Mix-and-match lineups likely to continue for Cubs
Many major-league managers would love to have a “set lineup” they can trot out every day. But with the Cubs, that’s not happening, and it’s probably not a bad thing.
In fact, manager Mike Quade said Sunday he likes the flexibility the players at the top of his order give him.
Kosuke Fukudome returned to the lineup for the 7-3 loss to the Dodgers, and he went 2-for-5 with a double out of the leadoff spot. He’s batting .414 with an on-base percentage of .529.
Darwin Barney remained second, and he was 2-for-5. He is batting .329 with an OBP of .360. Starlin Castro dropped from leadoff to third. He was 0-for-4, but he’s been the team’s most consistent performer with a batting average of .376, an OBP of .402 and a slugging percentage of .505.
Look for continued mixing and matching.
“I don’t have a regular look at lineups around the league to know if it’s something that can or can’t be expected,” Quade said of set lineups. “I just know that with my situation here ... doing the things we’re doing, mixing and matching, that it’s just not something I see happening right now.
“Now, there are some guys who are forcing some issue here, for sure, and good for them. But league-wise or with other clubs, I’m not sure. I just know that with our situation here, it’s going to be an evolving thing.”
Not a problem:When second baseman Darwin Barney made a throwing error in the second inning and the Cubs were down 5-2, pitcher Carlos Zambrano said something to the rookie, and it looked like the words were encouraging. On the next pitch, Zambrano started a nice 1-4-3 double play, with Barney darting quickly to the second-base bag to turn the play.In the past, Zambrano might have reacted angrily.#147;Just don#146;t worry about that,#148; Zambrano said. #147;I grabbed the groundball and didn#146;t see anybody at the base. So I threw there, finally ... he#146;s quick. He came up and caught the ball and made the throw to the first baseman to complete the double play. I was kind of giving him support and picking him up.#148;Barney said he appreciated it.#147;Z loves to play hard, and he loves guys that play hard,#148; Barney said. #147;He knows we#146;re playing hard behind him. That play (the error) was just one of those things that happens. I looked up, rushed it a little bit. He was supportive. That#146;s what#146;s funny about his game. You#146;ve got to put those things behind you and we#146;ll look at it after the game. We got out of it.Samardzija#146;s streak:Right-hander Jeff Samardzija earned the win in relief Saturday to improve to improve to 2-0 with a 3.65 ERA. Samardzija is riding a career-best 7-consecutive-innings scoreless streak. For Mike Quade, it#146;s all about command. #147;He#146;s on a great roll,#148; Quade said. #147;I#146;m not looking to mess with anything. Just keep doing what you#146;re doing. Some of the stuff we#146;ve talked about, he knows. He#146;s got major-league stuff. Just command it. It#146;s not that easy, but it#146;s that simple, I think, to say it. And he#146;s doing that right now. He#146;s all over the glove on a regular basis and he#146;s down in the zone. If he continues to do that, he#146;ll continue to have success.#148;