Double play not there, say Theriot, Trammell

MILWAUKEE - Cubs shortstop Ryan Theriot and bench coach Alan Trammell huddled in front of a laptop computer screen Saturday to take a look at the final play of Friday's 4-3 loss to the Brewers.

Both came away satisfied that Theriot made the right decision throwing home to try to get Rickie Weeks instead of trying for a 6-4-3 double play. Weeks was safe at the plate with the winning run.

"My question was, 'Could I have gotten a double play?' " Theriot said. "Looking at that, I couldn't have. Sometimes you would think, maybe, 'If I gathered myself and made a stronger throw, maybe (Weeks would have been out).' Really, there's nothing I would have done differently. Looking at it on the computer kind of reassures my decision to do what I did."

Trammell, a former standout shortstop, said there was one big reason a double play wouldn't have happened.

"I thought he made the right choice," Trammell said. "I looked at the tape. One of the things that would have happened was that Corey Hart (the baserunner at first) would have whacked (second baseman) Mike Fontenot. So we wouldn't have gotten the double play. I thought the play was the correct play. He wasn't able to plant like he would have liked to. If it doesn't bounce (at home), I think we get him."

Toe trouble: Catcher Geovany Soto will try throwing before tonight's game, but manager Lou Piniella reported Saturday that Soto's right shoulder was feeling better.

However, backup catcher Koyie Hill was suffering from a sore right baby toe, the result from being hit by a pitched ball while batting Friday. The training staff went so far as to cut out that area of Hill's shoe.

Battling at-bats: Right fielder Milton Bradley joked about finally "having a batting average" after hitting a homer Friday for his first hit of the season. Despite entering Saturday with an .083 batting average, his on-base percentage was .389, thanks to 5 walks.

"I felt better the last game in Houston," Bradley said. "Yesterday, I felt really good. You know I'm an aggressive hitter. I want to get hits, and I will get hits. They're really not throwing anything over the plate. They're trying to hit corners. I've just got to get back at swinging at strikes."