Patterson to get a spin at the top

[BuckFoston]

In the wake of Todd Walker's return from the disabled list and a reduced role impending for Jerry Hairston, Corey Patterson is manager Dusty Baker's first choice to serve as the Cubs' leadoff hitter.

However, leading off is not Patterson's top choice.

"The bottom line is that I don't make the lineup," Patterson said. "If he writes me in at leadoff, I'm going to play. At the same time, if you ask me a question about it I'm going to tell you the truth. I would prefer not to lead off. I'm comfortable where I'm at in the middle of the order."

Baker said Walker would start against right-handers and Hairston would start against left-handers. The Cubs will be looking for a leadoff hitter on days Walker starts.

"I'm wrestling with that right now," Baker said. "I'll talk to (shortstop) Neifi (Perez) to see how he would handle it. I know Corey feels more comfortable down in the lineup, but (Cubs roving baserunning coach) Vince Coleman and I talked to him about the necessity of leading off. And I think he could be one of the best leadoff men around.

"But it's a mind-set. It would be our best lineup if he could do it."

Locals impress brass

Two former Southland standouts in the Cubs farm system are getting the attention of team officials.

Providence Catholic High School graduate Carmen Pignatiello was one out away from throwing a no-hitter for Double-A West Tenn on Monday. West Tenn's Brandon Sing, who hails from Joliet, is hitting .323 with 10 homers and a team-high 28 RBI.

Cubs director of player development Oneri Fleita is impressed with Pignatiello's development this season.

"The difference with him than in years past is that he has learned to command his fastball," Fleita said. "He's always had a good changeup and curveball. When you can throw a fastball on both sides of the plate, everything else is easy for him. He's not going to blow people away, but he can pitch."

Sing, who played first base last year and early this season, has seen action in both left and right field in 2005.

"He's finally growing into his body," Fleita said. "He has that big frame that has finally filled out. He's doing all the things a big man should. He's not striking out. He's learned to hit the ball to right field. Now he's working in the outfield to give himself some flexibility, and hopefully, that will help him in the future."

The rumor mill

The San Jose Mercury News reported Wednesday the Cubs recently contacted the Oakland Athletics about the availability of outfielder Eric Byrnes.

The A's have an abundance of outfielders, meaning Byrnes could be expendable.

Heading into Wednesday's action, the right-handed-hitting Byrnes, 29, was batting .189 against right-handed pitchers and .400 against left-handers this year.

The injury report

Pitcher Kerry Wood (right shoulder inflammation) is throwing off flat ground at about 90 feet. Cubs officials are not saying when he will be able to start throwing off the pitcher's mound.

Patterson did not start for the second consecutive game because of a sore left wrist, suffered in a collision with teammate Jeromy Burnitz during Monday night's game. Patterson expects to be back in the lineup today.

Boo who?

Baker isn't fond of his players getting booed at Wrigley Field. The manager felt bad for NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon, who was jeered after a bad rendition of "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" during the seventh-inning stretch Tuesday.

"Booing seems big now," Baker said. "It's hard to boo Jeff Gordon. To me, this guy is one of the greatest of all time. I don't know if he's going to come back now."http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/dssports/pro/261sd4.htm

[rockin500]

he batted 6th today. which is where he has been at the past few times he has been in the lineup.

[aTrUeCUBsFaN]

Nah, Neifi Perez is the lead off hitter when Walker's starting, and Jerry Hairston Jr. is the lead off hitter when Walker's resting.

Here's the article on cubs.com:

05/26/2005 1:54 PM ET
Notes: Perez bats in leadoff spot
Patterson dropped to No. 6; Cubs focus on winning series
By Carrie Muskat / MLB.com

CHICAGO -- Neifi Perez batted leadoff on Thursday for the first time this season, supplanting Corey Patterson, as the Chicago Cubs try to find a better offensive mix.

So far this season, Jerry Hairston Jr. has batted leadoff 26 times and was hitting .268, while Patterson has led off 18 times and was hitting .263.

"I talked to [Perez] extensively about it," Cubs manager Dusty Baker said. "We're looking for more offense, looking for a perfect lineup, especially with [Todd] Walker back. It's going to change from time to time when Hairston is playing. [Perez] led off for four years in Colorado, so he knows how to do it."

And Patterson doesn't seem to want to.

"It's not only not wanting, but he doesn't seem to be as prepared to start the game as he would be in the sixth spot, even though he has the talent and ability to [bat leadoff]," Baker said. "He's not advanced enough in this game to know when to take, how to work the count. He's just still learning how to hit. He has the speed, the ability, the size, the stature to lead off.

"When it's good, he can get a lot of hits," Baker said. "When it's bad, he can have a lot of at-bats. I'm just doing what I can searching for runs."

Patterson has drawn nine walks, struck out 39 times and has a .314 on-base percentage. As a comparison, Atlanta's Chipper Jones leads the National League with a .464 on-base percentage, and Derrek Lee leads the Cubs with a .438 on-base percentage.

"I just know where I feel comfortable, and I'm going to tell the truth and go from there," Patterson said after Wednesday's game. "But at the same time, the lineup's made, and when I'm in there, I'm going to give 100 percent."

Part of the problem in converting and convincing Patterson to bat leadoff is that he did not hit leadoff in the Minors, but batted third. Baker even had leadoff specialist Brett Butler talk to Patterson this offseason in hopes of helping the Cubs center fielder understand the philosophy of the job.

