Slumping Soriano grabs some bench

MILWAUKEE — Left fielder Alfonso Soriano found himself on the bench Wednesday night for Game 2 of the Cubs’ series against the Brewers at Miller Park.

Manager Mike Quade gave the start to Blake DeWitt instead.

“Just give Sori a day,” Quade said. “He’s had a rough month. He’s struggled a little bit. I need to find Blake a game. This seemed like a good opportunity.

“It’s been a tough 30 days for him. He’s had several good games. He hasn’t been able to be consistent.”

Soriano entered Wednesday with an average/on-base/slugging line of .171/.194/.257 for July. He had hit 1 home run and driven in 8 while walking twice and striking out 16 times.

The Cubs would love to trade Soriano, who has three years after this left on his eight-year, $136 million contract. However, even if the Cubs eat most of the money, it’s hard to imagine many teams believing Soriano could help them in any meaningful way.

Also slumping:First baseman Carlos Pena entered Wednesday hitless in his previous four games, going 0-for-15. With only a one-year contract, Pena might be an attractive trade option for a contender, so this isn#146;t a great time for a slump.

#147;It#146;s funny because he#146;s still working counts, still getting his walks,#148; said Mike Quade. #147;I don#146;t sense anything other than he just hasn#146;t squared up many balls. He hasn#146;t elevated the ball. When he#146;s hit a ball hard, it#146;s been on a line or it#146;s been a groundball. I just think he#146;s another guy that goes through these things. He#146;ll go two weeks where he#146;s locked in, even against left-handed pitching, and other times not. Hitters go through this a lot. I don#146;t think this is unique to Carlos.#148;

Injuries and illness:Reliever Kerry Wood returned to the Cubs on Wednesday after spending part of Tuesday getting IV treatment for a stomach ailment.

Wood said the IVs helped greatly. Mike Quade said he hoped Wood could be used right away.

Outfielder Reed Johnson is still ailing with a bad back. When asked about Johnson#146;s availability for Wednesday, Quade said: #147;Probably not. I know they#146;re looking at him now and trying to make some decisions on where we#146;re at with him and if he#146;s available.#148;

It#146;s still not certain at this point whether Johnson will have to go on the disabled list. He spent one DL stint with back problems from late May into mid-June.