It was February in Mesa, Ariz., when manager Lou Piniella said anxious Cubs fans already wanted to “fast-forward” to October and get the playoffs going.
But with the temperature at Wrigley Field dropping into the 50s Monday night on the final day of August, it was Piniella who was wondering what time of year it was.
“Boy, is this August, or is this the first of October?” he asked aloud. “Cold, isn’t it?”
Does it feel like October?
“That was a trick question, wasn’t it?” he said, laughing.
The Cubs were as cold as the weather this August, finishing with an 11-17 record after Monday’s 5-3 loss to the Astros.
They began the month a half-game behind NL Central-leading St. Louis and ended it 10 1/2 back. They’re also six games behind Colorado and San Francisco in the wild-card hunt.
Things have gotten so bad that some fans started the wave in the right-field bleachers during the eighth inning Monday. It didn’t go far, just like the 2009 Cubs.
Rich Harden, who learned earlier in the day he would not be traded to Minnesota, which claimed him on waivers, allowed five runs over five innings. Harden walked six batters while striking out nine, falling to 8-8.
Carlos Lee homered and drove in four runs for Houston, making a winner out of Roy Oswalt, who ripped into his lifeless team after his last start, referring to the “dead feeling” in the clubhouse and claiming the Astros players were just “going through the motions.” Oswalt (8-5) lasted seven innings, allowing two runs on seven hits.
Derrek Lee’s eighth-inning home run off LaTroy Hawkins pulled the Cubs to within two runs, but Astros closer Jose Valverde shut them down in the ninth for his 20th save.
Now that Harden will remain a Cub the rest of the year, the focus will be on whether he’ll be a Cub in 2010 and beyond.
General manager Jim Hendry said he doesn’t worry about free agents until the end of the year, but added: “If he’s healthy, he’s proven he’s an upper-echelon guy. …
“I think you just let the rest of the season play out. I don’t know what he’d be looking for, and certainly we haven’t even formulated a plan for the off-season, because No. 1, we’ve still got some work to do here, and two, we’ll be working with a new owner and maybe a whole new set of ground rules.”
Hendry called speculation that Harden would be dealt to Minnesota a “non-story,” though the Twins were reportedly very interested in acquiring him. But Hendry could not trade Harden without looking as though he’s conceding the wild-card race.
“We’re not giving up,” he said.
Despite Harden’s reputation as an injury-prone pitcher, he has stayed relatively injury-free with the Cubs, with only one stint on the disabled list since arriving on July 8, 2008.
“We’ve tried to keep his pitch counts reasonable,” Piniella said. “We’ve tried to give him the extra day (of rest) every time we could, and he’s responded. He’s stayed healthy and pitched well for us.”
But good enough to deserve a multiyear deal in line with the other top right-handers in the game?
Check back in November, when the weather may be a little warmer.
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psullivan@tribune.com
*UP NEXT: Tuesday vs. Astros,
7:05 p.m., WGN-Ch. 9
*WILD-CARD RACE: Six games back of idle Rockies, Giants.
*SEC 1. PAGE 21: Bankruptcy judge approves expedited Cubs sale.
