--Backup C Koyie Hill took groundballs at third base Friday morning, one day after making his first major league appearance there. Hill, who was converted to a catcher from a third baseman in Class A ball in 2000, is the emergency third baseman because Aramis Ramirez's left calf still isn't well enough for him to play the field. Ramirez pinch hit Friday for his first appearance in a week.
--C Geovany Soto and C Koyie Hill look as if they will share time for the time being. Hill started Thursday. Soto entered the day batting .111, and he was 3-for-16 in throwing out base stealers. He had been bothered early in the season by a sore right shoulder. Hill moved to third base in the 10th inning, marking his first major league game as an infielder. --RHP Carlos Zambrano became the seventh pitcher to reach 1,200 strikeouts while with the Cubs when he fanned Arizona OF Chris Young in the second inning Tuesday. At the plate, Zambrano came a triple short of the cycle. He homered leading off the seventh. It was the 17th home run of his career, tops among Cubs pitchers all time.
BY THE NUMBERS: 11 -- Through the weekend series at St. Louis, Cubs starting pitchers already had turned in 11 quality starts for the season. With the offense struggling, the Cubs were only 5-6 in those games.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "I will talk to him on a daily basis, and we'll see if he's ready to play. When he's ready, we'll get him in there." -- Manager Lou Piniella on RF Milton Bradley, who finally returned from a strained right groin on April 28.
