Lou Piniella has an 8-1 record against the White Sox in his two years on the job, better than any of his predecessors — Jim Riggleman, Don Baylor and Dusty Baker — since the start of interleague play in 1997.
“So far I’m fortunate,” Piniella said. “I respect their team. I respect their organization and I just do what’s best for the Chicago Cubs in my mind. I just let it go at that.”
Riggleman was 6-6 against the Sox from 1997-99. Baylor was 8-10 from 2000-02, and Baker was 11-13 from 2003-06.
Marmol watch
Piniella said pitching coach Larry Rothschild and bullpen coach Les Strode watched video with Carlos Marmol on Sunday seeking an answer to his recent control issues.
“I think it’s just a question of release points,” Piniella said. “Plus I think he was too crouched in spinning out of his delivery, so I think you’ll see him a little [more upright] so he can drive down as opposed to coming up.”
After recording a 1.69 earned-run average in April and a 1.93 ERA in May, Marmol came into Sunday’s game with a 9.00 ERA in June, with eight walks in eight innings.
Back to basics
Troubled left-hander Rich Hill is expected to be sent to the Cubs’ spring training facility in Mesa, Ariz., to work with Mesa pitching coach Rick Tronerud.
Hill has regressed since being sent down to Triple-A Iowa, going 2-4 with a 5.88 ERA in seven starts, and walking 28 batters in 26 innings.
Oneri Fleita, Cubs vice president of player personnel, said a final decision on Hill will be made Monday. He gave up six runs in two-thirds of an inning in his last start, and the Cubs are running out of answers.
“The other night he wasn’t very good,” Fleita said. “He’d be the first to tell you that. He’s got a little work to do. It happens sometimes.”
Extra innings
Daryle Ward was 0-for-2 with an error at first base Saturday in his first rehab start at Iowa. … The Cubs made history on Saturday by hitting back-to-back home runs twice in the same inning, by Jim Edmonds and Mike Fontenot, and then by Aramis Ramirez and Edmonds. They’ve gone back-to-back twice in the same game 10 times but never in the same inning.
