Theriot reels in Marlins with grand slam

The Cubs were looking for somebody, anybody, to step up and provide some power Friday.

Actually, they were looking for one of their big boppers to start bopping.

But they gladly took the grand slam shortstop Ryan Theriot lined into the second row of the left-field bleachers in the sixth inning to rally the Cubs from a 5-2 deficit into an 8-6 victory over the Florida Marlins at Wrigley Field.

"How about that, Theriot?" said manager Lou Piniella, whose team evened its record at 11-11. "Bases loaded. Yeah. He drove that ball. I wasn't sure, but when I looked at the left fielder as he approached the wall, he was looking up. I said, 'Well, it's got a chance,' and it did."

The grand slam was the first of Theriot's career, and it salvaged an afternoon that began with Cubs starting pitcher Rich Harden lasting only 32/3 innings.

Afterward, Theriot played it cool when asked to take reporters through his grand moment.

"Through what? What happened?" he asked in mock astonishment. "I guess everybody's kind of searching for something right now the way things have kind of been playing out. More than just the homer, I think it kick-started some things. If you noticed, we got some runs after that. Hopefully, it'll be the start of something good."

The Cubs had lost seven of nine and had scored a grand total of 10 runs in the seven losses.

Whether it's the start of something big - as in more big hits - for Theriot, that remains to be seen. Piniella talked with him in St. Louis last weekend about driving the ball.

The jury is out whether that's the best approach for the 5-foot-11, 175-pound Theriot, but it worked Friday, as he yanked the 0-1 pitch from Burke Badenhop over the wall.

"I told him, 'Don't aim the ball, hit it, hit it in the gaps, try to hit it for power with men on base,' " Piniella said. "Now, if there's a man on first and the hole's open over there and you want to shoot it, that's fine. When you get people on, drive the ball. Today, that's exactly what he did."

So how about it, Ryan Theriot?

"Yeah, I'd love to do it," he said. "You don't want to lead the league in singles. But your game is what it is, and there's really not much you can do at this point in changing. When you try to drive the ball and do too much, a lot of times, I'm not as productive as I should be.

"My role on this team is to get on base for D-Lee (Derrek Lee) and Milton (Bradley) and Ramy (Aramis Ramirez). I'm not trying to drive the ball. I'm trying to get on base. When that happens, it's great."

Harden threw 86 pitches in his short outing. He came out in the fourth, when he walked three and hit a batter.

"That's been my big thing: control, command," he said. "Today, it cost me."

Jeff Samardzija bailed Harden out in the fourth, and rookie David Patton worked 2 innings to earn his first major-league victory. Theriot's big blast came after No. 7 hitter Aaron Miles walked and Mike Fontenot singled. One out later, Alfonso Soriano walked, setting the stage for the Cubs' new slugger.

"The secret now is to see some follow-through here over the weekend," Piniella said.

Bruce Miles' game tracker

Long time coming: Kevin Gregg earned his second save of the season Friday in the Cubs' 8-6 victory. It was Gregg's first save since Opening Day and the Cubs' first save as a team since April 17, when Carlos Marmol earned his second.

Simply riotous: Ryan Theriot's grand slam in the sixth inning not only was the first of his career, but it was his first home run since April 15, 2008, when he connected off the Reds' Todd Coffey. It was the eighth homer of Theriot's career.

Still too many: Cubs pitchers walked nine Marlins.

The quote: Theriot's grand slam was the talk of the clubhouse. Allegedly, manager Lou Piniella saw Theriot working out and told him he was strong enough to drive the ball. "We're going to have to hear about that for the rest of the year," said first baseman Derrek Lee. "It's unbelievable. All he does is bi's (biceps) and tri's (triceps). So now he thinks he's a power hitter. He told me I can't tell him anything now because he's a home run hitter."

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