The 'effort' is there, especially from Wells
After clearing out of the clubhouse in record time after Monday's loss to the Astros, the Cubs reported for work again Tuesday.
This time they hung around long enough to beat Houston 4-1 with Randy Wells becoming the first Cubs pitcher to reach 10 victories.
If there's any quit in this team, manager Lou Piniella says he hasn't seen it.
"I haven't seen any laying down here," Piniella said before the game. "I don't think that's why we've lost baseball games. I've been pleased with the effort we've gotten.
"What makes is disappointing is that everybody jumped on our wagon over the winter, and we haven't performed up to, quote, their expectations.
"But at the same time, you've got to play on the field. You've got to drive in runs. You've got to hit with men on base, and you've got to play good baseball. And we've been basically a team that hasn't done that with the consistency that everybody thought we would."
Piniella did his best to steer away from the word "disappointed" when asked about his own feelings toward a 2009 team that has been mediocre for most of the season.
"I thought we would be better coming out of spring training," he admitted. "I didn't anticipate the injuries that we've had. I said that was an important consideration because we weren't very deep. But at the same time, we could have had better performances by a few players.
"I like to win. I think that from that perspective, we could have done better. I don't like to use the word 'disappointment.' I've gotten effort here. I know that these guys have done the best that they can.
"Nobody's laying down. From that perspective, the reality is that we haven't played as well as we thought we would play."
One guy who has no doubt exceeded expectations is pitcher Randy Wells, who worked 62/3 innings Tuesday, giving up 7 hits and 1 unearned run. Wells became the first Cubs rookie to hit double digits since Kerry Wood won 13 in 1998, when he won the Rookie of the Year.
"I'm not trying to reach any plateaus or win any awards," said Wells, who is 10-7 with a 2.90 ERA. "Every time they give me the ball, just go out there and try to do my job.
"It's nice. It's rewarding. I can't lie. Just thinking back on my career and the path and every road that I took to get here, it's nice to be recognized."
The Cubs scored single runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. Hot-hitting Milton Bradley homered in the fourth, his 12th.
"It's fun to win," Bradley said. "It makes everything easier. It makes doing these interviews easier. It makes coming in here every day easier."
Koyie Hill and Aramis Ramirez added RBI singles to stake Wells to his lead.
"Good to see," Piniella said. "He's had a really nice first year. He needs to finish up strong, but we've been impressed with him. He's a serious-minded kid who goes about his business and competes very well."
<p class="factboxheadblack">Bruce Miles' game tracker</p> <p class="News">Cubs 4, Astros 1</p> <p class="News"><b>Return to quality: </b>After going three straight games without a quality start, the Cubs got one from Randy Wells, who went 62/3 innings, giving up 7 hits and 1 unearned run. It was the Cubs' 78th quality start. The starters' ERA in those games is 2.14.</p> <p class="News"><b>He's back:</b> Left fielder Alfonso Soriano returned to the lineup after missing three games with a bad knee. He lined to right, singled, struck out and scored a run.</p> <p class="News"><b>No wiltin' for Milton:</b> Right fielder Milton Bradley homered, singled and scored twice. He's 14-for-30 (.467) with 3 homers and 6 RBI this homestand.</p> <div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=318274">Hendry sees good things for Samardzija<span class="date"> [9/1/09]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>