Cubs' offense stays quiet in extra-inning loss to Marlins

Cubs general manager Jim Hendry's lament before Thursday night's game proved prophetic.

"We haven't played well," Hendry said before the Cubs went out and lost 8-2 to the Florida Marlins, who put up 6 runs in the 10th inning. "A lot of guys just aren't hitting. When you have a lot of good players not hitting at the same time or maybe a clump of guys maybe not throwing as well as they can, then you're going to lose some ballgames."

Hendry's concerns were realized in more ways than one. The offense failed to score the winning run in the ninth inning with a man on second, one out and cleanup hitter Derrek Lee at the plate. And ace setup man Carlos Marmol continued to struggle, suffering a blown save by walking two and giving up a run in the eighth inning.

Although Hendry talked positively, the lack of offense is starting to bother field boss Lou Piniella.

"I'll tell you, it's a big concern," said Piniella, whose team is 10-11. "Big concern."

Aside from a brief power burst in the fifth inning, when Milton Bradley and Mike Fontenot opened with home runs to put the Cubs and pitcher Sean Marshall ahead 2-0, there was little in the way of offense from a group that struggled all of April.

"Marshall pitched well, gave us 7 good innings of 1-run ball," Piniella said. "Most of the time, that's good enough to win. Today it wasn't."

The Marlins got a solo homer from Jorge Cantu in the seventh before Marmol's implosion, which included his own throwing error in addition to the 2 walks.

The Cubs had a big chance to win the game in the bottom of the ninth after Ryan Theriot led off with a single.

Kosuke Fukudome struck out, but Theriot stole second base with Lee up. But Lee struck out. The Marlins walked Bradley intentionally, and when Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez brought lefty Renyel Pinto in to pitch, Piniella hit Reed Johnson for the left-handed hitting Fontenot.

Johnson grounded one up the middle, but shortstop Alfredo Amezaga went to the ground, came up with the ball and got it to second for a forceout.

"We're not playing the way we know we can play," said Lee, who is batting .189. "A concern? I don't know. We need to change it. We need to fix it. April's over now. We need to turn it around. I'm bad right now, really bad. I have to make some adjustments."

The Marlins hit Aaron Heilman in the 10th and also got help from Theriot's second error of the game.

Amezaga led off with a bloop double to center. Pinch hitter Wes Helms walked. Emilio Bonifacio couldn't lay down a bunt, but he did bounce the ball to Lee at first. Lee fired to second, but the ball went off Theriot's glove and into left field, allowing a run to score.

The Marlins got an RBI single from Cameron Maybin, and the coup de grace came on a 3-run double Cantu.

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