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HOUSTON -- When an offensive highlight of the night is a double from the pitcher that didn’t even lead to a run, it was probably an effort not worthy of distinction.

The Cubs have now gone 59 consecutive innings without holding a lead. The last time they were on top was in the fourth inning last Wednesday at home against the Philadelphia Phillies.

In yet another game over the past week where the Cubs’ offense barely made a dent, Alfonso Soriano supplied the only run Tuesday with an impressive home run to left field.

Make that four home runs for Soriano over the past eight games. The bad news is that the Cubs have lost all eight of those games.

Doesn’t it figure that once one of the club’s power bats finally comes to life that everybody else goes into a slide, including Bryan LaHair, who now has one hit over his last 20 at-bats.

And then there is Starlin Castro, who struck out all four times he came to the plate, including once in the eighth inning with the tying run at third base and one out. His 31 strikeouts are now third most on the club behind sluggers Soriano (32) and LaHair (46). He has just four walks, or the same amount as Reed Johnson has in nearly two-thirds less at-bats.

“We just can’t seem to get anything going,” manager Dale Sveum said. “You get a guy at third and less than two outs and you get a couple of strikeouts. We just can’t get anything out of the ballpark. Soriano hit a solo shot but we just can’t seem to get that three-run shot.”

The Cubs are now batting .223 (51-for-229) with 20 runs over their last seven games after batting .277 (54-for-195) and scoring 29 runs over their five-game road trip to Milwaukee and St. Louis that ended last Tuesday.

Only Soriano is delivering now after not hitting a home run over the team’s first 30 games. He has driven in a run in eight of the team’s last 13 games.

“I started hitting homers but it’s not enough to win,” Soriano said. “It’s better to win games. I don’t care about my homers because I know I have been doing that for 12 years. The more important thing is to get a win. I don’t know what we have to do to win one game and hit more. We’re struggling not getting hits so we have to work more.”

Batting in the cleanup spot Tuesday, Soriano had a close up view from the on-deck circle of Castro’s four strikeouts.

“He’s just in his third year in the league so he’ll figure it out,” Soriano said. “That happened to him last year too. He had little struggles. It’s a long season and sometimes you have (struggles) one week or two weeks. But when you get out of your slump you become a better player. I hope when he gets out he will come out hot and be a better player.”

Soriano hopes that by everybody continuing to plug away, the offense can finally get in sync.

“I just try to do my job no matter if we’re struggling or not,” Soriano said. “If you’re young or a veteran, everybody has to do their job. I came here to play and try to do my job to make the team better and try to win.”

HOUSTON -- The Chicago Cubs lost their eighth consecutive game Tuesday and are now the owners of the worst winning percentage in baseball after dropping a 2-1 decision to the Houston Astros.

How it happened: Travis Wood gave up a home run and a double to the first two batters, but allowed no other hits over 5 2/3 innings. He did walk a batter in the sixth inning that came around to score the eventual winning run against Shawn Camp. Alfonso Soriano crushed a solo home run in the fourth inning, his fourth long ball over the team’s past four series.

What it means: Wood looks nothing like the pitcher who struggled in spring training, delivering two solid starts so far this season. He topped the three runs over six innings he allowed the Dodgers on May 6, by giving up two runs on just two hits over 5 2/3 innings Tuesday. The Cubs had not received anything close to this kind of outing when Chris Volstad was pitching, but the team has still lost all nine games in this spot of the rotation.

Outside the box: Sure the offense has struggled of late, but the pitching has been dealing with its own issues. Going back to May 10 (not counting Tuesday night’s game), Cubs pitchers had a combined 5.96 ERA over an 11-game span. That was the highest ERA in baseball over that stretch (the Rockies were second at 5.84). The starters had a 6.22 ERA over those 11 games while the bullpen was at 5.58.

Off beat: The between-inning “Kiss Cam” video board feature at most ballparks isn’t just for fans, as Alfonso Soriano proved Tuesday. After making an impressive sliding catch in left field on a sinking line drive from the Astros’ Jed Lowrie in the sixth inning, Soriano removed the ball from his glove and gave it a little smooch. It was all in a day’s work for Soriano, who also hit a home run while playing on knee that has been sore most of the season.

