Piniella talks of lineup changes after Cubs loss to Pirates
PITTSBURGH - When the Cubs were going bad early in the season, general manager Jim Hendry said to look at things 25-30 games into the season.
After Tuesday night's 3-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Cubs have played 27 games, and their record stands at 13-14.
"I think we've got a real good club," Hendry said at PNC Park before the game. "Unfortunately, we let a few games get away.
"But I think when you see us play like the last 10 games, the Milwaukee series and this weekend with the Diamondbacks, I think that's what we could be. The nights we left a lot of guys on base, we didn't finish them off.
"A pretty good way to look at our club is the last 10-12 games; that's what it's capable of doing on a fairly regular basis."
Hendry was referring to a couple of offensive spurts, but his words proved haunting during a frustrating night, and field manager Lou Piniella talked of further lineup changes.
The Cubs stranded 12 runners and were 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Second baseman Jeff Baker left five runners on base to end two innings. And slumping third baseman Aramis Ramirez popped out with a man on to end the game. He was 0-for-4 and is hitting .149.
The Cubs must get Ramirez going if they're going to win consistently.
"Either that, or I'm going to have to get him out of the middle part of the lineup," Piniella said. "I've been thinking of moving (Alfonso) Soriano up a little. We'll see what happens with that."
Ramirez said he will go along with whatever Piniella does.
"He's the manager; you've got to ask that question to him," Ramirez said. "I just react. Wherever he wants me to hit, I hit. I can't control that. I don't care. Like I say, I'm going to try to do my best wherever I hit."
When asked if he has spotted anything with hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo, Ramirez replied: "Right now, no. Everything. I'm late on the fastball, early on the breaking ball.
"I don't know what's going on. I've just got to keep working and see. I've got to figure it out. First time I've ever gone this far without figuring out what's going on."
The Cubs wasted another good pitching performance from Ryan Dempster (2-2, 2.95 ERA), who worked 7 innings. He gave up a first-inning solo homer to Andy LaRoche.
Soriano's seventh homer of the year leading off the fourth tied the game, and the Cubs went up 2-1 in the sixth when Geovany Soto homered with two outs.
In the bottom of the sixth, Dempster gave up a 2-run homer on a splitter to Ryan Church, with all of the damage coming after two outs. Garrett Jones hit an infield single to set the stage.
"It was a tough one today; I just threw a win away," Dempster said. "We should be sitting here winning the ballgame 2-1. I didn't put either guy away. You've got to be better than that and make a better pitch in that situation. It just (stinks) because you lose a game on that pitch right there."
<p class="factboxheadblack">Bruce Miles' game tracker</p>
<p class="News">Pirates 3, Cubs 2</p>
<p class="News"><b>Closing in:</b> Alfonso Soriano homered leading off the fourth inning. It marked the fourth game in a row Soriano has homered. That's one short of the club record, shared by Hack Wilson, Ryne Sandberg and Sammy Sosa. It's the first time in his career Soriano has homered in four straight.</p>
<p class="News"><b>Still streaking:</b> When Ryan Theriot singled in the second inning, he extended his hitting streak to 13 games. That ties his career best, set in 2008. He has 11 multihit games during the streak.</p>
<p class="News"><b>Another one wasted:</b> Ryan Dempster turned in the Cubs' 18th quality start. The team is only 9-9 in those games, but the starters' ERA in the quality starts is 1.94.</p>
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