He Shall From Time To Time....

After an inspring first two games against the White Sox, the Cubs laid back-to-back stinkers against the Sox and the Padres. That led Lou Piniella to give everyone an update on where the team is going.

Note that this comes after he essentially called out Jim Hendry last week for giving Piniella an ineffective roster.

"We need for a few of our hitters to get going."

Ya' think? This club is so poor offensively it's painful to watch. Seven hits last night plus three walks from your leadoff hitter. One run.

"From the left side, we need Eyre to kick it in a little bit. Where do I see it? I see us getting better."

Notice that he didn't say, "I see him (meaning Eyre) getting better." Eyre's on a very short leash with Piniella. It's too bad someone didn't tell Dusty Baker to underuse Eyre and Howry last year.

"(Rich Hill is) not the same pitcher that left spring training."

This feels more like reversion to what Rich Hill is: An old prospect that had a nice run of success in AAA and a good few months in the majors. One needs to view aged prospects (over 25 years old) and their minor league stats with a much more wary eye that prospects that post similar stats at a younger age.

Rich Hill is a player that needs just such skepticism.

"That's where (Alfonso Soriano)'s done his best work. The only reason we moved him to the 3-hole was that Derrek Lee was hurt. If that hadn't been the case, he’d have stayed in the No. 1 hole. You look at his lifetime numbers, and his lifetime numbers tell you he belongs in the No. 1 hole."

Sounds like Soriano has a mental block to batting at a place in the order that would help the team and help his personal stats. Sports Psychologist Lou has some work to do.

The real state of the team remains where it was when the season started. While the team is marginally better without Wade Miller, the offense is still too poor for any hope of a winning season.

The hope is that Jim Hendry gets off his duff and makes a bullpen addition as well as upgrades for right field and middle infield. Given that he only has until the sale of the team is completed to audition for his next job, he should get a move on and not wait until it's too late. Like he has nearly every year.