Up next: The Cubs will send right-hander Jeff Samardzija (4-2, 3.00 ERA) to the mound in Wednesday’s series finale. The Astros will counter with left-hander Wandy Rodriguez (3-4, 2.24) in the 7:05 p.m. start from Minute Maid Park.

STREAKING

1. Alfonso Soriano, LF: Yes, we did find a Cub who had a decent week. Soriano finally found his home run mojo, hitting three during the week after enduring a six-week drought to begin the season. For all the talk about trading or releasing the 36-year-old veteran, his retiring teammate Kerry Wood singled him out as a player he admired for fighting through injury and attrition in order to play every day. Besides going deep three times last week, Soriano hit .360 with 6 RBIs. Soriano has a nagging knee problem that may result in a trip to the disabled list at some point this season.

2. Anthony Rizzo, Iowa Cubs 1B: The only other Cub who had a good week plays in the minor leagues. Rizzo got all the headlines this past weekend as manager Dale Sveum said the team will consider calling him up when the Cubs begin interleague play in American League ballparks on June 8. Rizzo has dominated the Pacific Coast League with 15 home runs, 14 doubles and a .365 batting average. Bryan LaHair will have to move to the outfield when Rizzo is called up.

SLUMPING

1. The other 24 players: A total offensive melt down has contributed to the Cubs’ seven-game losing streak. They have only scored In four of their past 36 innings over four games. That statistic includes two meaningless games in which the Cubs scored four runs in the ninth inning of blowout losses. Sveum has promised a shakeup of the lineup that may find Starlin Castro back as the leadoff hitter. The strength of the team has been the starting pitching which is beginning to break down due to lack of run support.

CHICAGO -- A sixth consecutive defeat, a sweep by the cross-town Chicago White Sox and the first shutout of the season all have Chicago Cubs manager Dale Sveum working on the details of a lineup change for his last-place club.

Sveum didn’t reveal too much after Sunday’s 6-0 defeat other than saying that changes are expected to happen to the top three spots in the order. That’s where David DeJesus, Tony Campana and Starlin Castro have resided most of the season, in that order.

Read the entire story.

CHICAGO -- The Chicago White Sox made it two consecutive victories in the Crosstown Classic with an easy 7-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Saturday.

How it happened: The White Sox did what the Cubs haven’t been able to do much of this season at Wrigley Field: hit home runs in clusters. Dayan Viciedo, A.J. Pierzynski and Adam Dunn all got into the act by going deep as the White Sox have now taken the first two games this series. Using a lineup dominated by right-handed bats, something that hasn’t brought much success, the Cubs were no match for White Sox lefty John Danks, who gave up just three hits in 6 1/3 innings. Alfonso Soriano and Joe Mather each hit two-out two-run homers for the Cubs in the ninth off Sox reliever Zach Stewart to break up the shutout.

What it means: The White Sox’s victory means they have won six of the last seven games in the cross-town series. The only game they lost in that stretch was the final meeting between the teams last season. Going back to 2009, the White Sox have now won 13 of the last 17 games between the teams.

Outside the box (Cubs): After giving up a combined four earned runs over his first five starts, Ryan Dempster has now given up four runs in each of his last two outings. His lack of support continued. Dempster entered by getting three or fewer runs of support over five of his previous six starts. His 2.52 runs of support per game dating back to Aug. 16 of last season was the second lowest in the major leagues.

Outside the box (White Sox): Saturday’s victory guaranteed the White Sox their first winning series in nearly a month. The White Sox have gone 0-5-3 in their previous eight series. The last series they won came in a three-game sweep of the Seattle Mariners from April 20-22.

Up next: In the series finale, the White Sox will send right-hander Jake Peavy (4-1, 2.65 ERA) to the mound on Sunday. The Cubs will go with left-hander Paul Maholm (4-2, 4.35) in the 1:20 p.m. start from Wrigley Field.

CHICAGO -- Maybe Alfonso Soriano can teach Albert Pujols a thing or two.

Yes, that Soriano. And yes, that Pujols.

After finally delivering his first home run of the season Tuesday following a 119 at-bat drought to start the season, Soriano connected for the second consecutive day when he went deep in the fourth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Pujols started his tenure with the Los Angeles Angels by going 111 at-bats without a home run, finally delivering on May 6. He ended up hitting his second on Wednesday too, but only after Soriano reached that number first.

Soriano mentioned this weekend, when the Cubs were in Milwaukee, that he felt his first home run of the season would get him going. So far so good.

