Fair or not, Soriano hears it from Cubs fans

If this were a different team, no big deal. But the Cubs have the worst record in the major leagues.

If this were a different player, no big deal. But Alfonso Soriano is a hot-button item in Wrigley Field.

So, what happened during and after the sixth inning of a 4-3 loss to the Red Sox was predictable Saturday night.

Fair? Not necessarily, but each fan will have to decide that for himself or herself.

Predictable? Yes, absolutely it was.

The mood around Wrigley Field these days is unhappy, Cubs crack baseball honcho Theo Epstein's master rebuilding plan notwithstanding.

“They always come to a game looking for something negative or something positive,” Soriano said of the fans.

The Cubs' left fielder often is the player to provide it, one way or the other.

Soriano's contribution was on the negative side on this night, at least in the minds of Cubs fans it was.

With two Cubs runners on base and two out, Soriano ripped a line drive right at Red Sox third baseman Will Middlebrooks.

Soriano never made it out of the batter's box. The only problem was that Middlebrooks dropped the ball and threw to first base to end the inning.

And the crowd booed Soriano for standing at home plate.

Cubs manager Dale Sveum said, “100 percent of every player in the history of baseball would do the same thing (that Soriano did.”

That's an exaggeration, considering that it's difficult to get even a majority of any group of people in this world to think or say or especially do the same thing.

But Sveum was protecting Soriano, as the rest of his teammates did. They like him, they respect him, and they support him.

“Everybody in that clubhouse knows how hard Sori works,” Sveum said. “He's done everything I've asked him to do this year.”

Ah, but Cubs fans aren't that close to Soriano. Not even the bleacher bums stationed behind him in left field are.

All these people know is that they paid a lot of money to attend this game and they expect a fair return on their dollar.

The Cubs as a team aren't giving it to them. Their record is 22-43 and likely to get worse before everyone is put out of their misery the first week in October.

Meanwhile, Cubs fans too often the past five-plus seasons have seen Soriano stand in that same batter's box and turn a triple into a double or a double into a single or a hit into an out.

So they booed even before the first-base umpire called Soriano out on this particular play.

Not even fans behind him in the bleachers, with whom Soriano has developed a good relationship, were consoling.

Soriano was booed even louder when he came up to bat again in the eighth inning. And even louder still when he struck out.

In a way this is too bad because Soriano is having a decent offensive season, has improved markedly on defense and comes across as a good guy.

Soriano also has been playing on bad knees for several seasons and works diligently to keep them in some sort of playing condition.

But these are nasty days at Wrigley Field. No street party or merchandise giveaway or anything else can soothe the soul.

That's how it figures to remain until this team gets better or that player gets traded.

mimrem@dailyherald.com