Baker has had conversations with Patterson, and knows what the center fielder wants to do.

"'Wants to be' and 'is' are two different things," Baker said. "He has power, he also is prone to the strikeout, and he has speed. He hasn't learned the art of how to walk yet -- and you can tell when he swings at a bad 3-1 pitch that would've been a walk, or a bad 2-0 pitch -- because he's aggressive and wants to hit. He's still learning and I don't think he's found what kind of hitter he's going to be yet.

"He probably never batted leadoff in his life," Baker said. "Like most guys, when you're one of the best players on the team, you bat third. I talked to him this winter and he told me he felt more comfortable batting sixth. I thought he could help us more batting leadoff."

Part of the problem is Patterson, along with several other Cubs, is not coming through with runners in scoring position. He's hitting .244 overall with runners in scoring position, and .235 when there are two outs.

Patterson knows why Baker wants him at the top of the lineup.

"I think overall, we don't have great speed on the team, but guys who can run, you want them on top of the lineup and [Baker] is right about that," Patterson said. "But I can do more than steal bases, which I think is important, too."

Step by step: The Cubs' goal now is to continue to win series, like they did against the Houston Astros.

"A chance to win a series is better than winning eight in a row," Baker said. "That's what we said when we started is to win series."

Baker's son, Darren, tried to console his dad after the Cubs lost Wednesday and failed to sweep the Astros.

"We know where we are," Baker said about the Cubs being eight games back in the National League Central standings. "You're not going to make it up in eight games. You have to keep winning series. You have to slow walk. Hopefully, they'll see the whites of our eyes and we're right up on them."

Eye to eye: Speaking of eyes, some of the Cubs players are testing contact lenses that are sunglasses. They are tinted either green or red, and are beneficial to players who have a lot of day games. Bausch & Lomb and Nike are involved in the eyewear.

Todd Hollandsworth loves his green-tinted contacts.

"They're really amazing," Hollandsworth said. "The weird thing is how they look."

Ryan Dempster was trying on a pair of red-tinted contacts, which, naturally, make his eyes look very red.

"A couple of them look kind of satanic to me," said Baker, who was going to stick to sunglasses.

Sing-along: Baker isn't a huge fan of the guest singers during the seventh-inning stretch at Wrigley Field.

"A lot of times, I don't know some of them," Baker said. "I think it's cool they come out there to do that. I'm a fan of anybody who is excellent in their field, whether they're a Nascar driver or country western singer or comedian or anybody at the top of their field."

And who would Baker like to see sing?

"Snoop Doggy Dog," he said. "He'd probably rap it instead of singing it."

Could Baker envision being invited back to sing someday when he's done managing?

"It all depends on how I end up here," he said.

Extra bases: Walker is going to continue to wear a knee brace on his left knee, but it's barely noticeable. "It's like a glorified Ace bandage," said Walker, who sprained his left knee April 10. ... Jose Macias was sporting a large brace on his left knee. He said he needs it for support. ... Dempster is 4-for-5 in save situations, and may have benefited by being in the starting rotation at the beginning of the year. "I think him starting helped strengthen his arm for this situation," Baker said of Dempster, who had Tommy John surgery in August 2003. "He's throwing the ball well. He's kind of flaky enough to be a good reliever, a good stopper." ... Joe Borowski, Cliff Bartosh and Todd Wellemeyer all need to get in games. "I have a category every day with the bullpen called 'NTP' -- needs to pitch," Baker said.

Marathon men: Cubs starting pitchers have gone at least seven innings in each of the last six games, beginning with Greg Maddux on May 20. Maddux was followed by Carlos Zambrano, Mark Prior, Glendon Rusch and Sergio Mitre, and then went 7 2/3 innings in Wednesday's start. Before 2005, Cubs starters went seven-plus in six consecutive starts from June 1-6, 2000. The starters were Kevin Tapani, Scott Downs, Kerry Wood, Jon Lieber, Ismael Valdez and Tapani.

Before this season, the last time the Cubs starting pitchers went at least seven innings in seven or more consecutive games was July 18-30, 1972, when they did so with 10 in a row. The pitchers then were Fergie Jenkins, Milt Pappas, Bill Bonham, Rick Reuschel, Jenkins, Jenkins, Burt Hooton, Pappas, Bill Hands and Reuschel. Jenkins was able to do so back-to-back because of the All-Star break.

Condolences: Cubs general manager Jim Hendry's mother, Mildred, passed away Thursday in New Orleans. She was 82.

Minor matters: Geovany Soto went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs for Triple-A Iowa in a 4-3, 13-inning win over Sacramento on Wednesday. ... Jae-Kuk Ryu gave up one run on six hits over seven innings in West Tenn's 2-0 loss to Mobile. Matt Murton went 2-for-3, and is batting .393. ... Jacob Fox was 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs in Class A Daytona's 11-10 loss to Dunedin. ... Eric Patterson went 2-for-5 with two triples and three RBIs in Peoria's 7-6 loss to Southwest Michigan.

On deck: Prior will try to stay unbeaten at home when he takes the mound Friday for the Cubs in the second game of this four-game series against the Rockies. Prior is 3-0 with a 1.75 ERA at home.

Carrie Muskat is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.