“Oh man, it’s good, it’s great,” he said before the game. “I came back today to the ballpark loose. Before I was tight, because that’s never happened. Thank God I hit it out yesterday, when the team needed it. That’s the most important thing.”

Soriano admitted he was thinking about his poor start. Now there’s one less thing to worry about.

“When I have six weeks I don’t hit a homer, 100-something at-bats, I don’t want to think about it, but it’s there,” he said. “I had to think about it. Now I just want to play my regular game and go to the home plate more relaxed and swing at better pitches.”

“A lot of home run hitters and prolific guys like that in their careers are streaky,” manager Dale Sveum said. “It comes with the territory sometimes. The thing with Sori is that he’s still hitting .400 with men in scoring position and two outs and .370, I think overall (with runners in scoring position) so he’s getting the job done. For the things he goes through with his legs he’s done a pretty good job in left field too.”

Sveum was close, but his numbers weren’t quite accurate. Soriano was batting .368 (7-for-19) with runners in scoring position and two outs, and was .314 (11-for-35) in all scenarios with runners in scoring position.

It was good for 20 total RBI following his home run Wednesday, just behind team RBI leaders Bryan LaHair (21) and Starlin Castro (22).

ESPNChicago.com's Jon Greenberg contributed to this report.

STREAKING

1. Ryan Dempster, SP: This unlucky pitcher should have five wins. Instead he is looking for his first victory since Aug. 10 mostly due to a lack of run support. Dempster has been almost unhittable since the start of the season and much of that has to do with great command of his stuff. He has 36 strikeouts in 35 1/3 innings and leads the National League with a 1.02 ERA and is second in WHIP at 0.85 in five starts. Dempster has allowed one run and nine hits in his last 15 innings. He could be the first All-Star starting pitcher who enters the game without a victory.

2. David DeJesus, RF: A solid free agent pickup in the offseason, DeJesus had a hot week, batting .350 and contributing some key hits in both wins and losses. DeJesus had a memorable night on Friday with a pinch-hit grand slam to give the Cubs a lead, and then he did it again with an RBI triple in the ninth inning to send their game against the Brewers to extra innings. Give the Cubs brass the credit for getting this move right. DeJesus has been a solid defender and has a .371 on-base percentage as the leadoff man.

SLUMPING

1. Geovany Soto, C: He makes this list for the second time as his offense continues to go down the tubes. All the good sessions he has with hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo seems to go by the boards when he enters a game. Soto was 2 for 15 with one RBI this week. On the season he has a microscopic .517 OPS, third-worst in baseball among catchers with at least 80 at-bats, trailing only Oakland’s Kurt Suzuki and San Diego’s Nick Hundley. Trade talks for Soto at this point would be one-sided.

2. Alfonso Soriano, LF: Try on a 3-for-17 week with two RBIs for size as this 36-year-old slugger tries to find his offensive game. Soriano is the last highly-paid hitter not to have a home run so far this season. Like Soto, his .587 OPS is among the worst of regulars in baseball. Twenty-two of his 28 hits this season are singles. On a positive note, Soriano’s defense has been at least average and at times game-saving, as a big catch in the gap proved against Atlanta last week.

MILWAUKEE – Alfonso Soriano reasoned Sunday that it will only take one home run to open the flood gates.

Now comes the big question: When will that first home run come?

“It’s been a little while but I know as soon as I hit one I will get more relaxed and more will be coming,” Soriano said. “But I think the first one has been a little difficult but as soon as I hit one homer I will be OK.”

A relaxed Soriano would be a better one, but it might not be his mind that needs relaxing, but rather his swing. Not a fan of a lighter bat, despite the fact that he swings one of the heaviest pieces of lumber in baseball, Soriano has made a bit of a concession.

(Read full post)

CHICAGO -- A sore knee had Alfonso Soriano on the bench for the second time in three days as Adrian Cardenas got the start Wednesday in left field.

Soriano started just once in the series against the Atlanta Braves but he did drive in a run during that game, in the sixth inning Tuesday with a double. It was the Cubs’ only run in their 3-1 defeat.

“Yeah, his knee’s been a little bit sore and stuff,” manager Dale Sveum said. “[He will] get Thursday off so he will get two days off and be ready for the three day games on the road trip [to Milwaukee]. Just give him a little time with the knee.”

