Lou calls meeting, says keep believing

DENVER -- Lou Piniella doesn't like team meetings, and this one didn't last long. But given all the tumult swirling around his young team in recent days, he called his first as Cubs manager about two hours before Thursday's game.

''I thought we needed one here because we've gone through some adversity with the injuries and some tough luck we've had,'' said Piniella, whose team entered the series opener at Colorado having lost six of its previous seven games. ''We just wanted these kids to continue to believe in themselves and to keep having fun. I mean, use your God-given talents and have fun with it.

''I told them it's a long season and that every team goes through some peaks and valleys, and you've got to fight your way out of it.''

With four rookies in the clubhouse, plus five others who haven't spent a full year in the big leagues, the message was especially important.

''We are young, no question,'' Piniella said. ''But I told them, 'We get through this, we'll emerge stronger as a team.'''

Leadoff hitter Alfonso Soriano, on the disabled list since suffering a small tear in his right quadriceps Sunday night, said he thought his season might be over when he felt a ''pop'' in his thigh rounding second base.

''That's the first time I've felt that in my leg,'' he said. ''When that happened, I felt that maybe that's it for the season because I felt so much pain and a pop.''

But upon rejoining the team Thursday for the first time since the injury, he was walking and talking about returning from the DL earlier than the team's monthlong timetable -- part of the optimism perhaps a result of never having experienced the DL before.

''It's not funny,'' he said of the first-time DL stretch, ''because I like to play and be in uniform and help my team win. It sucks.''

The Cubs reportedly have made a waiver claim on Oakland Athletics outfielder Shannon Stewart (.298 average, .360 on-base percentage) in an effort to trade for the leadoff hitter, but a deal appears unlikely.

•  •  Demoted reliever Will Ohman is scheduled to report to Class AAA Iowa on Saturday, throw a bullpen session and be ready to pitch in a game by Monday or Tuesday, Piniella said.

•  •  Jason Hirsh, the Rockies' originally scheduled starter for Sunday's series finale, was placed on the disabled list on Thursday after he completed six innings against Milwaukee on Tuesday despite suffering a fracture in his leg when hit by a line drive in the first inning. Colorado has not named a starter to replace him. Taylor Buchholz, likely was eliminated after pitching in relief Thursday night.

CUBS IN BRIEF

CUBS RECAP CUBS AB R H BI BB SO Avg.

Theriot ss 4 2 2 1 0 0 .289

JJones rf 5 0 4 4 0 1 .260

DeLee 1b 5 0 0 0 0 2 .316

Murton lf 5 1 1 1 0 0 .264

DeRosa 3b 5 2 3 0 0 2 .289

Fontenot 2b 5 1 1 1 0 0 .299

Kendall c 5 2 3 2 0 0 .286

Pie cf 5 1 2 0 0 1 .221

Lilly p 2 1 0 0 1 0 .148

a-CZambrano ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .262

Wood p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --

Marmol p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Howry p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --

Totals 42 10 16 9 1 7

Colorado AB R H BI BB SO Avg.

Carroll 2b 4 0 0 0 1 1 .230

Tulowitzki ss 2 0 0 0 1 0 .279

b-Barmes ph-ss 2 0 0 0 0 2 .091

Holliday lf 2 1 0 0 2 1 .339

Atkins 3b 2 0 1 0 2 1 .284

Spilborghs rf 3 0 0 1 0 0 .336

Torrealba c 3 0 1 0 0 0 .280

GGil c 1 0 0 0 0 1 .000

Baker 1b 3 1 1 1 1 1 .221

Sullivan cf 4 0 2 0 0 1 .333

UJimenez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .167

Buchholz p 2 0 0 0 0 1 .143

Affeldt p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --

Hawkins p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --

c-Hawpe ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .288

Totals 29 2 5 2 7 10

CUBS 135 100 000--10 16 0

Colorado 010 010 000-- 2 5 2

a-struck out for Lilly in the 7th. b-struck out for Tulowitzki in the 7th. c-struck out for Hawkins in the 9th.

E--Atkins (11), UJimenez (1). LOB--CUBS 7, Colorado 9. 2B--JJones (22), Pie 2 (8). 3B--Fontenot (4), Kendall (1). HR--Murton (3), off UJimenez; Baker (3), off Lilly. RBI--Theriot (33), JJones 4 (37), Murton (12), Fontenot (25), Kendall 2 (6), Spilborghs (42), Baker (10). S--UJimenez. SF--Theriot, Spilborghs. GIDP--Fontenot.

Runners left in scoring position--CUBS 5 (Theriot, DeLee, DeRosa 2, Pie); Colorado 4 (Carroll 2, Spilborghs 2).

Runners moved up--Murton. DP--Colorado 1 (Carroll, Tulowitzki and Baker).

CUBS IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA

Lilly W, 13-5 6 5 2 2 5 5 127 3.51

Wood 1 0 0 0 2 2 17 0.00

Marmol 1 0 0 0 0 1 11 1.64

Howry 1 0 0 0 0 2 11 3.81

Colorado IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA

UJimenez L, 1-2 2 9 9 5 1 2 61 6.57

Buchholz 5 6 1 1 0 3 65 4.70

Affeldt 1 1 0 0 0 2 22 2.56

Hawkins 1 0 0 0 0 0 13 3.75

UJimenez pitched to 5 batters in the 3rd. Inherited runners-scored--Buchholz 2-2.

WP--Buchholz, Affeldt.

Umpires--Home, Ed Montague; First, Bill Miller; Second, Marvin Hudson; Third, Chris Guccione. T--3:02. A--40,738 (50,449).

HOW THEY SCORED

CUBS FIRST Theriot singled. On Jimenez's error on a pickoff attempt, Theriot to third. Jones singled, Theriot scored. One run. Cubs 1, Rockies 0.

CUBS SECOND Fontenot flied out. Kendall singled. Pie flied out. Lilly walked, Kendall to second. Theriot safe at second on Atkins' error, Kendall scored, Lilly to third. Jones doubled, Lilly scored, Theriot scored. Three runs. Cubs 4, Rockies 0.

ROCKIES SECOND Torrealba singled. Torrealba was out advancing. Baker homered. One run. Cubs 4, Rockies 1.

CUBS THIRDMurton homered. DeRosa singled. Fontenot tripled, DeRosa scored. Kendall infield single to third, Fontenot scored. Pie doubled, Kendall to third. Buchholz pitching. Lilly grounded out. Theriot hit a sacrifice fly, Kendall scored, Pie to third. Jones singled, Pie scored. Five runs. Cubs 9, Rockies 1.

CUBS FOURTHMurton grounded out. DeRosa singled. Fontenot flied out. Kendall tripled, DeRosa scored. One run. Cubs 10, Rockies 1.

ROCKIES FIFTH Tulowitzki grounded out. Holliday walked. Atkins singled, Holliday to third. Spilborghs hit a sacrifice fly, Holliday scored. One run. Cubs 10, Rockies 2.