Replies to post #39996 on Baseball Chat (BASEBALL)

[BullNBear52]

Count the cliches....

Baker meets with Hendry, feels "comfortable" about keeping job

July 5, 2006

HOUSTON (AP) -- Chicago Cubs manager Dusty Baker met with general manager Jim Hendry on Wednesday and felt "comfortable" about his job status amid reports Hendry was considering staff changes during the All-Star break.

The Cubs lost 10 of their last 12 games and were 30-53 heading into the finale of a three-game series in Houston.

Baker was confident he would be given the chance to rescue the season.

"We need to win, that's no secret," Baker said. "Yeah, I feel comfortable. A lot of other people don't feel comfortable, but I feel comfortable."

Hendry told the Chicago Tribune he would use the upcoming All-Star break to decide if he needed to overhaul the staff.

"I'm evaluating everything," he told the newspaper. "You're getting ready to go into a month where you have to evaluate what you have and who you, for sure, think is going to get better and you want to keep, and in some cases, maybe move some guys. You want to give everyone a fair chance to succeed."

Early injuries to Derrek Lee, Mark Prior and Kerry Wood have contributed to the Cubs' struggles. But the Cubs have scored the fewest runs of any NL team and have the second-highest ERA.

"We're all frustrated. It's all our faults," Baker said. "We're not exactly tearing it up in any department. We've just got to do a better job, that's all."