The Cubs are now an inexplicable 1-6 against the Pirates this season after falling 2-1 on Monday night at PNC Park. Pittsburgh came into last night’s contest as losers of nine of their last eleven, and they had scored more than three runs just one time during that stretch. However, two runs proved to be enough as Pirate starter Russ Ohlendorf handcuffed Cub hitters for seven innings allowing just one earned run. This was Ohlendorf’s first win since August 18, 2009 (10 starts). Randy Wells did a nice job for the Cubs yesterday, bouncing back from his Friday meltdown. He threw five scoreless innings but was on a tighter pitch count, which forced Piniella to remove him after 90 pitches.
The offense did a whole lot more of nothing on Monday, and Piniella finally appears ready to make some significant changes. Mike Fontenot started at second base instead of Ryan Theriot who was given the night off. However, Piniella hinted that it could lead to more than that due to Theriot’s recent struggles. Fontenot is one of the few players that has been productive of late and it is a good move to get him into the line up. He is hitting .324, and has a solid .373 OBP. His history shows that those numbers will fall as the season continues, but for now they need to find a spot for him.
Every major league line up is going to have holes in it, but those holes are usually not in the middle. That is the case right now though for the Cubs whose 3-4-5 hitters have struggled mightily. The three players that have been there the most, Byrd, Lee, and Ramirez are all slumping, and the latter two have been in a funk all season. Lee is in a 1-for-14 slump while Ramirez’s .162 batting average is the second lowest amongst every day players. Add in Marlon Byrd’s 7-for-46, and Theriot’s 5-for-36 and it is easy to see why they are not scoring any runs.
One final note, John Grabow has been put on the 15-day disabled list with inflammation in his left knee. The veteran left-hander is 0-3 on the year with a 9.45 ERA.
