finally …

Lou Piniella on home-plate ump Bob Davidson screaming into the Cubs' dugout only 4 pitches into Tuesday's game: "He told me to tell (bench coach Alan) Trammell to drink decaf coffee. He took his mask off and he had his game face on. It was a (national) TV game, so he knew what he was doing.''

brozner@dailyherald.com