Taking a second look at adjustments made by Cubs
Baseball is a game of adjustments.
Hitters and pitchers adjust from pitch to pitch and from at-bat to at-bat against each other.
For Cubs manager Lou Piniella, it's been a month and a half of adjustments as he tries to make various parts of his little blue machine work.
Some players have been adjusted out of old roles and into new roles. Some are happy while others are not.
The Cubs also have dipped into their farm system as they try to salvage a season that has looked much of this month like it's falling apart.
"There's been some changes, but we haven't been playing the best ball this year," said second baseman Mike Fontenot, who has been "adjusted" out of a starting job. "I know we're trying to get some things moving. Try to make sure we can get things going as a team.
"Sometimes, little adjustments can get things going, get a little spark, which we've done in the past with different guys who've come up in the past and helped us. I think that's definitely what we're trying to do here."
Here are three of the major adjustments the Cubs have made so far:
The Castro adjustment: It looked like a panic move last week when general manager Jim Hendry reached down to Class AA Tennessee and called up shortstop phenom Starlin Castro.
It's been a mixed bag for Castro, who set the Cubs on fire with a record-setting 6 RBI in his big-league debut last Friday at Cincinnati. The Cubs talked about that giving them a spark, but then they went on to lose their next four games.
On top of that, Castro has 5 errors in 6 games.
"The kid's going to make a few errors every now and then," Hendry said. "I think he'll settle in here soon and be really, really good defensively. There's not anybody in the game that would tell you he's not a plus, plus defender with outstanding range and a well-above-average arm.
"He's going to find his niche. He's going to be very, very good defensively. We're not worried about his defense at all."
The major upshot of the Castro move was that Ryan Theriot moved from shortstop to second base, pushing Fontenot and Jeff Baker into utility roles.
"I guess that's baseball at times," Fontenot said. "There's really nothing I can do. Just try to make the most of it. Do things that help the team. That's really what we're all here to do: win ballgames in any way.
"It's one of those things. It's tough. We're all in this together and try to help each other out, whoever's out there."
Just as they were with Theriot and catcher Geovany Soto in recent years, the Cubs appear to be all-in on Castro for the long haul.
The bullpen adjustment: Quick, when was the last time the Cubs' bullpen blew a lead? The answer is April 18, when normally dependable veterans Carlos Marmol and Sean Marshall let one get away.
The next night, James Russell and Jeff Samardzija turned a 1-1 tie into a 6-1 loss to the Mets.
Right after that, manager Lou Piniella, with all the support from Hendry, moved opening-day starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano into the bullpen as the eighth-inning setup man.
Zambrano doesn't like the move. He exited Wrigley Field quickly after picking up his second hold (after being yanked by Piniella before finishing the inning) and did not talk with reporters.
The Cubs clearly don't care what Zambrano thinks or how he feels. They point to the 18 consecutive games without a blown lead since Zambrano worked as a reliever as evidence their adjustment is working.
Piniella says he's now able to use youngsters Russell, Justin Berg and Esmailin Caridad in roles more suited to their level of experience.
The lineup adjustments: First baseman Derrek Lee didn't seem thrilled with moving out of his comfortable No. 3 spot in the order this week into the cleanup role, but he also said where a player bats doesn't matter.
Lee's batting average was .211 when Piniella made the move. In the two games Lee hit cleanup, he went 4-for-8 with 2 doubles and a run batted in.
Piniella also wants to take advantage of right fielder Kosuke Fukudome's .422 on-base percentage by moving him into the leadoff spot and dropping Theriot from first to second to take advantage of his inside-out swing that can put the ball into right field.
The players to watch will be slumping third baseman Aramis Ramirez (.159 average) and Soto. Ramirez has not homered since April 15.
With the arrival of Castro, Soto moved up from eighth to seventh in the order. He batted fifth Wednesday, and Piniella may consider keeping him there, as Soto sports a hitting line of .313/.467/.506.
Soto leads the team with 24 walks, and his OBP of .467 would be second in the National League, but he is just shy of having enough plate appearances to qualify.
Will there be more adjustments? Performance, both individual and team, will dictate that, but nothing seems out of the realm of possibility now.
Pirates @ CubsTV: Channel 9 Friday and Sunday; Comcast SportsNet SaturdayRadio: WGN 720-AMPitching matchups: The Cubs' Tom Gorzelanny (1-4) vs. Brian Burres (2-1) Friday at 1:20 p.m.; Ryan Dempster (2-3) vs. Paul Maholm (2-3) Saturday at 12:05 p.m.; Ted Lilly (1-3) vs. Ross Ohlendorf (0-1) Sunday at 1:20 p.m.At a glance: The Pirates embarrassed the Cubs in a three-game sweep last week at PNC Park. Pittsburgh outscored the Cubs 18-5 over the three games. At Wrigley Field, the Cubs were 5-3 against the Pirates last year. The Cubs entered Thursday sixth in the league in runs while the Pirates were 15th. In ERA, the Cubs were 10th at 4.31, and the Pirates were dead last at 5.86. Andrew McCutchen has a hitting line of .310/.364/.481. He's 1-for-8 against Dempster. Burres and Maholm are lefties, so it looks like Cubs rookie outfielder Tyler Colvin won't start until Sunday at the earliest. Former Pirate Xavier Nady could get a pair of starts. Next: Colorado Rockies at Wrigley Field, Monday-TuesdayFalse18492000Despite 5 errors in 6 games, the Cubs have confidence that young shortstop Starlin Castro will be a good defensive player.Associated PressFalse