Miscues land DeRosa on Cubs' bench
CINCINNATI -- The day after the Cubs allowed the Reds to beat them on nothing but unearned runs, the players who made the errors were on the bench, and manager Lou Piniella promised a new and improved look on defense.
Then the Cubs committed two more errors Tuesday night -- the league-leading fifth at his position by Gold Glove first baseman Derrek Lee in the fourth inning and one by second baseman Ronny Cedeno, considered one of the defensive solutions, on a wide throw on a double-play grounder in the sixth.
(AP)
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''That's an area definitely that needs improvement,'' said Piniella, whose club ranked 11th in National League fielding before the latest misplays. This after the Cubs entered the season thinking they had improved their fielding to the point of being a team strength.
''It's going to be my job to put people out there that can catch the ball,'' he said. ''I can't do it at every position, but I'm going to do it in as many positions as I can.''
With the roster he has, he probably maxed out the options Tuesday, with Felix Pie in center field and Cedeno at second. Aramis Ramirez was back in the lineup at third after missing three games because of a wrist injury.
That sent Mike Fontenot, who committed an error Monday in what looked like an ill-advised effort to rush a double-play try on a grounder, and Mark DeRosa, who committed one two innings later that led to two runs, to the bench.
DeRosa, who has played five positions this season, has the second-worst fielding percentage among NL second basemen with at least 60 chances. He got another day off today.
Considering the Cubs' fielding was much improved in the second half of last season -- and they added smooth-fielding right fielder Kosuke Fukudome and improved behind the plate with Geovany Soto -- the problems in an area that is supposed to be slump-proof are hard to explain.
''We do all our work. We've just got to get it done during the game,'' Piniella said. ''It has nothing to do with lack of work or lack of effort.''
But, he added, ''We're not striking out nearly as many people as we did last year [about one fewer per game], so more teams are putting the ball in play more against us. And we've got to catch it.''
Reliever Scott Eyre (elbow) made his final rehab appearance Tuesday night, pitching an inning for Class AAA Iowa, and barring a setback, he will rejoin the Cubs for the weekend series against Arizona.
• • Rich Hill made his first start for Iowa since his demotion Saturday, allowing two runs on seven hits and one walk in five innings.
• • DeRosa is 1 for his last 18 with eight strikeouts.
