Cubs' offensive struggles continue

PHOENIX - Cubs manager Lou Piniella insisted Tuesday that his team's offensive slump is no recent phenomenon.

The Cubs were shut out in Monday's series opener against the Diamondbacks after scoring just 1 run in two of the three games at Houston. They had trouble again Tuesday night, falling to Arizona 9-2.

"Look, we've basically been struggling for a longer period than what you think," Piniella said. "We've been able to win some baseball games, but we haven't been scoring runs with the proficiency we were earlier in the season."

For Piniella, it boils down to leadoff man and power threat Alfonso Soriano going on the disabled list June 12 with a broken left hand. Soriano also missed time in April with a calf injury. The Cubs could welcome Soriano back as early as tonight.

"You lose a bat like that, it's going to hurt you, especially for six weeks," said Piniella, who tried to put the Soriano situation into perspective. "That's a long time. We've played four months of baseball, 16 weeks. Soriano's been out for eight of them. And basically, he's our biggest home run threat. Yeah, it's going to hurt. We were able to overcome it, to these guys' credit out here the way we've played.

"Sooner or later, it starts showing up, and it has."

Piniella could have added his defense and relief pitching as culprits Tuesday. Starter Jason Marquis gave up 5 hits and 3 runs in 6 innings, but Sean Marshall and Kevin Hart let things get away late.

While the game was still in doubt, the Cubs' big hitters failed again. Derrek Lee grounded into a double play to end the fifth and stranded two in the seventh. Aramis Ramirez flied out with two on in the third and went 0-for-3. Geovany Soto 0-for-4. Those three hitters are a combined 4-for-60 on this road trip.

Soriano was 1-for-3 Tuesday in his rehab game for Class AAA Iowa, and if he's OK, he'll be activated tonight.

"The middle part of our lineup, we're getting people on, but we're not getting them in," said Piniella, whose team is 58-42 and 1 game ahead of Milwaukee.

"We're better than we're playing," Lee said. "It is frustrating. Anytime you don't score runs, especially for - what is it now, six games - it's a little frustrating. We've just go to turn the page and relax and play."

Marquis gave up a solo homer to Conor Jackson in the first inning and single runs in the third and fourth.

The Cubs got a run in the fourth. Mark DeRosa walked with one out. After Soto grounded out, Mike Fontenot tripled.

DeRosa doubled with two outs in the sixth, but Soto flied out to end the inning.

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