Chicago makes changes on the fly, climbs out of hole

	Alfonso Soriano loosened up in June, hitting 11 home runs after managing only four in April and May. Ben Liebenberg/WireImage.com
	The New Cubs POS Opening Day July 4 1B Derrek Lee Lee 2B Mark DeRosa Mike Fontenot 3B Aramis Ramirez Ramirez SS Cesar Izturis Ryan Theriot LF Matt Murton Soriano CF Alfonso Soriano Angel Pagan RF Jacque Jones DeRosa C Michael Barrett Rob Bowen

The way it looked earlier this season -- heck, the way it looked just a couple weeks ago -- the Cubs had about as much of a chance of being a factor in a pennant race this September as Steve Bartman has of being elected mayor of Chicago. The Cubs weren't simply bad. They were an embarrassment, a joke, an infighting mess of a so-called team.

This, of course, wasn't much of a surprise to Cubs fans. Ridicule and embarrassment come as standard equipment with all Cubs hats. Still, after some $300 million in offseason roster upgrades and with the hiring of respected manager Lou Piniella, fans somehow expected at least a little more than the same old Cubs. What they got -- sigh -- was a 22-31 start instead.

"We blew about 10 layups," general manager Jim Hendry says of his team's start. "We lost some games that I've never seen lost that way before."

Now, after weeks of struggling and juggling, things are suddenly, some might say improbably, starting to improve. Before Wednesday afternoon's loss to the Nationals, the Cubs had won more games (19) in the previous month than any team in baseball. Earlier in the week they had climbed to two games above .500 for the first time since May 2006. They have pushed aside their natural inclination toward boneheaded baserunning, blown bullpen leads and the untimeliest of hitting -- at least they have temporarily -- and look for all the world now like a winning team. In fact, they've won 10 of their past 12 games.

Is this the team that Hendry was thinking about when he wrote all those checks in the offseason? Can these Cubs challenge the Brewers and make a run at the National League Central title?

Are we getting ahead of ourselves here? Again?

"We thought we were good enough to compete coming out of spring training. Unfortunately, we got ourselves behind a little bit," says Hendry. "It's not a bad club, if we're operating on all cylinders."

At times early in the season the innate Cubbiness of this franchise had seemed to take the fight out of even the ever-pugnacious Piniella. He talked constantly about changing the "culture" around the team. He was wide-eyed incredulous at some of the mistakes the team made and the creative way the bullpen muffed leads. Piniella's premeditated top-blowing at an umpire on June 2 -- the day after pitcher Carlos Zambrano and catcher Michael Barrett scuffled in the dugout -- fell lockstep into place with the rest of the nuttiness around the team.

From the start of the season, though, Piniella began experimenting with different players in different spots, trying to find out the best fits. The Cubs immediately abandoned the idea of keeping infielder-turned-outfielder Alfonso Soriano in center field, instead moving him to left. They tried exciting rookie Felix Pie in center, then decided he was a better fit on the bench. (Angel Pagan now seems to have a grasp on the center-field duties.) When Cliff Floyd took a bereavement leave, the team called up infielder Mike Fontenot, who has sizzled in the 25 games he's played, mostly at second base. Mark DeRosa, who began the season at second, has become a super utility starter, playing second, third and right field.

The team traded away catcher Barrett shortly after his fight with ace Zambrano. They reportedly are still trying to trade away outfielder Jacque Jones. In all, only two regulars -- first baseman Derrek Lee and third baseman Aramis Ramirez -- are still playing where they started the season [see chart].

Many of Piniella's tinkerings didn't do much, but others paid immediate dividends. First, the team lost some offense in trading Barrett to the Padres, but the defense with Koyie Hill and Rob Bowen behind the plate has improved. The recall of Fontenot, a throw-in from Baltimore in the Sammy Sosa trade before the 2005 season, has helped. The 5-foot-8 Fontenot, untouched by anyone when the Cubs made him available in the Rule 5 draft, surprised team officials with his improved defense and is hitting .352 with a .979 OPS.