Manager Lou Piniella has talked about "rotating" his regular players in and out of the lineup, and he made good on that Friday.
Third baseman Aramis Ramirez didn't play in Friday's come-from-behind 10-9 victory over the Colorado Rockies, nor did shortstop Ryan Theriot. One reason Piniella sat the left side of his infield was the Cubs were playing a day game after a night game. The other reason is that Piniella said he wants to keep his regulars fresh.
Theriot faltered badly down the stretch last year, and Piniella said he'll need to give him regular rest. After slumping briefly, Theriot rebounded nicely Thursday, getting on base four times to get his on-base percentage up to .402.
When it looked like the Cubs would suffer a blowout loss Friday, Piniella also pulled starting first baseman Derrek Lee and catcher Geovany Soto from the game. The Cubs then staged a rally to beat the Rockies.
CUBS 10, ROCKIES 9: After falling behind 9-1, the Cubs chipped away and then went ahead with six runs in the seventh inning after scoring three in the sixth. Mark DeRosa, starting at third base in place of Aramis Ramirez, hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the big seventh. Center fielder Jim Edmonds had his best day as a Cub, going 3-for-4 with a solo homer in the sixth. Ted Lilly had a rough start, lasting only three innings and giving up eight hits and seven runs, four earned. "Today, Lilly was up with all his pitches," said manager Lou Piniella. Catcher Henry Blanco and right fielder Kosuke Fukudome both homered. The Cubs overcame an eight-run deficit to win for the first time since June 22, 1999 at Colorado.
