Ramirez getting a little break

Aramis Ramirez, batting .155, had Sunday off, and with Monday's travel day he now has two days' rest heading into the series at Pittsburgh.

Manager Lou Piniella hopes the time off proves just the tonic for his struggling third baseman.

"He's a veteran guy. You've got to battle your way out of it," Piniella said.

It may be more than just a battle considering one glaring statistic.

"The only surprising thing is the number of strikeouts (25 in 97 at-bats)," Piniella said.

Some hot hitters: While Aramis Ramirez struggles to shake off his doldrums at the plate, left fielder Alfonso Soriano (2 homers Sunday) has skyrocketed past .300 again, and catcher Geovany Soto, coming off a disastrous 2009, has an on-base percentage (OBP) of .500.

Manager Lou Piniella credited much of Soriano's success to his work with hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo, who has him being more selective at the plate.

"Rudy's had him in Texas before," Piniella said, "and had success with him. "It's a good marriage between the two."

Outfield rotation: Lou Piniella has been working hard to try to get all five outfielders on his roster some playing time, but it's getting difficult.

Especially for veteran Xavier Nady, who is hitting just .194.

"We've got (Kosuke) Fukudome that's swinging it," Piniella said. "We've got (Alfonso) Soriano that's swinging it. We've got (Marlon) Byrd that's swinging it.

"We haven't been able to get Nady into a game."

Piniella was especially keen on Fukudome's potential to keep his fast start (.353) going.

"He's staying through the ball well," Piniella said. "He stays on the ball much better."

Finally: Sunday's starting pitcher, Tom Gorzelanny, picked up his first victory of the season despite a solid opening month.

"He has pitched well," Lou Piniella said. "We haven't given him much run support."

He said it: Lou Piniella on how as a player he would battle his way out of a slump: "I put more money in the (donation) basket."