Cubs don’t match buzz felt at Wrigley

There was more than the usual flurry of activity in anticipation of a Cubs-Cardinals series Tuesday night at Wrigley Field.

Every time you turned around, a press conference broke out. Over here, it was former Cub Ryan Theriot saying he still feels he’s on the “right side” of the Cubs-Cardinals rivalry.

Over there it was Cubs manager Mike Quade explaining why he moved Starlin Castro down to the No. 7 spot in the lineup. And back over here, it was Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak saying that manager Tony La Russa is being treated for shingles. La Russa will miss this series and the weekend at Cincinnati.

Then there was the hug between Cubs GM Jim Hendry and Cardinals superstar and free-agent-to-be Albert Pujols. No doubt that sent the Twitter world atwitter.

Oh, and there was the game, a 6-4 victory for the Cardinals. The Cubs somehow managed to get 13 hits, but all were singles. They also left 12 runners on base and were guilty of some inattentive play in the field even though no errors were charged.

The Cubs also lost catcher Geovany Soto to a strained left groin in the first inning. He’ll have an MRI Wednesday, and it’s a good bet catcher Welington Castillo will be here from Class AAA Iowa.

The sideshows aside, this is another big series for the Cubs, who just dropped two of three to the Reds.

The Cardinals are leading the National League Central, and they came to town with the most potent offense in the league.

The St. Louis series presents another measuring stick, and the Cubs keep coming up short.

“I thought we hung with Cincinnati but didn’t get it done,” Quade said. “So we’ve got some work to do there. This is the current leader in the division and their offense is unbelievable. It’ll be a great challenge for us pitching wise and continue to try to a better job offensively. I can’t put a number on it, but it will be another way for us to measure where we’re at.”

Tuesday’s “right now” started with Castro hitting in the lowest spot he’s batted in all year after hitting 1, 2 or 3 in the early going. That’s what a 7-for-51 slump will do.

“Protecting a kid, trying to help a club, trying to get him out of a bit of a mess,” Quade said. “It seemed appropriate to me. That’s just what we do. I don’t think four or five games of struggling is a concern when it gets to be a week or two, you take a look at things.”

Cubs starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano battled through a 28-pitch first inning but managed to stay around through 7 innings of 8-hit, 4-run ball.

Zambrano managed to keep his cool despite left fielder Alfonso Soriano falling down on Nick Punto’s triple in the fourth and the Cubs missing cutoff men.

“Things happen,” he said. “My job is to pitch and control what I do on the mound.”

That said, Quade acknowledged things have to tighten up.

“When you’re playing a club of this caliber, when you’re playing at this level, you have to make the plays,” he said.