Twins shut out Cubs 2-0; skid reaches 4
Explanations are as hard to come by for the Cubs these days as clutch hits.
Or any kind of hits, for that matter.
After blowing their wad with 4 runs on 6 hits in Friday's 7-4 loss to the Twins, the Cubs scratched out just 5 hits and failed to score Saturday in a 2-0 loss to Minnesota at chilly Wrigley Field.
The Cubs fell to 29-30, and in their last four games, they've scored a grand total of 6 runs on 24 hits.
"I've never seen anything like we see right now because we have a very-good hitting team," said left fielder Alfonso Soriano, who went 0-for-4 and is now batting .233 with a lowly .300 on-base percentage. "I don't know what happens now, but it does not look good."
Ryan Theriot, who flied out to end the game with runners on second and third, could shed no light either.
"We lost - about it," Theriot said. "Pretty frustrating. I don't know. I really don't have any answers at this point. Obviously, it's frustrating. It's part of the season now where we're struggling to get some hits and get some runs, get things going. When we finally do, it's too late."
Don't even bother with manager Lou Piniella. He's had all he can handle to come up with answers for a team that's done a complete 180 from last year's run-producing machine.
"I don't even want to talk about it," Piniella said. "I don't know. I wish I knew. Get out there and swing the bats, hit the ball, put some runs on the board. That's how you do it. I don't have any other ideas."
The Cubs wasted a quality start from Rich Harden, who came off the disabled list and threw 6 innings of 5-hit, 2-run ball. Minnesota started rookie Anthony Swarzak, who was sent to the minor leagues after working 7 shutout innings.
The Twins' Jason Kubel led off the second by crushing a home run over the right-field bleachers. Harden gave up a run on 3 hits in the third. He wound up striking out nine and walking two after spending nearly a month on the DL with a mid-back strain.
"I still felt really strong," Harden said. "I wanted to go out there again. I felt I could have thrown a lot more pitches. I was just starting to get things down throwing my off-speed for strikes and getting ahead of some hitters."
The Cubs stranded a pair of runners in the fourth and got their only extra-base hit in the seventh when Theriot dropped a double into right field.
In the ninth, Milton Bradley worked a walk against Twins closer Joe Nathan after being down 0-2. Third baseman Joe Crede leaped to knock down Derrek Lee's ball for a single to put men on first and second.
Piniella pinch hit Andres Blanco for Geovany Soto, who was 0-for-3 and is batting .209.
"On the road, you play to win," Piniella said. "At home, you tie the ballgame, it's to your advantage. Just didn't get the big hit."
No, they didn't. Slumping Kosuke Fukudome struck out spinning, and Theriot flied to right.
Asked about his own patience, Piniella sounded his worn-out theme.
"What am I going to do?" he asked. "I've changed the lineup. I've basically played everybody we've got. I don't know what else to do with it, I'll be honest with you. You just let them play and work your way out of it. I wish I had a magic formula for it. I don't. I really don't."