Cubs win game, but may lose Soriano

Alfonso Soriano hurt himself during a hop while catching a routine fly ball in the first inning Tuesday night at Wrigley Field and appears headed to the disabled list with more leg problems.

Soriano was taken to Northwestern Memorial hospital for an MRI on his strained right calf, and manager Lou Piniella said it would "probably be a while" before he returns.

"If he's out for an extended period of time, obviously it will hurt us," he said.

The Cubs went on to beat Cincinnati 9-5 to spoil Dusty Baker's return to Wrigley Field, using home runs from Mark DeRosa, Derrek Lee and Ryan Theriot to help starter Ryan Dempster to his second straight victory.

But the big concern afterward was the status of Soriano, the Cubs leadoff hitter and left fielder. The strange play happened in the first inning when he ran over to left- center field to make a routine catch of a Ken Griffey Jr. fly to end the inning.

As is his habit, Soriano hopped while making the catch. But he landed awkwardly on his right leg and limped off the field. Mike Fontenot replaced him in the lineup and took over at second base while DeRosa moved from second to left. If Soriano goes on the DL Wednesday, the likely replacement in left will be Triple-A outfielder Matt Murton, who is hitting .294 with no extra-base hits after Tuesday night's game at New Orleans.

Soriano began doing the hop when he made his conversion from second base to the outfield in spring training of 2006 with Washington. He had trouble making catches on routine flies, so he decided to add a little hop before making the catch to help with his concentration.

"I came up with that because every time in batting practice [when] I was waiting for a ball to come down I'd drop it," Soriano said in an interview last year. "I said to myself, 'I don't want to wait for the ball to come to me. I'll get it.' "

Asked about the hop Tuesday night, Piniella said: "He catches the ball that way. It seems like a natural move for him."

But asked if he knew anyone else who caught a ball that way, Piniella thought a second and couldn't come up with a name.

"I can't remember," he said. "It's his unique style."

The hop may turn out to be the harbinger of the year's first serious injury. DeRosa made a nice running catch in his first game in left this year and figures to play there on a semi-regular basis if Soriano is out for any length of time. He played only one game there in '07 but said he's OK with any move.

"I said in spring training, I have no problems moving around and doing what's best for the team," DeRosa said.

"I just want to find my name in the lineup. If it means going to left field to help this team win games, that's what I'll do."

The game itself was closer than the final score indicated. Lee's three-run homer off Aaron Harang gave the Cubs a 5-3 lead in the fifth, but the Reds knocked out Dempster with a run in the seventh. The Cubs brought in Carlos Marmol, and Fontenot made a sensational play to rob Jeff Keppinger of a single, diving into the hole and making a flip with his glove to Theriot for the force as one run scored.

"Fontenot's play was a game-saver," Baker said.

Lee then turned in a defensive gem, starting a 3-6-3 double play to end the inning.

Marmol struck out the side in the eighth, and after Michael Wuertz struggled again in the ninth, Kerry Wood came in to nail down the victory.

psullivan@tribune.com

Related topic galleries: Michael Wuertz, Spring Training, Ryan Dempster, Lou Piniella, Wrigley Field, Kerry Wood, Alfonso Soriano

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