4/8 Six-feet under

Lou Piniella is hearing it from Cubs fans at Turner Field who are upset about the 0-2 start. He’s upset, too, but also realistic.

“[If you're] 2-0, you’re on top of the world, and 0-2, you’re six feet under,” Piniella said Thursday prior to the Cubs’ game against the Braves. “It’s early. We’ve got to sort some things out there. These guys are playing. We didn’t play poorly last night. We gave them an unearned run when we didn’t tag a guy out at second. You talk about a little play like that, that makes [Ryan] Dempster throw an extra 12, 15 pitches to get out of that inning. It’s early in the season and we’re going to be fine. Winning that first ballgame is important.”

After this three-game series, the Cubs head to Cincinnati to face the Reds for three. They’d like to go with a “W” in the standings.

“We’re trying to win one and [the Braves] are trying to win their third,” Piniella said. “We’re doing the best we can. It is important [to win Thursday]. We’ve got to play regardless tomorrow whether we win or lose tonight. The season isn’t over.

“If we win this game, it doesn’t mean we’ll win the World Series,” he said, “and if we lose, it doesn’t mean we’ll lose one. We’re going to do the best we can, that’s all we can do.”

– Carrie Muskat