If the Cubs' batting averages were the stock market, today would be Black Friday. Kosuke Fukudome is the only active starter hitting over .300. Alfonso Soriano is hitting .265, essentially his lowest average all season. I feel like I personally cursed Mike Fontenot and Ryan Theriot because after my May 4 post singing their praises, Theriot's average has gone from .320 to .279 and Mike Fontenot has had just two hits. Milton Bradley is still busting it up, Soto is barely getting better these last few games and Derrek Lee is slowing climbing out of the crater he dug for himself with a 5-game hit streak.

I'm not excited for Carlos Zambrano to re-join the rotation tonight in San Diego, I'm excited for him to re-join the batting order. With his .279 average, Piniella should bat him 4th. I'm not kidding.

Normally, in this situation, you would see Piniella try and shake things up to get his players out of their funk, but there's a roadblock and Jim Hendry put it there. His one gamble in the off-season (other than making Milton Bradley it's centerpiece): he left a gaping hole at back-up for third base.

As I described in my "DeRosa Effect" post, the Cubs would have to scramble for a solution if anything happened to Ramirez long term. I mentioned the free agent market -- Ryan Freel, who can't hit a lick, doesn't count. Great overthrow of first base last night too, Ryan. The second Aramis gets back, you know you're being cut.

But it's not so much that the Cubs need someone to play the position, it's that their offense is sputtering and the guys they need to play there are proving they can't play there every day. Despite making his case to start in April, Fontenot has struggled to succeed playing every day, but Piniella has no choice but to keep sending him out there even though he needs to let his confidence heal. That's all the DeRosa Effect. Between second and third, Fontenot has to play and he shouldn't. If he doesn't, rookie Bobby Scales and the offensively useless Aaron Miles and Freel have to play every day.

It's one thing to realize you made a big mistake leaving a hole at third, but Hendry also didn't take into account how that would affect offensive production. Ramirez's absence causes certain players to have to play, but if they struggle offensively, it leaves a weak spot in the line-up. With Bradley not paying off at the moment, it's even worse. Honestly, this was Hendry's nightmare: Ramirez getting hurt, Bradley doing nothing and no one else stepping up.

I've heard some rumors of putting Soriano back to his roots at second to get Micah Hoffpauir's bat in the lineup. At this point, why not? With the team struggling as a whole like it is, Soriano might have to be flexible for once.

All that's left to say is thank God the Cubs are playing the Padres this weekend. The timing couldn't have been better. It could only be worse if you're Jim Hendry wondering if Peavy might be scouting you ... if he doesn't like what he sees, he'd certainly veto the North Siders too.