Ramirez's 4 hits just not enough
MIAMI -- Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez did his part Thursday, going 4-for-5 at the plate, but it wasn't enough as the Cubs fell 6-4 to the Marlins for a three-game sweep.
Now, Ramirez knows what the Cubs must do in Cincinnati this weekend if they're going to regroup and win the National League Central.
"You've got to go all out now," Ramirez said. "You've got to start playing good."
The Cubs like their chances tonight with ace Carlos Zambrano on the mound, even though he's 1-4 with a 6.59 ERA against the Reds.
"We need to post a win," said manager Lou Piniella. "It's as obvious as (heck) to me. We need to post a win. We got our No. 1 guy going. We need it."
The one thing the Cubs wanted to stress is that they're still in first place.
"Absolutely, and I think that sometimes gets lost," said closer Ryan Dempster. "We didn't play well here in three games. We've just got bounce back. We've got the right guy on the mound tomorrow. Believe it or not, as bad as this was, we're still confident in ourselves."
When the question of the Cubs' "cursed" history came up, one key member played ignorant.
"I understand the history and everything, but we weren't here," said first baseman Derrek Lee, who helped knock the Cubs out of the 2003 championship series while with the Marlins. "This team wasn't even here last year for the most part. I promise you guys when we're (playing), we're not thinking about the history of the Cubs."
Chicago native Cliff Floyd, however, did offer one bit of advice for anxious Cubs fans.
"Keep praying," Floyd said. "Keep watching. You get what you're going to get. They've been with us this far. They might as well ride it out."
Offense lacking: The Cubs reverted to some of their bad old ways at the plate in this series, swinging early in counts and making quick outs. Lou Piniella hasn't been in much of a mood to talk about "approaches" at the plate.
"I don't know about approaching the at-bats," Piniella said. "I think that you can be a little more selective. You don't have to jump at the first pitch or the second pitch. Make the pitcher pitch a little bit. But what the (heck) can you do? These guys are trying. It's not like they're not trying. We had a little streak. We had a little downturn. Now we got three games to do something about it, and I think we're going to go to Cincinnati and play good baseball."
Second baseman Mark DeRosa expressed frustration after going 0-for-5 Thursday.
"It didn't seem like anything went our way, but we didn't get hits when we needed to or get the outs when we needed to," DeRosa said. "I think frustrated. You work so hard all year, for 159 games to see a 3-game lead with 6 to go down to potentially 1. I think it's frustration. I don't think anybody in here is panicking. I think we trust in each other."
Ward hurting: Backup outfielder Daryle Ward had a splint on his left thumb and wrist area, the result of jamming it Wednesday night while sliding.
Ward said he had a sprain and would talk more about it today in Cincinnati.
Scouting report
Cubs vs. Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park
TV: Comcast SportsNet today and Sunday; Channel 9 Saturday
Radio: WGN 720-AM
Pitching matchups: The Cubs' Carlos Zambrano (17-13) vs. Bronson Arroyo (9-14) today at 6:10 p.m.; Rich Hill (10-8) vs. Aaron Harang (16-5) Saturday at 2:55 p.m.; Ted Lilly (15-8) vs. Homer Bailey (3-2) Sunday at 12:15 p.m.
At a glance: The Cubs are 7-8 against the Reds this year, 3-3 in Cincinnati. The Reds are without a key player in slugger Adam Dunn (40 homers), who had arthroscopic knee surgery this week. Arroyo and Harang provide big challenges for the Cubs. Alfonso Soriano is only 6-for-31 vs. Arroyo and 3-for-15 vs. Harang. Jacque Jones is 5-for-31 off Arroyo. Maybe Matt Murton will get a start against Harang, against whom he's 6-for-19 with 2 homers. Against Zambrano, Ken Griffey Jr. is 11-for-30 with 2 homers. Reds center fielder Norris Hopper entered Thursday leading NL rookies in batting at .337.
Next: The playoffs?
-- Bruce Miles