CHICAGO -- Starlin Castro led off for only the second time in his career on Sunday, but the Chicago Cubs shortstop looked quite comfortable doing it, going 3-for-4 with two triples.

“He did OK. He just keeps playing and good for him,” Cubs manager Mike Quade said of Castro’s impressive day at the plate in the Cubs 5-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. “He just kept doing what he’s been doing, and in an exciting way.”

Alfonso Soriano, who has been a mentor to Castro over the past year, knows Castro can hit regardless of where he’s put in the lineup.

“I’m not surprised,” Alfonso Soriano said. “Last year he was 20 years old, but he thinks like a 25- or 26-year-old. He acts like a veteran player.

“Anywhere you can put him, he’ll look good. He can hit leadoff, second, third… anywhere you put him he’s gonna do his job because he’s got too much talent.”

As for Castro, he’s not fretting about his position in the lineup, “I don’t care the spot [Quade] puts me. I want to be here to play baseball, that’s it.”

Quade did have one complaint about Castro’s base running, which he also addressed with the youngster back in spring training.

“We need to get him to slide a little earlier, because the slide is starting to scare me,” Quade said. “If we can smooth that out, that would be the last piece. Just to keep him healthy, that would be a good thing.”

As good as Castro looked at the plate, he did make a tough error in the ninth inning that ended up allowing the winning run score for the Pirates. On a slow grounder off the bat of Pedro Alvarez, Castro made a quick throw to first base that pulled Carlos Pena off the bag and allowed Neil Walker to score from second base.

“I think it’s easy for us to sit here now [and question the throw], but if he makes a good throw does he get him?” asked Quade. “But that’s something, probably, that you want to play ‘safety first’. And it’s also something that when you get wrapped up in a competitive moment and you’re trying to bail your club out, you make a play.”

What goes through Castro’s mind when a ball like that comes towards him?

“Fire the ball and get guys out,” he said.

Does he ever consider not making a throw?

“Sometimes, but I’m ready to throw every time,” Castro said.