Patterson gets call; Murton left behind

Matt Murton's chance did not come Wednesday.

Instead, the Cubs called up infielder-outfielder Eric Patterson to take the place of Alfonso Soriano, who went on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right calf.

Despite Murton having better numbers at Class AAA Iowa, the Cubs cited Patterson being a left-handed hitter and being able to play more positions than Murton, who is a left fielder. Patterson can play second base and all three outfield spots.

General manager Jim Hendry wouldn't rule out exchanging Patterson for Murton as early as this weekend.

"Just a situation, really, where we've talked about being a little too right-handed," Hendry said. "Eric gives us some dimension from the left side, gives us some speed, gives Lou (manager Piniella) a little more flexibility on double switches. He can literally play four positions.

"At the same time, we're not making any promises that we won't mix and match, too, if the situation changes."

At Iowa, Patterson was 8-for-36 (.222) with an on-base percentage of .282. He had 3 walks and 12 strikeouts. Murton entered Wednesday 10-for-34 (.294) with an OBP of .442. He had 8 walks and 3 strikeouts, but no extra-base hits.

Patterson seemed slightly surprised by his call-up.

"Yeah, a little bit," he said. "Baseball is so unpredictable. You never know what's going to happen. It's our job to be ready for when you do."

Patterson, 25, is the younger brother of Reds center fielder and former Cub Corey Patterson.

Eric Patterson appeared in seven games with the Cubs last year. He was sent home in September for arriving to the ballpark late on multiple occasions.

The Patterson brothers had hoped to have lunch together Wednesday, but it didn't work out. They had a chat near the batting cage during batting practice.

That was quick: After saying Felix Pie likely would start in center field for all three games of the Reds series, manager Lou Piniella did an about-face Wednesday.

Reed Johnson played center in place of Pie, who got a tutorial on hitting from Piniella. Several hours before Wednesday's game, Piniella was quite animated with Pie on the field as he tried to make a point.

"We're working with him to shorten up his swing," Piniella said. "We're going to work with it for a few days until he feels nice and comfortable."

Pie started and struck out three times Tuesday.

Bad to Wuertz: It's been a rough go for reliever Michael Wuertz lately. Sunday in Philadelphia, he didn't retire any of the four batters he faced. Tuesday, he got the hook after two batters.

"It's bound to happen sooner or later," said Wuertz, who had been among the most dependable relievers. "Now is not the best time, but it's only two games. Get over it and move on.

"It's a matter of staying on the aggressive and getting back on that path again and forgetting about what happened."