Lou has the moves
Cubs manager pushes every button to finish sweep of Nats
Like a magician pulling rabbits out of hats, Cubs manager Lou Piniella was waving a sorcerer's wand all day Sunday.
Even when he approached Alfonso Soriano in the 10th inning of a tie game about playing second base -- something the megasalary player hadn't done in more than a year -- the manager who was running out of players didn't run out of luck.
Even when he approached Alfonso Soriano in the 10th inning of a tie game about playing second base -- something the megasalary player hadn't done in more than a year -- the manager who was running out of players didn't run out of luck.
''I felt a little lost, but thank God I didn't get a ground ball,'' said Soriano, a former second baseman turned outfielder.
(AP)
''I felt a little lost, but thank God I didn't get a ground ball,'' said Soriano, a former second baseman turned outfielder.
Indeed, Piniella had the Midas touch all day in guiding the Cubs to a 4-3 victory over the Washington Nationals, completing a three-game sweep and vaulting the team above .500 (15-14) with its fifth straight victory.
''You put the people out there you feel can do the job, and it's up to them,'' he said in praise of the 21 men called to arms -- including pitcher Jason Marquis, who scored the tying run in the ninth as a pinch runner, and little-used pinch hitter Daryle Ward, who ended up a hero.
''We had the right people up who could get it done,'' Piniella insisted. ''The off day [today] meant we could take some luxuries. In a stretch of games in the season, you have to utilize your team differently.
''Managers make decisions, but the players got the job done.''
A clubhouse full of players who were trying to figure out for themselves just how the final innings would unfold might beg to differ.
''In spring training, you could see what was happening,'' Ryan Theriot said of Piniella's fondness for versatility. ''Lou's got all kinds of options.''
From Theriot -- who played second base and shortstop -- to hobbled Cliff Floyd (back pain) and Henry Blanco (herniated disc in neck), Piniella got contributions when he needed them at the plate. And he got seven pitchers, from starter Angel Guzman to closer Ryan Dempster (1-1), to hold together after a 2-1 lead turned into a 3-2 deficit entering the ninth.
Theriot delivered an opposite-field single off Chad Cordero that tied the score, fighting off pitches until he connected on a 2-2 count. Marquis scored after being called on to run for Floyd, who drew a pinch-hit walk. The Cubs failed to get one more to end the game, leaving the bases loaded -- and Piniella to figure out how to mix and match in extra innings.
After double switches that saw Jacque Jones move from center field to right and back to center and every position player get used, it still worked out by the 10th.
Matt Murton, who entered in right field in the seventh, led off with a double off Ryan Wagner (0-2) but stopped at third on Blanco's pinch-hit blooper into short right-center. It was left to Ward to deliver a fly ball to left over a pulled-in outfield, casting the final spell.
''It's definitely a tough job,'' Ward said of pinch-hitting. ''There aren't too many guys who can do it, and I happen to be pretty good at it. I pride myself on it.''
Ward even was ready defensively, he insisted.
''Hit it to me -- I'll catch it,'' he said. ''I've played a lot in left field. During batting practice, I take a lot of balls in left and right field.''
Soriano wasn't nearly so sure of himself at second base, a position he last played Oct. 1, 2005, with the Texas Rangers.
''I was glad the ball wasn't hit to me,'' he said, smiling. ''But it's good he can put me in any position. That was a big key to the game.
''That's a team. You don't play by yourself. It's 25 guys. You don't win by yourself.''