In that game, Chicago’s Ronny Cedeno ran from first on a 3-2 pitch as teammate Jacque Jones drew a walk. But in what would be called a typical Cubs play, Cedeno overslid the second base bag and was tagged out, a call that was made after the umpires conferred. And a right one, according to Piniella.

Piniella has been tinkering with different lineups throughout the first month, looking for the right combination to get the offense going. Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez, Nos. 3 and 4 in the batting order, have been consistent.

Alfonso Soriano, who signed a $136 million, eight-year deal in the offseason, hurt his hamstring while playing center field and was switched back to left when he returned to the starting lineup Monday. The move was made to take some of the strain off Soriano’s leg, but it could also been a way of trying to get his bat going, as well.

Soriano has no homers, one RBI and one steal in his first 14 games and seemed satisfied with the position switch.

Rich Hill and newcomers Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis have pitched well in the starting rotation, but Zambrano has not. He and the team had hoped to work out a multiyear contract extension when the season opened three weeks ago, but then the Tribune Co. announced the Cubs would be put up for sale after the season.

Since then, a new deal for Zambrano appears to have been put on hold, and it’s not clear whether that has distracted the big right-hander, who’s been known for his temperamental antics on the mound.

The offseason was a busy one. Ramirez re-signed for five years and $75 million; Lilly got $40 million for four years; Marquis $21 million for three years; DeRosa $13 million for three years; and outfielder Cliff Floyd $3 million for one. Zambrano got a $12.4 million, one-year deal just before a scheduled arbitration hearing.

Making Piniella’s new adventure even more intriguing so far has been his experience at Wrigley Field, the second oldest ballpark in the majors. The 63-year-old manager said it was “neat” to watch people sitting on the rooftops across the street taking in the game. But playing the elements can be difficult.

The dimensions of the park, with its ivy-covered walls, narrow foul lines and fickle winds that blow in one day and out the next, are all factors for a manager to consider when he puts his team on the field.

“It makes you play baseball. It really does. The better your team is put together to play baseball, the more games you’re gonna win,” Piniella said. “You need balance here. ... You’ve got to make the plays defensively. It’s baseball. It really is baseball here. ... It puts a premium on how your roster’s set up.”

All of this is part of Piniella’s introduction to Cubs baseball. So far — as he acknowledged earlier — he can see so what’s made winning so elusive for so many years. He’s vowed to fix that. Whether he can is still to be determined.

“Whatever our record is, it could be above by a lot,” he said.

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