Jones entered Sunday's game 0-for-12, and it became a painful hitless streak Saturday when he struck out three times.

"I've hit two or three balls that could've gone either way," Jones said. "It'd be nice to get a clean single, double, whatever. Do I think I'm going to go 0-for the season? No."

If this were August and Jones was in a similar skid, would it be getting any attention?

"I don't think you'd be standing here," Jones said.

Jones batted .353 last April.

"Nobody likes to start the season 0-for, but that's the way it is," he said. "It's the cards I've been dealt so far. I'm not going to stop playing, I'm not going to quit playing, it's not that I can't play. It just happened."

Is he pressing?

"No," Jones said. "I got through that in Spring Training. It is what it is."

Is he pressing?

"Probably," Cubs manager Dusty Baker said. "His main thing is he's trying too hard, he's not swinging at strikes. They're not getting him out. He's getting himself out. I talked to him about that.

"It's like fishing -- you got to get that first one in the boat," Baker said. "Once you get that first one, the skunk is off the boat and everything's cool from then on. You've got to get that first one. Once he gets the first one, I know he'll be fine."

Jones landed a big one in the fourth inning Sunday. He collected both his first hit as a Cub and first home run with one swing, launching a three-run blast off St. Louis' Sidney Ponson to center field. Instead of jeering, the right-field bleacher fans cheered Jones as he took the field in the fifth.

Benchwork: In 2005, the Cubs had two pinch-hit homers, total. They've already matched that number after Michael Barrett's blast Saturday against the St. Louis Cardinals.

"We're ahead of pace, I guess," Baker said. "You have to get ready, you have to watch the pitcher, be in the ballgame, see his sequence of pitches, watch the catcher. The score indicates a lot of times what they'll do, what they won't do."

John Mabry hit the Cubs' other pinch-hit homer in the second game of the season, and he was Barrett's inspiration on Saturday. What did Mabry do?

"He was down here [in the clubhouse] in the third inning, getting ready for the game," Barrett said. "He starts his routine a lot earlier than most guys I've ever seen. I walked in here to get warm for a split second in the third, and I saw him getting ready, so I thought maybe I need to get ready, too. That way, when I went in to hit, I didn't feel rushed."

But what is it that Mabry does?

"I don't want to go into details," Barrett said, "but he was getting ready."

"I can't tell you either," Baker said.

Whatever it is, it's working. Mabry has 90 career homers and has hit three as a pinch-hitter, including one last year.

"I like having guys like him around," Barrett said.

Second chance: Jerry Hairston Jr. has yet to get a start at second base, but he was given a heads-up heading into the series against Cincinnati because of its left-handers. Southpaw Eric Milton starts on Thursday.

"All I can do is stay ready and when my name is called, be ready," Hairston said.

Todd Walker has gotten most of the starts in the three-man rotation at second. Neifi Perez started on Friday.

"I'd be lying if I wasn't disappointed," Hairston said about not starting. "But if I wasn't disappointed, there'd be a problem with me. Everybody wants to play. We have three guys, and that's how it is."

Hairston arrives early and does extra running. He treats batting practice like a game and takes each swing seriously. He's ready.

"If we want to get where we want to be, we have to have all 25 guys contributing," Hairston said. "You understand that if you're not in the game, Dusty will use you in some capacity in the game."

Minor matters: Raul Valdez threw five scoreless innings as Triple-A Iowa beat Albuquerque, 4-1, on Saturday. Felix Pie was 3-for-4 with two RBIs and Geovany Soto hit two doubles. Roberto Novoa threw two shutout innings and picked up the save. ... Randy Wells gave up one run on three hits over five innings in Double-A West Tenn's 1-0 loss to Birmingham. ... Luke Hagerty gave up four runs on three hits and five walks over 1 2/3 innings in Class A Daytona's 7-1 loss to Brevard County. ... Michael Billek gave up six runs (five earned) on seven hits over four innings in Class A Peoria's 6-3 loss to Wisconsin.

Extra bases: Cubs general manager Jim Hendry and Derrek Lee's agent, Casey Close, were still finalizing details of a possible contract extension on Sunday. An announcement could come soon. ... Sean Marshall's start Sunday night had some historic significance. He is the 1,800th different player to wear a Cubs uniform. Of the eight new players on the Cubs' 25-man roster, only Marshall had yet to appear in a game. ... Did you notice they haven't played "Jump" by Van Halen prior to the games at Wrigley Field this season? For 20 years, the Cubs have played the same pregame song while the pitcher is warming up, but on Friday and Saturday, it was "Have a Nice Day" by Bon Jovi. The Cubs now will rotate four or five songs in an attempt to be more contemporary. Among the other titles are "Clocks" by Coldplay and "Beautiful Day" by U2. And you will hear "Jump" again. ... Sunday marks the first of 28 night games at Wrigley Field. Last year, the Cubs were 11-15 under the lights. ... Both Matt Murton and Ronny Cedeno are able to hit to the opposite field, and Baker prefers that over having a player who is always pulling the ball. It's the same with his 7-year-old son, Darren. "My wife is concerned that he doesn't pull the ball, and I tell her, 'Leave him alone because you don't know what a natural stroke that is,'" Baker said.

On deck: After an off-day Monday, the Cubs play host to the Cincinnati Reds for a three-game series. Tuesday's game will be a rematch of the second game of the season between Chicago's Glendon Rusch and Cincinnati's Bronson Arroyo. The Reds won that game, 8-6.