Piniella heading home to care for his mother

For the second time in recent days, Cubs manager Lou Piniella has left the team to take care of family matters.

Piniella flew to Tampa, Fla., on Sunday evening as the team went on to San Francisco. He went home to take care of his ailing mother.

Piniella missed the final two games of the last road trip and the first game of the just-concluded homestand to attend the funeral of his uncle.

It's possible Piniella could rejoin the team on the upcoming road trip, which begins Monday in San Francisco and continues to St. Louis on Friday.

"My mom's in the hospital, and I'm going to be there for the time that's needed, and hopefully I can get her home and make some arrangements to make sure that everything is good before I come back," he said.

Piniella's got sympathy from inside the clubhouse.

"We're not playing good, and now his mother is not feeling good," left fielder Alfonso Soriano said. "I hope that his mom feels better."

It's been a tough stretch for Piniella and the Cubs. He recently announced his retirement. The Cubs traded popular pitcher Ted Lilly and infielder Ryan Theriot. And the team is losing often.

"It's not easy on me, either," Piniella said. "I'm thinking of trying to win some games. That's all I'm thinking about. This isn't about me. This is about this team winning some baseball games and playing well. That's all I care about. I haven't thought of anything else but that, I'll be honest with you."

Soto better: Catcher Geovany Soto missed his second straight game because of mild ligament sprain in his right shoulder. However, he should be ready to play Monday night in San Francisco.

"He's better," Lou Piniella said before Sunday's 11-4 loss to the Reds. "I just talked to him coming in. He was in the training room. He'll be ready to go tomorrow night."

Steadfast on Lee: First baseman Derrek Lee was 0-for-3 with a walk. Lou Piniella appears to be resisting all fan pressure and media questions about either benching Lee or moving him out of the No. 3 spot.

"We've been resting a few of our players, Derrek probably not as much, but we can," Piniella said. "We've rested Soto. (Starlin) Castro's really played every day, but he's young. We've rested (Aramis) Ramirez. We've rested Soriano. We probably need to rest the center fielder, (Marlon) Byrd, a little more.

"Look, we've got (Xavier) Nady, and we've got Derrek Lee at first. Look, with Derrek, I can give him a breather from time to time, but he's going to be playing first base."