Marlins complete sweep; Cubs at a loss over slump

MIAMI - There was no nonsense in the Cubs' clubhouse Thursday.

It was supposed to be rookie-hazing day, but the silly costumes and getups all were quickly packed away after a 6-4 loss to the Florida Marlins.

There weren't any excuses, either.

"They just outplayed us; they outplayed us all year," said first baseman Derrek Lee, noting the Marlins swept the season series from the Cubs 6-0.

After coming off a weekend high at Wrigley Field, where they swept the Pittsburgh Pirates to take command of the National League Central, the Cubs got themselves swept away like so much hurricane debris here in South Florida, dropping all three.

The Cubs fell to 83-76, and if they're going to win the division, they'll have to do it in Cincinnati this weekend.

Manager Lou Piniella was surprisingly calm and philosophical after the game, during which the Cubs left 10 runners on base and went 3-for-12 with runners in scoring position.

"We squandered a lot opportunities," Piniella said. "We had a chance to score a (heck) of a lot more than 4 runs. The only message I have is we better play better in Cincinnati than we played here. Outside of that, I don't have much to say. These people beat us six games in a row, and we haven't figured out how to beat them yet."

The Cubs were rolling the dice big time Thursday by starting veteran right-hander Steve Trachsel, who hadn't started since Sept. 13, when he beat Houston on three days rest.

Trachsel (1-3) was anything but sharp early against the Marlins, throwing 30 pitches in the first inning and giving up a run after his team had jumped on Marlins lefty Scott Olsen for a 1-0 lead.

The Marlins scored twice more in the second, when Piniella had his bullpen warming up.

"The starting pitching has not been good," Piniella said as an overall statement. "As a whole, we've had some good games pitched, but for the most part, we give up runs a lot early in the ballgame."

Trachsel tried not to make the layoff an issue.

"I would have liked to have been a little sharper," he said. "I was definitely a little strong early. Throwing a lot of pitches in the first inning probably actually helped me in the middle innings. I thought I had a lot better control."

On offense, the Cubs looked to have Olsen on the ropes early, but they stranded two in the first inning and two more in the second.

"Look, this club's been through stretches where we get them in, and we've been through stretches where we don't get them in," Piniella said. "These last three games, we're not getting them in. What can I say?"

The Marlins chased Trachsel with 2 runs in the fifth. With one out, Hanley Ramirez homered and Dan Uggla walked. Will Ohman came in and got Jeremy Hermida on a flyout to deep right.

Piniella then turned to Kevin Hart, who gave up an RBI double to Miguel Cabrera.

The momentum looked like it might switch to the Cubs' side in the sixth. Aramis Ramirez led off with a single, and after Mark DeRosa flied out, Geovany Soto singled to put men on first and second.

Craig Monroe bounced what looked to be a double-play grounder to Cabrera at third, but Cabrera's throw to second went into right field for a run-scoring error. Jacque Jones added an RBI single, and Alfonso Soriano drove 1 home with a double to make it a 1-run game.

The Cubs left three men on without scoring in the seventh, with the left-handed hitting Jones striking out against lefty Renyel Pinto to end the inning. The Marlins got a run off Ryan Dempster in the eighth. In the ninth, the Cubs went 1-2-3 with Ramirez and DeRosa swinging at first pitches.

"We go through periods where we just don't get the job done," Piniella said. "Why do you see us only 6 games over .500? We're not a team that does it all the time. If we did it all the time, we'd be at 92 or 93 wins. You're going to have some times when you do it and some times when you don't. I'm being perfectly honest.

"It's team that's good enough to win the division, and that's all we want, to give ourselves a chance, and we're in position to do just that. We go to Cincinnati and win three straight, and all this talk here is moot."