Come To Think Of It: Alfonso Soriano Sits and Needs To Continue Sitting

So, Lou Piniella is finally starting to show signs of the manager we all thought he was.

He's sent troubled Milton Bradley home. He's sat down struggling Alfonso Soriano. He's even gotten thrown out of a game—Wednesday versus the Pirates on what appeared to be a bad call at first base.

But he needs to continue to be the tough guy and continue to sit Soriano. Sadly, it's not likely.

Now, I don't say this simply because Soriano's replacement, Sam Fuld, had a great game on Wednesday. I say this because Soriano has hit below the Mendoza line in June.

Look, I'm not stupid. I realize that Soriano makes $18 million per year and is signed through 2014 and has a full no-trade clause. But when a guy is in the deepest slump of his career, as Soriano is in, it's time to stand up and say "enough is enough."

Meanwhile, Sam Fuld collected two hits, made a diving catch, and threw out a runner trying to score. I know Fuld isn't likely to repeat that performance. But you send a message by playing him on Thursday.

That likely means Fuld will play center field. But if I was the manager, he'd be back out there in left field, and Soriano would be biding his time on the bench.

I'm not naive enough to suggest that Soriano will become MLB's highest paid pinch hitter. We are stuck with him, thank you Jim Hendry.

But what would be wrong with having him sit another day?

In any event, all's well that Randy Wells starts, right? The enigmatic right-hander hasn't received run support, but, except for one bad start, has pitched his ass off since being called up from Iowa.

Wells has a 2.43 ERA despite a 3-3 record. In 10 starts, he has pitched into the seventh inning in all but two of them. Opposing batters are hitting just .236 against him.

He will be 27 in August, so he's not a prospect. In fact, his upside is small.

Still, he's pitching well at just the time when the Cubs need solid pitching, especially given that they can't hit and certainly can't score runs.

Yes, it seems these forgotten, older Minor League players, like Wells, Hoffpauir, Fuld, Blanco, and Scales have contributed mightily to the current Cubs season. Remember that Ryan Theriot was once in that same situation.

What does that say about the team's scouting and development?

Hey, like a Texas Hold'em player, the Cubs are all in. They have to be. They have too much money invested in their payroll and have too many long-term contracts to become sellers, even in this economy.

Still, they need to recognize when to see the river and when to fold. And right now, they need to look at all their cards, come to think of it.