Mark Buehrle still gets heat for wearing a St. Louis Cardinals cap at a World Series game last October, but Carlos Zambrano one-upped Buehrle before Thursday’s Cubs game.
Zambrano motioned to reporters standing around the clubhouse and pointed to a box that contained a pair of red shinguards.
“It’s a gift from my next catcher, Yadier,” Zambrano said.
Zambrano was referring to St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina, although he didn’t specify whether he was going to St. Louis or Molina was coming to the Cubs.
Streak busting
Alfonso Soriano ended an 0-for-21 skid with a first-inning double off Jeff Weaver. Soriano went 2-for-5, ending a slump that started in Atlanta after he was hit by Braves starter Tim Hudson. Manager Lou Piniella said that had nothing to do with Soriano’s slump.
“He has hit a few balls hard,” Piniella said. “The wind has been blowing in. Sometimes, probably, Alfonso tries to do a little bit too much and gets overanxious and swings at the first pitch and doesn’t get a good pitch to hit.
“I think that probably has more to do with it than anything else. He has been streaky, and we need to get him back on that hot streak. You can see what he can do when he’s swinging the bat the way he’s capable.”
Scoreboard-watching
Bob Howry, Scott Eyre, Michael Wuertz and Sean Gallagher decided to take a tour inside the center-field scoreboard before Thursday’s game. They even got a chance to stick their heads out of the innings windows for a group photo
“It was pretty cool,” Eyre said. “Gallagher will tell you I was shaking. I’m afraid of heights and I had a death grip on the rails walking up there. It’s neat. It actually looks a lot bigger than it really is inside.”
Extra innings
Piniella said he will give Jacque Jones a brief “rest” to try to get him to relax. … The Cubs will go back to 12 pitchers by Tuesday’s series in Texas when Daryle Ward is expected to return from his minor-league rehab stint. … A group from the Brains and Baseball Camp at Chicago City Day School, which teaches kids reading and writing skills by having them read Cubs stories in the Tribune, attended Thursday’s game. … Clay Rapada made his major-league debut Thursday, retiring the only man he faced.
