Hoffpauir comes off bench, fuels comeback

If rookie Micah Hoffpauir lusts to make a return trip to Des Moines, Iowa, he's going about it all the wrong way.

Hoffpauir continued his sterling callup stint Friday when he drilled a sixth-inning double and a seventh-inning single to become a huge part of the rallies that turned a 9-1 deficit into a 10-9 win over Colorado.

Shortly after taking over at first base for Derrek Lee in the top of the sixth, Hoffpauir led off the bottom half with a shot to left-center that disappeared into the ivy.

Because his line drive landed a foot below the basket, though, Hoffpauir circled the bases thinking he might have his first major-league homer.

"I didn't see where it went," Hoffpauir said. "I could see the fans were pointing like it went into the basket, so I just kept going until they stopped me. A double's OK with me."

Apparently so. In one start and nine appearances off the bench, Hoffpauir has batted 7-for-15 with 3 doubles since hitting the bigs two weeks ago.

Since he outperformed Lee after taking over first base Friday, might this have served as a Lou Gehrig/Wally Pipp moment for the 28-year-old rookie?

"Oh, no, by no means," Hoffpauir said. "I'm here to spell him when he needs a day off. That's a role I can get used to doing and, hopefully, it will work out."

Hoffpauir could start at first base Sunday as Lou Piniella intends to give Lee a full day off.

Looking for relief: Prior to Friday's 10-9 victory over Colorado, manager Lou Piniella put some of his relievers on notice that he needs more.

"The top end of our bullpen (Carlos Marmol, Kerry Wood, Bobby Howry) has been very strong," Piniella said. "We're looking for a few of our back-end people to kick it in a little better."

But Piniella's suggestion had nothing to do with the transaction the Cubs made after the game. They sent cash to Cincinnati in exchange for minor-league middle reliever Jim Brower.

Brower, who'll fill a need in the minors, went 0-1 with a 2.88 ERA this year at Class AAA Louisville. He posted 28 strikeouts with 11 walks in his 25 innings.

The 35-year-old Brower could be helpful down the road. He has pitched for eight major-league teams, most recently last year for the New York Yankees.

His best seasons came in San Francisco, where he ate up 193 innings during 2003-04 and posted a 3.64 ERA.

Ramirez rests: With third baseman Aramis Ramirez a clean 0-for-10 lifetime against Colorado starter Aaron Cook, Lou Piniella decided Friday was the optimal day to give Ramirez a rest. Ramirez had started 22 consecutive games dating to May 6. But if anything, his bat improved as his streak wore on. He went 11-for-28 in his last seven games to push his batting average from .285 to .301.

Pitchers old and new: When Cubs starter Ted Lilly ran into first-inning trouble, an unfamiliar face ran out to the mound to calm him down. With pitching coach Larry Rothschild attending his daughter's graduation, bullpen coach Lester Strode handled Rothschild's usual duty.

Colorado called up former Cub Glendon Rusch after Friday's game and announced he'll start today against Ryan Dempster. Rusch, who hasn't started a big-league game since 2006 when he was with the Cubs, started two games recently for Class AAA Colorado Springs and allowed just 1 run and 5 hits in 11 innings.