Cubs able to lose the Florida blues
CINCINNATI -- The mood around the Cubs clubhouse Friday was light, loose and relaxed. And this was one day after they had gotten swept in a three-game series in Florida.
"We're in first place, regardless of how we came into this game today," said second baseman Mark DeRosa. "One game up or 2 games up, still we're in first place and in control of our own destiny. And you've got to believe that we're going to start swinging the bats better and playing better baseball.
"At certain times through the course of a season, a team will have your number or a pitcher will have your number. Florida owned us all year, and from what I've been told, previous to that, too. It's nice to get out of there."
The Cubs received word Thursday night while they were flying from Florida to Cincinnati that the Milwaukee Brewers had lost, reducing the Cubs' magic number for clinching the National League Central to 2.
DeRosa said bench coach Alan Trammell provided the updates on the plane.
"Definitely a lot of sighs of relief after that," DeRosa said. "You got to look at it as a positive. For as bad as we played collectively as a team, to reduce our magic number by 2 games and get swept is hard to do."
Just swell: The area around pinch hitter Daryle Ward's left hand remained swollen Friday, but Ward maintained he can play if needed this weekend.
"I'll be available," he said. "I've still got strength in it. If they need me, I'm ready."
Ward injured the thumb area sliding into second base on a double in the ninth inning of Wednesday's game at Florida.
"That doesn't help us at all," he said. "I've been swinging the bat good. An injury to my hand is definitely not what I want at this point. This is a time where we've got to play through some injuries, and that's what I'm going to do."
Good-luck charm: Pitcher Jason Marquis entered Friday hoping to be part of a big-league playoff team for an eighth straight year.
Marquis came up with the Atlanta Braves in 2000, when they were still running off NL East titles. He pitched for the Cardinals from 2004-06.
"It's definitely special," Marquis said. "Hopefully, I can make it eight in a row."
No offense taken: The Cubs didn't appear offended after reading quotes attributed to Florida's Cody Ross on Thursday.
"You can look in their dugout, and it's just like panic mode," Ross told reporters after the Marlins swept the Cubs.
Mark DeRosa said he was told Ross isn't a malicious person and probably meant no harm.
That didn't stop Cubs manager Lou Piniella from firing off a zinger.
"You know, they've got a lot of talent over there to lose 90 games," Piniella said. "Outside of that, I really don't have much to say about the situation outside of the fact that they played well against us. They played their regular players, and they did what they were supposed to do, trying to keep a team from clinching in their home park."
Looking ahead: Before Friday's game, Lou Piniella still talked of using pitchers Rich Hill today and Ted Lilly on Sunday, even for 2-3 innings, if the Cubs were to clinch the division. Piniella added the team's younger players would see a lot of time in the field.