Alfonso Soriano News

Home runs come a lot easier than triples for Albert Pujols. The St. Louis star managed one of each Friday as the Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs 8-3 to kick off the final weekend before the all-star break.

In the annals of unfortunate titles, "This is the Year!" would have to rank near the top.

The manager says he's out of answers. The hitting coach says he's told the players what they're doing wrong but he can't hit for them.

Ryan Dempster joined the Cubs in 2004 and signed a four-year extension last winter, but his initiation with the star-crossed franchise wasn't complete until he went on the disabled list Tuesday after breaking his toe in a fall from the dugout rail while trying to join a postgame victory celebration.

Catcher Geovany Soto was scratched from the starting lineup on Wednesday after suffering a mild left oblique strain during batting practice.

For the first time since Alfonso Soriano signed that $136 million contract more than two years ago, his move out of leadoff spot, and his career comfort zone, looks like it has the potential to be more than a short-term move.

He has the most home runs with 15 and is hitting .285. But Lee won't be an All-Star, and he doesn't mind.

One year after sending eight players to the All-Star Game, the Cubs will have one going to this year's game in St.

Pitching and defense win games, as the Cubs proved Friday in a 2-1 walk-off victory in 10 innings, their second consecutive win to open a crucial four-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field.

CHICAGO – Struggling Cubs left fielder Alfonso Soriano might find his name lower in the lineup today.

Lou Piniella knew it was coming and there was nothing he could do to stop it. The Sammy Fuld bandwagon was going at breakneck speed, with everyone lobbyingPiniella to stick the kid back in the lineup, preferrably in the leadoff spot.

Alfonso Soriano #12 of the Chicago Cubs smiles as his teammates celebrate his game-winning hit in the bottom of the 9th inning against the Chicago White Sox on June 18, 2009 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois.

Before we start assigning blame for a Cubs season gone sour by July, let's agree on one thing: There is plenty of blame to go around -- from general manager Jim Hendry to manager Lou Piniella to just about every player not named Derrek Lee.

So, Lou Piniella is finally starting to show signs of the manager we all thought he was.

So this is all it took? Benching Alfonso Soriano for a day and starting Sam Fuld in left field? Fuld made the most of his chance, leading off the game with his first major league hit, a double .

One of the first ballplayers I had the opportunity to interview was the charming Milton Bradley.

This year is the most frustrating of the three. Soriano is having the worst season of his career and has not shown signs of breaking out yet.

Strange team, the 2009 Cubs. In the visiting clubhouse at U.S. Cellular Field , Derrek Lee declared Friday to be "a good day" because of a "big win for us" over the White Sox .

Lou Piniella said he had seen enough. So the Cubs' manager acted. After right fielder Milton Bradley flied out in the sixth inning of the Cubs' 5-4 victory over the White Sox on Friday at U.S. Cellular Field, Bradley came into the dugout and pitched a fit, among other things.

Cubs/Sox Report, Jun. 21The Cubs and Sox split their first season series and have another coming up this weekend.