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Cubs camp report
MESA, Ariz. -- Five things to know about the Chicago Cubs:
1. Lou Piniella settled on his lineup Saturday: Newcomer Kosuke Fukudome will bat fifth. Shortstop Ryan Theriot will be the Cubs' leadoff man, former leadoff man Alfonso Soriano will bat second, followed by first baseman Derrek Lee, third baseman Aramis Ramirez, Fukudome, second baseman Mark DeRosa, catcher Geovany Soto and center fielder Felix Pie. As Piniella said, he thinks Fukudome offers the best protection for Ramirez as he was piecing things together.
2. Of course, things could change if a long-awaited trade comes through. Piniella thinks the Cubs are a little too slow and he'd love to acquire a top-of-the-order type who can run, which is what's helped keep the Brian Roberts talks going with Baltimore all these weeks. The Cubs need speed, another center fielder and bench help, so expect them to add a player or two this week. It could be a package that brings Roberts and center fielder Jay Payton over from the Orioles, it could be a trade for Boston center fielder Coco Crisp, or it could be something else. Currently, Pie will start in center with the only other players on the roster capable of spelling him being Fukudome -- whom Piniella wants to leave alone in right field -- and Ronny Cedeno.
3. Soriano has lost some of his speed over the past year, which is why Piniella wants him out of the leadoff spot. Soriano missed most of last August with a right quadriceps strain, which hurt the Cubs and slowed Soriano.
4. Kerry Wood is taking the final test he needs to pass before slotting in as the Cubs' closer. Piniella wanted to see him in back-to-back games Saturday and Sunday -- mission accomplished -- and he's scheduled to pitch again on Tuesday, which would give him work in Cactus League games three days in a four-day span. "That's as good a test as you can give anybody," Piniella says. "Hopefully he comes out of it fine, and then we're in business." The Cubs think they have a solid back-end-of-the-bullpen in Wood, right-hander Carlos Marmol (5-1, 1.43 ERA in 59 appearances last season) and veteran right-hander Bobby Howry. Marmol's emergence as a top-shelf set-up man was one of the most important things to come out of 2007.
5. The book on Fukudome: He's 30, turns 31 on April 26, bats left-handed and he was the Most Valuable Player of Japan's Central League in 2006 when he batted .351 with 31 homers and 104 RBI. He slipped to .294 with 13 homers in 81 games last season before it ended prematurely on Aug. 20 when he underwent surgery to remove bone fragments from his right elbow. Over nine years in Japan, he batted .305 with a .397 on-base percentage. So far, manager Lou Piniella sees some similarities to Ichiro Suzuki's first spring with Seattle (Piniella was manager then). "A lot," Piniella says. "He's taking more pitches, being more selective, working the count. He's trying to learn the pitchers."
