9/12 The Rabbit sits

Bryan LaHair was batting .571 in six games since he was called up to the big league team but was on the Cubs bench Monday.
LaHair went 0-for-3 against the Reds’ starter Dontrelle Willis one week ago at Wrigley Field. Willis seems to be the only pitcher who can get the red-hot LaHair out so far.

“He’s getting base hits and doing some things with his at-bats — his takes, his pitch counts that he’s running up, he’s doing a lot of good stuff even if it results in a line drive to right,” Mike Quade said of LaHair. “We’ll see if it continues.”

LaHair did face lefties at Triple-A Iowa, batting .284 (40-for-141), including nine of his 38 homers.

On Monday, LaHair received the 2011 Joe Bauman Home Run Award, presented to the Minor League player who hits the most home runs. LaHair, 28 will receive $7,600 — $200 for each homer he hit — at Baseball’s Winter Meetings in December.

Whether LaHair has done enough to win a spot on the Cubs’ roster next year has yet to be determined. Quade has been impressed but it’s a small sample. LaHair has 14 at-bats.

“I’m not inclined to go nuts after watching a guy for four, five games,” Quade said.

P.S. Yes, LaHair’s nickname is The Rabbit.

– Carrie Muskat