Whiff of mediocrity
Lohse strikes out 12 to outduel Lilly, drop Cubs to 1-4 at Wrigley
Pitching has been the Cubs' most pressing concern for so long that a one-run, 13-strikeout gem Sunday from starter Ted Lilly and the bullpen should have been cause for celebration.
But the cheers have yet to ripple consistently at Wrigley Field, where the Cubs have won only once in five tries. The offense went stagnant against Cincinnati Reds starter Kyle Lohse in the latest defeat, a 1-0 decision.
''Our pitcher gives up one run,'' a flustered manager Lou Piniella said. ''You have to win that game.''
(Tom Cruze/Sun-Times)
HERO: Kyle Lohse
Reds right-hander fanned career-high 12, scattered four hits over eight innings.
GOAT: Michael Barrett
Cubs catcher was 0-for-4, fanned twice and left two runners in scoring position.
''You have your 3, 4 and 5 [hitters] coming up,'' Piniella said. ''Why take a chance getting thrown out at home?''
The odds don't seem to work for the Cubs. Jacque Jones and Derrek Lee struck out, and Michael Barrett flied out to strand the runners.
''Put the ball in play, and you have a run,'' Piniella said. ''Even if you hit into a double play, you have a run.
''We have to get better at it. We'll make some changes if we have to, put some different people in if we have to.''
Only Theriot, who quickly is becoming a Piniella favorite, was able to solve Reds pitching consistently over the weekend, going 8-for-12 with three of the Cubs' four hits against Lohse. Soriano had the other and was the only Cub to get beyond second base.
''I have a hard time getting upset with our hitting [because] you won't face a guy who was throwing as well as Kyle Lohse was very often,'' said Lee, whose 10-game hitting streak ended.
Lohse (1-0), a former Cubs minor-leaguer traded to Minnesota for closer Rick Aguilera in 1999, recorded a career-high 12 strikeouts in eight innings before Mike Stanton and David Weathers finished the ninth. His previous best had been nine strikeouts.
Still, Jones admitted the Cubs let a great opportunity get away in the sixth.
''All you want to do in that situation is put the bat on the ball,'' he said. ''I tried to force it. I've been more patient than that. I was in defensive mode, and I didn't have to be.''
Lilly (1-1) struck out 10 in six innings, but the only walk he issued turned into the only run.
''It was tough to score the way [Lohse] was throwing,'' Lilly said. ''I knew I had to keep up with him. He made less mistakes. The big mistake I made was walking [Brandon Phillips to lead off the fourth]. It's something we talked about, and holding runners. The things we work on in spring training, the little things, are the things that cost us today.''
Phillips stole second as Lilly struck out Josh Hamilton. After Piniella visited the mound, Jeff Conine singled to score Phillips.
''We talked about getting the ball to home plate quicker,'' Piniella said of his visit with Lilly. ''We felt they would be running, but that's not what beat us. We put no runs on the board and left runners on base. One run from your starting pitcher, you take that every time.''