Key players will rest to beat the heat
He doesn't plan to open any fire hydrants on Waveland or Sheffield Avenues, but Cubs manager Lou Piniella will help his key players beat the heat with the forecast calling for high heat indexes the next five days.
"I'll try to rest a few people on this homestand," Piniella said. "The weather is going to get nice and hot. You'll see, we'll try to exclude someone from the lineup on an everyday basis."
Ryan Theriot and Mark DeRosa were the first regulars to get a day of rest on Friday, though Theriot entered the game as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the seventh and remained in the game at shortstop.
The fact that the Cubs still play a majority of their contests during the day, including seven of nine games during this homestand, factors into the decision to grant players days off to recharge their energy.
"Everybody needs a day off when it's hot," third baseman Aramis Ramirez said. "There are a lot of day games in Chicago. A lot of guys don't want to come out of the lineup, including myself, but everybody needs a day off."
Piniella also attempts to keep his players fresh by giving them the option of taking batting practice on the field or in the cage beneath the right-field bleachers.
"You have to," Ramirez said of opting for batting practice in the cage on hot days. "We're the only team that plays so many day games and it's hot. If you go out there and try to take BP at 10 or 10:30 in the morning, you're going to waste yourself."
Rehabbing: Long reliever Jon Lieber threw a pain-free side session at Wrigley Field on Friday. The 38-year-old right-hander has been on the disabled list since July 19 with a right-foot strain and will likely begin a minor-league rehabilitation assignment later this week.
"He's going to go out and pitch 3 innings somewhere the next few days," Lou Piniella said.
The Cubs signed Lieber in the off-season to a one-year, $3.5 million contract with incentives for games started and innings pitched. Lieber has gone 2-3 with a 3.43 ERA in 25 appearances this season, 24 in relief.