(Courtesy of The Sports Xchange) Leadoff man Juan Pierre was hitting .232 with a .274 on-base percentage through the Cubs' first 34 games.

That's not what the Cubs were hoping for when they traded for Pierre, who had a .355 lifetime on-base percentage heading into this season.

But manager Dusty Baker is not placing all the blame for the Cubs recent woes (losing 12 of 14) on Pierre.

"The leadoff man is your key to start your engine," Baker said. "But if your leadoff man isn't getting on, you still have guys who can hit the ball out of the ballpark. We're not doing that. We don't have that kind of lineup -- especially with (Derrek) Lee out (with a wrist injury).

"It's not all on Juan. I try to balance the lineup the best I can so that it's not all on one guy. You can't live and die with that one guy."

REPLAY: Even coming back home hasn't helped much.

The Cubs dropped their 12 games in the last 14 contests with a 10-5 setback to San Diego on Friday at Wrigley Field after losing eight of nine games on a West Coast road trip.

The Cubs committed three errors in the top of the fifth to help the Padres score five runs and break the game open. Left-handed relief pitcher Glendon Rusch fell to 1-5 after allowing six runs in 1 2/3 innings.

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NOTES, QUOTES

 --RHP Kerry Wood allowed only one run on five hits in five innings of an injury-rehab start at Triple-A Iowa on Friday night. He could return to the Cubs' rotation within the next week.

--RHP Angel Guzman, who is likely going to be shipped back to Triple-A Iowa if Kerry Wood returns from a shoulder injury in the next week, gave up three runs and five walks in an 87-pitch three-inning stint on Friday against San Diego. Guzman is 0-2 with a 7.00 with 16 walks in 18 innings.

--SS Ronny Cedeno, who has batted eighth, first and second in the order, made a rare start in the third hole in the lineup on Friday even though he is not a power hitter. Manager Dusty Baker was looking for speed at the top of the order with Juan Pierre and Neifi Perez batting first and second.

--CF Juan Pierre, who hit 7-for-37 and scored just one run on the team's road trip, was back to batting leadoff Friday against San Diego after two games in the No. 2 hole.

--RF Jacque Jones was skipped a start on Friday against San Diego because of a groin injury but will likely be back on Saturday.

--1B Todd Walker, who went 5-for-35 on the Cubs' recent road trip, sat out a start Friday against San Diego at Wrigley Field. Manager Dusty Baker said he was given Walker a short rest because he appeared tired in recent games.

BY THE NUMBERS: 3 -- Teams in the last 33 years to score 12 runs or fewer in a 10-game stretch. The Cubs became the third when they did it from April 29-May 8.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "You don't think I haven't turned over pieces of paper and bushes and everything to try and figure this out?" -- Cubs manager Dusty Baker during the team's recent eight-game losing skid.

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