It’s been an interesting season so far for Soriano, who has yet to hit a home run but has shown improvement on defense. He has just five extra-base hits (all doubles) this season and entered play Wednesday batting .253.

“He’s played great defense,” Sveum said. “Obviously he’s lost his legs a little bit, but everything he’s supposed to catch, even some of the Web gems he’s had lately, he’s done a great job. Obviously you could use more home runs, but he’s done a good job. He’s worked his butt off and done a good job in the outfield.”

Despite a low .303 slugging percentage (Bryan LaHair leads Cubs regulars with a .771 slugging mark), Soriano’s 14 RBIs were third on the team, behind LaHair (17) and Starlin Castro (19).

A quick look at the Chicago Cubs' 3-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night at Wrigley Field.

How it happened: Ryan Dempster's bad luck continued, as he left the game after seven strong innings with his fourth no-decision of the season. Dempster, who had the lowest ERA of any big league starter entering action Tuesday night, has not won a game since August 13, 2011. Dempster gave up his first earned run in three starts on Tuesday in the fourth inning. Braves right fielder Jason Heyward tripled and scored on Tyler Pasternicky's sacrifice fly. Alfonso Soriano's RBI double scored Tony Campana with the tying run in the sixth inning, sending Braves starter Randall Delgado to the showers. Soriano also made a running catch with two on in the fourth to keep the Braves from doing further damage. Kerry Wood surrendered two runs in the top of the eighth to take the loss. Wood walked two and allowed a two-run single to Dan Uggla.

What it means: The Cubs have one more attempt Wednesday to win their third straight series for the first time since last September. Coming into Tuesday’s game they had won nine of their last 15 games.

Outside the box: Team president Theo Epstein praised his manager and coaching staff before Tuesday night’s game. “I thought they had a top-notch spring training and they have been the model of consistency since opening day on,” Epstein said. “It was a pretty rough first couple of weeks and Dale handled it with a real calmness and confidence.” ... Cubs second baseman Adrian Cardenas made his first major league start. He could get more playing time due to Darwin Barney’s early season slump. ... Bryan LaHair reached base for the 26th consecutive game.

Up next: Lefty Paul Maholm (3-2, 5.13) closes out the series against Atlanta, opposing Braves righty Tim Hudson (1-0 6.55 ). Dempster will host his charity “Casino Night” on Wednesday evening at the Palmer House Hyatt.

CINCINNATI -- At first manager Dale Sveum was confused regarding an inquiry about the Chicago Cubs' lack of power.

Told that Alfonso Soriano believes the power will come as the calendar turns, Sveum paused.

“Calendar?” he said.

Told that it meant the month changing to May, not the year changing to 2013, he laughed at the mix up.

“I’d have to find another job then,” he joked. “Jeez.”

(Read full post)

CHICAGO -- Perhaps it’s not a bad thing that Alfonso Soriano has turned into a singles hitter after all.

If he can smoke a ball like he did in the 10th inning Tuesday night and blast it through Cardinals second baseman Skip Schumaker to win a game, then living one base at a time isn’t such a bad thing.

“The last two days I can feel my swing coming back,” Soriano said. “[Monday] I swung at a couple of bad pitches but [Tuesday] was more selective at the plate and I think that was the reason. When I swing at good pitches I hit the ball hard. I just try to be more selective at the plate because my swing is good.”

He actually broke his extra-base hit drought in the fourth inning with a double after starting the season with 12 singles. Mired in a 0-for-14 slump when the game began, Soriano went 3-for-5 against the Cardinals and actually delivered his second game-winning RBI of the season.

(Read full post)

CHICAGO -- Darwin Barney’s drop in the batting order Tuesday wasn’t a sign of what he isn’t doing, but rather the opposite.

Needing somebody to have a solid at-bat in the later part of the order, manager Dale Sveum moved Barney to the No. 7 spot Tuesday. Tony Campana, who got the start in center field, took over the No. 2 spot.

“I know he’s not this prolific RBI guy but it gives us a spot in the order down there where we have had a little bit of trouble and he will give you a quality at-bat with somebody on base,” Sveum said about Barney. “Maybe work a walk or get a big hit like he did in Florida.”

Barney, who entered Tuesday’s game batting .311 with a home run and seven RBIs, had a two-out bases-clearing triple against the Miami Marlins last week, one of the few clutch hits the Cubs had during their recent six-game losing streak.

