Piniella, Soriano puzzled by Cubs' recent play
Santo to skip Cubs' trip to Seattle
Ramirez goes 1-for-3 in rehab start
CHICAGO — Corey Labadie got a nice surprise when he returned home to Berwyn, Ill., from Afghanistan — a ticket to Sunday's Cubs game, courtesy of pitcher Ryan Dempster.
Dempster and his wife, Jenny, in conjunction with the USO, treated 75 people to the game. Many of the fathers among the families are serving overseas in the military.
Labadie, 33, is not a dad, but his homecoming was a gift from his parents, Karen and Dennis Labadie of Hinsdale, Ill., who do volunteer work for the USO.
"We're so excited to have him home from Afghanistan," Karen said.
Corey was an Apache mechanic with the 82nd CAB in the Army and will go to Fort Bragg, N.C., on June 25, when he will "go back to work full-time." He'll be stationed in Germany starting in December.
"This was a wonderful surprise, to be honest," Corey said of the ballgame. "I didn't know until a couple of days ago. I love coming to Cubs games — it's one of the things I miss about Chicago."
While serving in Afghanistan, Corey follows the team through cubs.com.
"I'm on there pretty much every day to see if they've won, who hit home runs, what's going on," he said.
He knows that he will eventually go back to serve in Afghanistan.
"I know it's inevitable," he said. "There are some long, hard days when I'm over there, and it's nice to be back."
In addition to the game, Dempster treated the families to batting practice, lunch and an autographed photo, and he also posed for pictures.
"They were smiling huge when [Dempster] came over," Corey said.
So was he.
Piniella, Soriano puzzled by Cubs' recent play
CHICAGO — Lou Piniella isn't the only one puzzled by the way the Cubs have played this season. So is Alfonso Soriano.
"We're not consistent," Soriano said on Sunday. "We play one game good, the next day we play rookie ball, like we've never played before."
The Cubs entered Sunday's game against the Angels eight games back in the National League Central at 30-38, matching their season low-water mark of eight games under .500. They've given up 44 unearned runs, tops in the Major Leagues, and have committed 11 errors in the past five games.
"I keep getting asked, what can I do?" Piniella said on Sunday. "We've altered the rotation, we've altered the bullpen, we've rested people, we've changed the lineups. What else can we do? We've tried. It doesn't mean that we're not going to continue to try.
"You've got to play well on the field — that's basically the bottom line. If you don't play well on the field, you can talk about it all you want, but it's not going to do you any good. It's been a struggle. It's been a struggle, it really has.
"I don't think anybody's happy — I know I'm not happy. We go through periods here where things you don't expect to see [happen]."
The Cubs have had players — including three-time Gold Glove first baseman Derrek Lee — make two errors in one inning on three occasions. Two errors on Saturday contributed to four unearned runs in a 12-0 loss to the Angels.
So is it up to the players?
"The game is played on the field," Piniella said. "I don't believe in criticizing, I don't believe in getting on people, I really don't, never have. But gosh, we work on things all the time and we have to execute them during the game, period.
"Everybody's trying. I've never complained about lack of effort, not one time in the four years I've been here. But to win, you've got to make plays, you've got to hit with men in scoring position. Those are the things you need to do, period."
Piniella has talked to his coaches about the errors, and the only explanation they have is that perhaps the problems offensively are carrying over to the field. There's no proof, but right now that's the best explanation the coaching staff can provide.
"I've talked to the team about relaxing, I've talked to the team about having fun, I've talked to the team about playing hard," said Piniella, who addressed the team after Saturday's game. "What else can you say? The game is played on the field. That's the way it's always been. I don't really have much more to add to that. I said a couple of things after [Saturday's] ballgame, and that's it. We've got to play better on the field, and that's really the bottom line."
Piniella told the players on Saturday that if they didn't improve, it was going to be an embarrassing season.
Soriano feels that although the Cubs played well in Spring Training, it hasn't carried over into the season.
"It is [embarrassing]," Soriano said. "We're not playing like we're supposed to play. What I see is, we're not hungry to win. We go out there and don't fight to win — we play nine innings and we go home. That's what I see."
But how do the Cubs get back on track?
"That's the biggest problem," Soriano said. "I don't know what we have to do, but we have to figure it out soon. It's not early any more — it's almost halfway through the season."
Soriano cited two Cubs as standouts: rookie shortstop Starlin Castro and center fielder Marlon Byrd. Being around Castro, Soriano said, makes him feel young, while Byrd "plays hard every time."
Now if the rest of the roster could duplicate Byrd's efforts, the Cubs might get back on track, he said.
"Sometimes we try to do too much, but that's not the way to fix it," Soriano said. "We have to go one game at a time, one at-bat at a time."
It's been tough to sleep at night as the team struggles.
"I go home and think about it, because I don't like to lose," Soriano said. "I try to figure out what we can do to get better. It's not working for us. I think we have to try not to do too much. Just one pitch at a time, try to hit the ball hard and see what happens."
Santo to skip Cubs' trip to Seattle
CHICAGO — WGN Radio analyst Ron Santo will skip the trip to his hometown and miss the Cubs' upcoming Interleague series against the Mariners.
Santo was looking forward to the series because it would have given him a chance to see family and friends in Seattle.
"I have to start thinking about the travel," Santo said Sunday. "This time it has to do with my leg."
A diabetic, Santo has had both legs amputated below the knee because of complications from the disease. A bone in his left leg is rubbing a nerve, and he feels it when he walks.
"When I walk from the press box to the elevator [at Wrigley Field] lately, it's been bothering me," he said. "I use 55 percent of my energy with these legs. When it's hot, it's tough."
Santo will rejoin the Cubs on Friday when they face the White Sox in the final Interleague series of the season.
"Both [WGN] Radio and the Cubs want me around — and I want to be around," he said. "It's therapy for me. When I'm up there [in the broadcast booth], I don't think about anything except moaning and groaning."
Santo, who turned 70 in February, doesn't hide his emotions during the broadcasts. There's been a lot of moaning and groaning this season watching the Cubs.
He is also considering missing a few more of the Cubs' upcoming trips, as the longer flights make it difficult for him to stay on his medicine and workout routine. Next year he may only travel to games in the Midwest.
"That's the main thing — I want to be around," he said. "I'm very fortunate to be here. I am feeling good."
Ramirez goes 1-for-3 in rehab start
CHICAGO — Third baseman Aramis Ramirez, sidelined with a sprained left thumb, went 1-for-3 on Sunday in his second rehab start with Class A Peoria.
Ramirez, the designated hitter, hit second. He walked on five pitches in the first inning and scored, hit an RBI single to left in the second, was called out on strikes in the fourth and lined out in the sixth.
On Saturday, Ramirez went 0-for-3. He grounded out in the first inning, was called out on strikes in the third, was intentionally walked in the fourth with two outs and runners at second and third, and then grounded out in the sixth. The Peoria Chiefs lost, 7-2, to Quad Cities.
Ramirez, who has been on the disabled list since June 8, was batting .168 with five homers and 22 RBIs in 47 games.
"He basically will let us know how he feels [on Monday]," manager Lou Piniella said.