Lou Piniella gave Alfonso Soriano the past two days off in hopes that his $136 million man would clear his head and find his swing.

Obviously, the brief respite wasn't long enough.

The Cubs left fielder went 0-for-5 on Friday afternoon during the Cubs' 2-1 win and looks lost at the plate. While Piniella says that he hasn't lost faith in Soriano, it's clear that the veteran manager is frustrated with the way his slugger has been swinging, especially after the solid performances that rookie Sam Fuld put on in his absence.

"I can tell you that I have confidence in the young man and that I feel he's gonna hit," Piniella said. "But we are gonna make some adjustments to the lineup."

Does that mean you'll move him out of the leadoff spot?

"I said we're gonna make some adjustments with the lineup and we'll leave it at that," Piniella said. "I got all the confidence in the world [in Soriano]. We need to get him jump-started somehow."

While it's true that the Cubs need to get Soriano going, the adjustment Piniella should make, at least until the All-Star break, is to sit Soriano down altogether and give Fuld an even bigger chance to contribute. Soriano is just 27-for-156 over his last 36 games and is giving the Cubs no production at the top of the lineup or in the outfield. On the flip side, Fuld appears to be the "prototypical leadoff hitter," as Lou acknowledged before the game according to the Chicago Tribune.

Fuld gives the Cubs the top-of-the-order presence that they haven't had since Juan Pierre left town after the 2006 season. He can work the count and use his speed once he gets on base; he got on base in front of Derrek Lee during both of his mammoth home runs on Thursday night. The Stanford alum is also a major upgrade in the outfield, as evidenced by his assist on Wednesday night in Pittsburgh and the general ground he can cover with his speed.

I'm not saying that Fuld is the long-term answer -- all I know is that at the present time he gives the Cubs a better chance to win games because he appears to have the confidence at the plate that Soriano lacks right now.

To Soriano's credit, as he has done all year, he stood in front of his locker and answered all the questions that came his way. He knows he's struggling at the moment and he seems to be willing to do whatever he can to fix it.

"If [Piniella] thinks that he has to change the lineup, he's the manager, it's more important that I be available to play the game," he said. "I think I'm not doing my job batting leadoff, so if he wants to change the lineup it's fine, the more important thing is to be in the lineup and try to help the team to win."

One of the many knocks on Soriano always centered upon the fact that despite what he said publicly, he always felt most comfortable and productive in the leadoff spot. The way Soriano's going right now, though, that excuse flies right out the window; no matter what place in the order Piniella puts him, he just can't hit. He's in the type of slump that $16 million-a-year players are never supposed to be in.

"I've played this game for a long time," Soriano said. "[What's happening] to me now has never happened to me, but I'm working hard and doing the best I can in the field."

In the meantime, while he continues to struggle, he's going to hear the reaction of the boobirds, as he did Friday.

"They love the game and they can say whatever they want because they pay to see the game," Soriano said. "If we're doing good they're happy, if we're doing bad they're not happy."

A lot of people are unhappy with Soriano right now, but even the angriest Cubs fans know that they're in a hole (and a contract) with the left fielder that they're just not going to be able to get out of. For better or worse, Soriano is probably going to be in Chicago for the next five years. He has over $100 million left on his contract and he has a full no-trade clause. One of the reasons Piniella has to continue to show confidence in the 33-year old is because he knows that in a lot of ways his hands are tied. The Cubs aren't going to be able to win unless Soriano starts hitting and even if he doesn't there's no place else for him to go. That's the risk you take when you sign any player to an eight-year contract like that.

As the multimillion-dollar outfielder got ready to wrap up his "State of Sori" address I asked him if this was the toughest stretch he'd ever been in during his career. "I think so," he admitted. "I've never been in that stretch before, so it's part of the game. [I've got to] keep working hard and try to get out of the slump."

For the time being, the best place for him to work on that slump is on the bench, because his presence in the lineup is killing the team he was brought in to save.

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