Cubs, Cards spared 2nd doubleheader

All teams hope to avoid doubleheaders, especially in the closing weeks of a pennant race.

The Cubs were spared having to play one today, despite Sunday night's postponement and even though the St. Louis Cardinals weren't scheduled to come back to Wrigley Field this season. No makeup date was announced; the teams have mutual days off scheduled for next Monday and Sept. 10.

The Cubs and Cardinals already have a makeup doubleheader scheduled for Sept. 15 in St. Louis.

''You always want to play,'' pitcher Scott Eyre said. ''Doubleheaders are hard on everyone. They talk about them being hard on a pitching staff, but it's harder on position players. They're on their feet all that time. And if you play both games of a doubleheader and then play the next day, that's really tough.''

Manager Lou Piniella's concern is the pitching when it comes to a possible stacked-up schedule.

''You have to have a rested bullpen,'' he said. ''If we can get six-plus innings from our starters, we'll be in good shape.''

The Cubs put outfielder Cliff Floyd on the restricted list after his allotted time on the bereavement list expired following the death of his father.

Teams may use the restricted list for players who are not injured and agree to the listing. Players are not paid while on the restricted list.

The move allowed the Cubs to keep their active roster at 25.

Piniella expects Floyd to join the Cubs on their trip to San Francisco and Arizona, which starts Tuesday. When Floyd returns, the team will have to send down a player.

Pitching is likely to be the commodity the Cubs add most when rosters are allowed to expand Sept. 1.

''We only have 10 more days until Sept. 1, and we can call up some pitching to give us some protection,'' Piniella said.

In the meantime, the team will rely on a bullpen that includes four veterans in Eyre, Bob Howry, Ryan Dempster and Michael Wuertz, one rookie in Carmen Pignatiello, a second-year major-leaguer in Carlos Marmol and a converted starter in Kerry Wood.

After a period in which he was used rarely because he was struggling, Eyre has seen more action of late but is on pace to pitch much less than his totals of recent years.

The left-hander is used to being a workhorse, having thrown 68 1/3 and 61 1/3 innings in the last two seasons.

''I feel good,'' Eyre said. ''It's fine with me if I get used more.

''Sometimes you stay strong not throwing too much, but you can also get strong with more work.''

Alfonso Soriano had hoped to take batting practice Sunday for the first time since suffering a small tear in his right quadriceps two weeks ago. But the rain canceled batting practice.

While Soriano heals, shortstop Ryan Theriot remains the Cubs' leadoff man. He's hitting .333 (16-for-48) with 10 runs in 11 games since replacing Soriano.

Theriot has hit .321 overall in 25 games in the leadoff spot, but Piniella is giving no thought to keeping him at the top of the order when Soriano returns.

''Alfonso will be the leadoff man,'' Piniella said. ''Theriot has done a real good job filling in, but Alfonso is our leadoff man.''

Home runs were in vogue in the first two games of the series, with six of the Cubs' seven runs coming via the long ball and all four of the Cardinals' runs from solo homers.

In the last 25 homers allowed by Cubs pitchers, 20 have been solo drives, and Cubs pitchers limited the Cardinals to three or fewer runs in eight of the teams' first 10 meetings.