An inoffensive display
Without Soriano, Cubs struggle at the plate again vs. weak Astros pitching staff
HOUSTON -- The Soriano Hangover, in its second day, throbbed painfully up and down the Cubs' lineup again Tuesday in another loss to a bad Astros pitching staff.
A night after scoring only one run in 10 innings, the Cubs squandered a gimme chance to bury Houston with a big first inning, only to let pitcher Woody Williams escape and take control of a game the Astros won 5-2 at Minute Maid Park.
A night after scoring only one run in 10 innings, the Cubs squandered a gimme chance to bury Houston with a big first inning, only to let pitcher Woody Williams escape and take control of a game the Astros won 5-2 at Minute Maid Park.
''I'm a little concerned about our offense here, I really am,'' manager Lou Piniella said even before the game. ''I'd be lying if I didn't say I was.''
(AP)
''I'm a little concerned about our offense here, I really am,'' manager Lou Piniella said even before the game. ''I'd be lying if I didn't say I was.''
The Cubs made a move to help the pitching staff Tuesday afternoon, calling up Sean Gallagher from the minors and sending out reliever Will Ohman. But it's the lineup that needs the lifeboat, especially since $136 million leadoff hitter Alfonso Soriano pulled his right quadriceps Sunday night.
''You're going to miss a guy like that, no question,'' said center fielder Jacque Jones. ''But what are you going to do? Other teams are going through injuries, too.''
The Cubs already have been struggling at the plate over the last week or so. They're hitting only .210 and averaging 2.8 runs over their last five games (losing four of those).
And with Soriano out, it's only .164 with three runs in two lifeless games against a pitching staff that ranks - well, that is simply rank.
''I don't know about emotional [dropoffs],'' Piniella said after a second straight night of blown scoring chances early. ''Everybody's got to do their part. I don't think anybody's being asked to carry any more of the load than what they can carry.''
It wouldn't have taken much heavy lifting at all to change the complexion of the game in the first inning after the first four batters reached on three walks and a bloop single against Williams.
''And we -- what's the word? Eked? Scratched for a run?'' Piniella said. ''That's an inning there where if you're swinging the bats, you put three or four on the board.''
Instead, Mark DeRosa struck out, Jones popped to short and Jason Kendall flied to right.
They loaded the bases with two outs against Williams again in the third, with the score 1-1, but rookie Eric Patterson, who got his first major-league hit an inning earlier, struck out.
That was the first of 10 consecutive batters retired by Williams in his six innings.
While the lineup has nosedived in the last two games, the bigger problems of run production and home- run production have plagued the team for months.
Matt Murton's homer leading off the seventh was the Cubs' first since Derrek Lee hit one in the sixth inning Friday, and those are the only two in the last eight games.
''That was nice to see,'' Piniella said of Murton's shot. ''That probably got him a start in left [tonight], or somewhere in the outfield.''
Piniella alluded to the lineup's problems being a contributing factor to some of the problems attributed to the recently beleaguered pitching staff. But whether the Cubs have a move up their sleeve to fix the problems, Piniella referred questions to general manager Jim Hendry.
And Hendry said only that he and his staff are working the waiver wires for possible help.
More likely, the Lees and Aramis Ramirezes and Cliff Floyds are going to have to provide the juice to get through August with playoff hopes intact.
''I know everybody's giving me effort, so I've got no problem with that,'' Piniella said. ''We're in a little bit of a rough spell right now, and we've got to work ourselves out of it. I'm confident we will. But seeing it is better than talking about it.''
| Pos. | Player | Debut | Details of debut |
| CF | Felix Pie | April 1* | 2B, RBI, 1-6, throws out runner at plate |
| RHP | Rocky Cherry | April 23* | 1.0 IP, L, allows solo, GW-HR to Prince Fielder |
| RHP | Sean Gallagher | June 9* | 3.1 IP in relief, 2 ER on Edgar Renteria HR |
| LHP | Clay Rapada | June 14* | Faces one batter, records out on liner to right |
| RHP | Billy Petrick | June 27* | 1.2 IP, 2 ER on Garrett Atkins HR |
| OF/IF | Jake Fox | July 19* | Grounds into double play as pinch hitter |
| OF/IF | Eric Patterson | Monday | Sacrifice bunt as pinch-hitter in 10th |