Cubs Stagger into Milwaukee Series

Jun 03, 07:30 PM

Current Headlines: MILWAUKEE _ Proper etiquette says you don't kick people when they're down but that's exactly what the Milwaukee Brewers will try to do Monday night when the Chicago Cubs come north for a three-game series.

The Cubs, already in general disarray, reached train-wreck status toward the end of a disastrous home stand at Wrigley Field:

Manager Lou Piniella was suspended indefinitely, pending a meeting with a major-league official Monday, for allegedly making contact with an umpire Saturday during an on-field temper tantrum.

Catcher Michael Barrett is still licking his wounds, literally, after being punched in the face by teammate Carlos Zambrano and sent to the hospital the previous day.

In a somewhat important side note, the Cubs had lost all five games of their home stand against Florida and Atlanta before rebounding with a 10-1 victory Sunday over the Braves.

Not exactly what the Cubs had in mind after their $300 million off-season spending spree on free agents.

"Some of the things I've seen here, I haven't seen anywhere else I've managed, that I can tell you in a nice way," said Piniella, whose suspension forced him to turn over the reins Sunday to bench coach Alan Trammell.

Whether the Cubs are broken beyond repair remains to be seen. They usually snap to attention when playing the Brewers, especially in Milwaukee, where their fans often make up at least half of the audience.

Not that the Brewers are in position to take any opponent lightly. Since bolting to their 24-10 start, they are 8-15, and only the sheer incompetence of the rest of the division has prevented any team from making a strong run at their hold on first place in the National League Central Division.

The Brewers regrouped over the weekend by taking three of four from Florida, and hold a 6{-game lead over second-place St. Louis. Chicago is eight games below .500 (23-31) and tied with Pittsburgh for third, 7{ games out.

"We can't take anything for granted," Brewers leftfielder Geoff Jenkins said. "We can't worry about their problems. They've still got a lot of talent. Hopefully, they don't play good baseball for three days. Like any other Brewers-Cubs series, it'll be spirited."

Piniella drew the wrath of the commissioner's office for his aggressive behavior against umpire Mark Wegner in the eighth inning Saturday. Cubs base runner Angel Pagan was called out on a close play by Wegner, and Piniella stormed on the field and began kicking dirt on the umpire.

Crew chief Bruce Froemming filed a report that said Piniella kicked Wegner during the incident, which the Cubs are disputing. Piniella is scheduled to meet with MLB vice president John McHale today to present his side and receive a ruling on the length of his suspension.

"We'll have a chance for an appeal," general manager Jim Hendry said Sunday. "You were going to get (one game) no matter what happened. Hopefully, we'll get some things across as to how we feel and see what happens."

Piniella later admitted that Wegner got the call right but also explained that he was going to get tossed no matter what. Known for his fiery temper, Piniella had seen enough and it was stack-blowing time.

Zambrano also is known for his tempestuous nature, and it got the best of him during a heated dugout exchange with Barrett after a five-run rally Friday by the Braves. It got even uglier in the clubhouse a few minutes later when Zambrano punched out Barrett, splitting open his mouth and forcing him to go to a hospital for treatment.

The Cubs fined both players and Zambrano apologized the next day for his behavior.

Zambrano, who made unflattering remarks about the Brewers' lineup after facing them the first time this season, has been out of sorts because negotiations for a contract extension were stopped when the team was put up for sale. Tabbed as the No. 1 starter in the rotation, he has stumbled to a 5-5 record and 5.62 earned run average, entering his scheduled start Wednesday against the Brewers.

After Piniella hinted that personnel changes would be made, the Cubs recalled centerfielder Felix Pie on Sunday for his second tour of duty this season.

"You want to win baseball games, but you can't shoot your foot all the time and that's all we do here," Piniella said. "We have to correct it or get different people in here.

"I expected more. These guys should expect more from themselves."

The Brewers built much of their early lead by ravaging division foes with 17 victories in 25 games. They haven't played an NL Central opponent since May 6.

"You always want to win against teams in your division," shortstop J.J. Hardy said. "When you're on top of the division, you're the target. They're going to want to beat us."

Tickets are still available for all three games, and it wouldn't be surprising if Cubs fans snap them up. Chicago normally brings so many fans to Miller Park that some have taken to calling it Wrigley Field North.

"It feels different when we play them here," reliever Derrick Turnbow said. "You can definitely feel their presence in the stadium. You know when the Cubs are in town.

"We try to treat all the games the same. Every game is important. Division games are always important. The longer you're in first place, the more you want to try to put the other teams out of it."

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