Fuld a hit leading off as Cubs handle Pirates
The Cubs got a great all-around performance from their leadoff hitter in Wednesday night's 4-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park, and not surprisingly it didn't come from slumping Alfonso Soriano.
Rookie Sam Fuld filled in for Soriano at the top of the order and in left field and was brilliant offensively and defensively.
The 27-year-old Fuld doubled in the first inning for his first major-league hit and scored on Derrek Lee's 12th home run.
He also walked and singled and made a sliding catch of a sinking liner to take a hit away from Ramon Vazquez in the fourth.
An inning later, Fuld charged a single by Freddie Sanchez and fired a perfect one-hop throw to the plate to cut down Jack Wilson trying to score from second base, preserving a 2-1 lead.
Fuld also saw a total of 26 pitches in his 5 plate appearances, showing ideal patience for a leadoff hitter. That's something rarely seen in Soriano, whose batting average has plummeted to .230 after a miserable June in which he hit .198 and struck out 23 times while drawing 10 walks.
Soriano's on-base percentage, a vital statistic at the top of the order, has sunk to .296, the lowest of any of the Cubs' everyday players.
"I talked to him (Tuesday) and told him about players around the league getting some time off and that it might have helped them," Piniella told reporters before the game. "I told him that's what I planned to do. So we'll see."
Fuld's throw got starter Randy Wells out of his only troublesome inning after the first, when he allowed his only run. Wells went 7 strong innings, allowing 6 hits, 5 of them singles, while striking out four and walking one.
After starting the season with 3 straight tough-luck losses, Wells has won 3 in a row and has a team-best 2.43 ERA.
Kosuke Fukudome put the Cubs up 3-1 with a solo homer in the sixth, and Geovany Soto's single in the seventh scored Milton Bradley after the second of his 2 walks, leaving the Cubs 37-38 after just their fourth win in 11 games.
Piniella's team returns to Wrigley Field tonight for the start of an 11-game homestand heading into the all-star break.
"These next dozen games or so that we have prior to the break are extremely important," Piniella said before Wednesday's game. "We just have to keep hanging in there close. I'd like to see us get hot at home."
Piniella exhibited the fire that some observers have been clamoring for when he was ejected for the first time this season for arguing a bang-bang play at first base in the sixth inning in which Wells was called out.
But the Cubs already led by then, and Carlos Marmol and Kevin Gregg (save No. 17) preserved it with no further drama.
Bob LeGere's game tracker
Cubs 4, Pirates 1
Slow starters: No Cub had as many as 40 RBI by the end of June, although Derrek Lee's 2-run homer Wednesday gave him 41. By comparison, the Cardinals' Albert Pujols had 35 RBI in June alone.
Road dogs: The victory over the Pirates elevated the Cubs' road record to a still-dismal 16-25. An indication of how poorly they have hit as visitors is that Kosuke Fukudome came into Wednesday's game as their leading hitter on the road with a .262 average.
Chilling: Pirates second baseman Freddie Sanchez was 11-for-16 in his first five games against the Cubs this season for a .688 average, but he was held to 1-for-4 Wednesday.
Scouting report
Milwaukee Brewers vs. Cubs at Wrigley Field
TV: Today, Friday, Sunday Comcast SportsNet; Saturday Channel 9
Radio: WGN 720-AM
Pitching matchups: The Cubs' Ryan Dempster (4-5) vs. Seth McClung (3-1) today at 7:05 p.m.; Carlos Zambrano (4-3) vs. Jeff Suppan (5-6) Friday at 1:20 p.m.; Rich Harden (5-4) vs. Braden Looper (6-4) Saturday at 12:05 p.m.; Ted Lilly (7-6) vs. Mike Burns (1-1) Sunday at 1:20 p.m.
At a glance: Starting today the Cubs play 11 straight games at home before the all-star break, four vs. the Brewers, three vs. Atlanta and four vs. St. Louis. They're 21-13, a winning percentage of .618, at Wrigley Field, compared to 15-25 (.375) on the road. - The Cubs ended June at 15th in the National League in runs scored, ahead of only San Diego. - Of the Cubs' 25 games in June, 22 (88 percent) were decided by 3 runs or fewer and 18 by 2 runs or fewer; 14 were 1-run contests.
Next: Atlanta Braves at Wrigley Field, Monday-Wednesday