Blanco leads 16-hit attack

Catcher matches career-high 4 RBIs after Baker talk

CUBS 12, INDIANS 8

By Paul Sullivan
Tribune staff reporter
Published June 20, 2006

CLEVELAND -- The Cubs had another team meeting before Monday night's 12-8 win over the Cleveland Indians at Jacobs Field, though manager Dusty Baker declined to reveal what was said.

Whatever it was, there's no doubt Baker wasn't kicking them around.

"I don't kick my team publicly," he said. "I kick my team privately.

"It's easier to kick your team or try to inspire your team when they're playing well. But when they're playing terrible, not playing very well, and you start kicking them, all you're going to do is kick them further in the grave.

"I come from a school where you're actually tougher on them when they're playing good than when they're playing poorly."

The Cubs have been playing poorly the last two months, but snapped a six-game losing streak with a 16-hit assault against the Indians.

Henry Blanco homered and tied a career high with four RBIs, Juan Pierre tripled and drove in three runs and Jacque Jones and Phil Nevin added home runs.

Rookie left-hander Sean Marshall (4-5) allowed four runs over five innings before a rain delay prompted his exit.

Blanco, who was hitting .051 May 30, has hiked his average to .238 and hit three home runs in his last four games. He'll be starting the next nine games as Michael Barrett serves his 10-game suspension, getting a chance to prove he can hit with some consistency with more playing time.

"That comes with the job," Blanco said. "I'm here to back [Barrett] up. I understand the kind of job I have. I get a couple of days to play, and I'm going to try to take advantage of it and keep doing what I'm doing when he comes back."

While the Cubs have been on the ropes since Derrek Lee's wrist injury April 19, Baker refuses to concede they are down for the count.

Asked if the team meeting suggested he was dissatisfied with the team's effort, he answered: "No, no, no."

While Baker said he believed the team was "outmanned" in the three-game series against Detroit, he doesn't believe "underachieve" is a word that describes the Cubs' performance this season.

"I haven't said `underachieved,'" Baker said. "We haven't performed as well as I think some of them can, over a long period of time ... but I can't say we've underachieved. Sometimes we've lost and other times we got beat."

Baker has several team meetings a year, usually when the team has reached another low point. They began Monday a season-low 16 games under .500. Baker said he'd rather not have the meetings, but compared it to the career of rapper Too Short.

"Every time he has an album, he says, `This is the last album,'" Baker said. "So every time I have a meeting, I say, `In the words of Too Short, this is my last meeting.' And I know it's not, just like it's not Too Short's last album.

"I'd have 'em every day if necessary, but you've got to pick your spots."