Fri Apr 25 16:01:17 2008

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Cubs soaring in Soriano's absence

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(Sports Network) - There's no denying Alfonso Soriano's status as one of baseball's premier offensive players. The Chicago Cubs outfielder has swatted 33 home runs or more in five of the last six seasons and has four 30-30 campaigns, consisting of homers and stolen bases, on his resume. In 2006, the free-swinging Dominican became only the fourth player in major league history to join the exclusive 40-40 club during his lone season with the Washington Nationals.

Despite that impressive list of accomplishments, there seems to be a growing sentiment among the often paranoid and championship-starved membership of Cubs nation that their beloved Northsiders may actually be a better team without Soriano's potent bat in the lineup. And those subscribing to that theory received need to point no further than the way Chicago has taken off since the dynamic left fielder has been sidelined with a strained right calf.

Soriano suffered the injury while making a catch in an April 15 game against Cincinnati and was placed on the 15-day disabled list the following day. The Cubs certainty haven't been too affected by his absence, as the club ripped off seven wins in their first eight games without Soriano prior to Thursday's 4-2 loss at Colorado.

What's even more startling is the production of the Chicago offense during Soriano's hiatus. During that above-noted eight-game stretch, the Cubs have racked up a whopping 65 runs and scored seven or more times in six of those contests. On three occasions over that span, the offense produced double-digit run totals.

"We have been getting a lot of hits and a lot of runs and we have been able to pull away late," manager Lou Piniella said following Chicago's 8-1 victory over the New York Mets on Tuesday. "We are in a good groove right now."

Piniella's been able to showcase the depth and versatility of his bench over his team's remarkable recent run. Regular second baseman Mark DeRosa has been shifted to Soriano's customary spot in left field, with Mike Fontenot and Ronny Cedeno sharing time at the vacated infield spot.

Cedeno, who floundered when given a chance to be the everyday shortstop two years ago, has benefited the most from the increased playing time. The slick- fielding 25-year-old has batted .429 (9-for-21) with a home run, 10 RBI and seven runs scored over his last five games. The homer was a grand slam that put the exclamation mark on Tuesday's win over the Mets.

That performance, coupled with the meager .175 average Soriano was carrying prior to getting hurt, doesn't have Cub fans in any rush to have the slugger back at the top of the batting order. Opposing pitchers may be hoping the organization takes its time as well, when you consider the awesome potential of the Chicago lineup once Soriano, a notoriously slow starter, gets into his usual groove as the weather heats up.

Soriano also got out of the blocks slowly last season, his first since signing a mammoth eight-year, $136-million free-agent deal with the Cubs. The 32-year- old went homerless in 74 April at-bats while missing some time with a strained left hamstring, and had just four round-trippers through the first two months. He then belted 11 homers and batted .336 during June.

The Cubs are confident that Soriano will be able to return to action when he is eligible to come off the DL on May 1. He took batting practice on Wednesday and also did some jogging and agility drills prior to Chicago's game with Colorado.

CUBS FINISH OFF 10K

Despite carrying a loser's tag for a good portion of their history, the Cubs can now lay claim to a milestone that 30 other major league teams -- including the New York Yankees -- have yet to achieve.

With Wednesday's 7-6 triumph over the Rockies, the Cubs became only the second franchise to record 10,000 all-time victory, joining the New York/San Francisco Giants in that exclusive group. Chicago had to work extra hard for the benchmark win, with shortstop Ryan Theriot singling home Fontenot with the eventual game-winning run in the top of the 10th inning after Colorado tied the contest in the ninth.

In a fitting side note to the historical victory, the win was credited to Kerry Wood, the longest-tenured Cub. The veteran closer, who was drafted by the organization in 1995 and been with the big-league club since 1998, did surrender the tying run in the bottom of the ninth but managed to work out of trouble and keep the game tied.

After striking out the first two batters he faced, Wood yielded a pinch-hit single to Scott Podsednik and blew the save opportunity when Ryan Spilborghs followed with a double into the spacious Coors Field outfield gap to plate Podsednik. The oft-injured right-hander then rebounded to fan Clint Barmes with the potential winning run in scoring position.

"It's cool to be a part of it and to get the win," Wood stated after the game. "There's a lot of history in Chicago. It's a lot of games without winning a championship."

DEMPSTER DEALING

Ryan Dempster, the Cubs' primary closer for each of the previous three seasons, seems to have made a successful return to the starting rotation. The veteran righty improved to 3-0 on the young season with five solid innings in Sunday's 13-6 decision over Pittsburgh at Wrigley Field.

Dempster kept the Pirates off the scoreboard over the first four frames before faltering some in the fifth, when he was reached for three runs. It marked only the first time in his four 2008 starts that Dempster failed to pitch at least six innings.

The British Columbia native, who hasn't been a full-season starter since 2003, has posted a 3.00 ERA through four outings and has limited opposing hitters to a .169 average in the early going. Dempster has also surrendered just one home over 24 innings of work thus far.

WHO'S HOT

Third baseman Aramis Ramirez has played a large role in Chicago's recent offensive surge, as the dangerous cleanup hitter has gone 9-for-22 (.409) over his last six games to raise his average from .226 to .274. Ramirez has also homered three times and knocked in nine runs over the Cubs' five most recent contests.

Ace pitcher Carlos Zambrano has been pitching like one so far this season. The excitable right-hander improved to 3-1 and lowered his earned run average to 2.67 after allowing one run and five hits over seven innings in Monday's 7-1 victory over the Mets.

WHO'S NOT

Fontenot hasn't taken advantage of his extended role, having gone 2-for-18 at the plate since Soriano's injury.

Reliever Michael Wuertz has permitted runs in four of his last six appearances and owns a horrid 18.90 ERA over that span. He has given up a total of seven runs in 3 1/3 innings during that stretch.

ON DECK

The teams with the best and worst records in the National League will play a three-game series at the brand-new Nationals Park this weekend, when the red- hot Cubs visit Washington to take on the 7-16 Nationals.

Dempster (3-0, 3.00) will pitch Friday's opener opposite Odalis Perez (0-3, 3.38), with Zambrano (3-1, 2.67) set to go head-to-head with Matt Chico (0-4, 6.04) on Saturday. Ted Lilly (1-3, 7.30) is slated to throw Sunday's finale for Chicago against rookie John Lannan (1-2, 3.42).