Pie adjusting, making progress

CHICAGO -- Felix Pie is going through some growing pains, Triple-A Iowa manager Mike Quade said.

Quade, who joined the Cubs staff as the third base coach on Thursday, said pitchers are throwing a lot of offspeed stuff that the talented Pie needs to adjust to.

"He is struggling with the bat right now," Quade said of the outfielder, who was batting .260 with eight home runs and 41 RBIs. "I think he'll be fine. The really good news is that he's playing well defensively. The other part of his game has been good, and it's just going to boil down to how quick.

"Everybody says when [will he get to the big leagues]? They'll let you know," Quade said. "All you can do is appreciate the work he's doing and the adjustments he's trying to make, and sooner or later he'll figure it out."

Former Cub Bobby Dernier has been working with Pie on base stealing. Pie has 10 stolen bases so far and has been caught stealing nine times.

"Felix has great speed, but the knack of base stealing doesn't come easy to him," Quade said. "To be honest, we've been so consumed from a defensive standpoint and with his hitting that maybe we've left the baserunning on the back burner."

Pitcher Angel Guzman (3-4, 4.01 ERA) had to leave his last start because of cramps in his forearm, but Quade said the right-hander could start Sunday. The problem was dehydration. Guzman has scrapped his curve and is sticking with his slider. Quade said the young pitcher also is throwing regularly at 93, 94 mph.

Jae Kuk Ryu (3-6, 3.87 ERA) twisted his ankle covering first base, but has been able to throw and should not be sidelined long, Quade said.

The player who is a challenge to figure out is left-hander Rich Hill. He's 6-1 with a 1.94 ERA in 14 starts and has struck out 121 in 92 2/3 innings.

"He dominates at that level," Quade said of Hill. "He understands the adjustments he needs to make to take that kind of domination and have that kind of success here. He's working diligently at that. You look at his numbers and he has dominated that league for a full year. But again, as dominating as he's been, he has a lot of room to improve. It's about command and consistent command.

"He may point up the difference between the levels more than anybody," Quade said. "Pitches that I believe he gets outs with there, he hasn't gotten outs with here. It may be because he's behind in the count."

It all comes down to command of the fastball, Quade said. He's seen good signs of that from relievers Michael Wuertz and David Aardsma. Wuertz is 6-0 with a 1.80 ERA in 29 games, while Aardsma is 2-3 with a 3.27 ERA in 25 games.