Holding tight in his No. 5 spot in the order was Alfonso Soriano, despite just one hit in his last 23 at-bats.

“I think he’s still a threat,” Sveum said. “I’m not going to move him down any time soon, that’s for sure. He’s a big threat. He’s in the five spot and we have people around him to do things. The media guide doesn’t lie and when it’s all said and done he’ll end up with his 25 to 30 home runs and we’ll all look back at this and laugh at it.”

The full Cubs' lineup Tuesday against Cardinals right-hander Adam Wainwright:

1. David DeJesus, RF
2. Campana, CF
3. Starlin Castro, SS
4. Bryan LaHair, 1B
5. Soriano, LF
6. Ian Stewart, 3B
7. Barney, 2B
8. Geovany Soto, C
9. Jeff Samardzija, P

STREAKING

1. Darwin Barney, 2B: Barney batted .381 with 5 RBIs over a seven-day span. A tireless worker, Barney added 10 pounds of muscle in the offseason to try to avoid a late season fade that put a damper on the end of his rookie season when he batted .238 after the All-Star Game after hitting .306 before the break. Barney’s defense around the bag also has improved.

2. Bryan LaHair, 1B: Battling a sore lower back late in spring training, LaHair has taken advantage of his opportunity to play every day in the major leagues by leading the Cubs in home runs (2) and RBIs (9) while batting .361 and posting a .455 on-base percentage through the first 15 games of the season. He also has reached base in 12 straight games and is hitting .433 against right-handed pitching. A move to the outfield will need to take place when the equally hot-hitting Anthony Rizzo is recalled from Triple-A Iowa at some point this season.

SLUMPING

1. Geovany Soto, C: Soto makes the list for the second straight week coming off a particularly brutal game on Sunday, going hitless in four at-bats with two strikeouts and back-to-back throwing errors in the Cincinnati Reds' two-run sixth inning. Soto was on top of his game in spring training, throwing and hitting like his Rookie of the Year campaign in 2008. Catching time may be cut with hot-hitting rookie Steve Clevenger (batting .556 on a 10-of-18 start) beginning to cut into Soto’s playing time.

2. Alfonso Soriano, LF: Another Cubs starter who was coming off a strong spring training, the 36-year-old left fielder has had a cold start to the season. The freeze out includes zero home runs and extra base hits in 14 games, and he has one hit in his last 16 at-bats. Soriano is on pace to strike out 162 times, and his .448 OPS is among the worst in baseball.

MIAMI -- The Chicago Cubs were in it late, but watched the game slip away in the eighth inning to fall 5-2 to the Miami Marlins on Tuesday in their first ever game at Marlins Park.

How it happened: With Kerry Wood back in Chicago to get a cortisone shot on his right shoulder, the Cubs leaned hard on young right-hander Rafael Dolis and paid for it. Hanley Ramirez's three-run home run off Dolis snapped a 2-2 tie in the eighth inning. The duel between Cubs starter Ryan Dempster and Marlins starter Josh Johnson was as good as advertised with each giving up just two runs. Both of the runs given up by Dempster were unearned.

What it means: The Cubs had better figure out how to be proficient at these low-scoring close games because they will probably have to be their forte until they can find consistent offensive production. Dempster has held up his end of the bargain after three starts but the bullpen couldn’t pick him up. Matt Garza can make it 3-for-3 himself with a solid outing Wednesday.

Outside the box: A cleanup hitter who gives himself up for the good of the team sounds like something out of a dream. But it was a reality from Alfonso Soriano in the fourth inning. With runners on second and third, Soriano worked the count and went the other way with a ground ball to second base to get the RBI. The solid approach was only short-lived, though. In the sixth inning with runners on first and second, he hit a ground ball toward third base to start a double play.

Off beat: The Cubs had a team workout Tuesday afternoon that was part tutorial for a new ballpark and part spring-training refresher course. Not only did the Cubs take early batting practice to get used to the way the ball flies at brand new Marlins Park, they also took full infield practice.

Up next: Cubs right-hander Garza (1-0, 1.23 ERA) will get the call in the middle game of the three-game series. The Marlins will call on left-hander Mark Buehrle (0-2, 3.65) in the 6:10 p.m. CST start from Marlins Park.