Between injuries and the weather in Chicago, Cubs manager Lou Piniella will have to remake his offense on the fly.
Piniella was without three starters Monday, as Milton Bradley (groin), Aramis Ramirez (back) and Geovany Soto (shoulder) missed the game. None of the three injuries is expected to be long term. Add to that a day when the temperature was 36 degrees with a cold wind, and the Cubs had to play some small ball in their 4-0 victory over the Rockies.
However, neither of these scenarios seemed to catch Piniella by surprise. He knows the injured players needed to be replaced, and that Derrek Lee will need a rest now and then.
"I've made out lineups with Ramirez out of it from time to time to see how it would look like, with Bradley out of it from time to time, with Lee out of it from time to time, just to get an idea of what lineups look like," Piniella said. "On paper, they look fine. And I think they'll perform on the field. We'll have to play a little different game, but that's all right, too."
CUBS 4, ROCKIES 0: Ted Lilly had a no-hitter for 6 2/3 innings before Garrett Atkins singled to break it up. Lilly (2-0) struck out eight and walked two as he and three relievers combined on a one-hitter. Cubs batters walked nine times and strung together enough hits even as they stranded 13 runners.
