For the Cubs to win a third consecutive National League Central title, and to get further than three games in the playoffs, they added more left-handed bats to offset what has been a very right-handed lineup.

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Among the newcomers on Opening Day will be Milton Bradley, Aaron Miles and Koyie Hill, all switch-hitters. Add mighty mite Mike Fontenot, expected to get more playing time, plus Kosuke Fukudome and Micah Hoffpauir, and there could be as many as six left-handed bats in the order.

"I think we have more balance in the lineup now," leadoff man Alfonso Soriano said. "I think it'll help the lineup and help the team score more runs."

Score more? Last year, Chicago ranked second in the Majors and led the NL with 855 runs scored, its first 800-run season since 1998, which makes one wonder why the club made any changes.

Lou Piniella is the first manager to lead the Cubs into the postseason in consecutive years since Frank Chance did so in 1907-08. But Piniella is 0-6 the last two Octobers. His spring reading list has included motivational books by former Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy and UCLA basketball coaching legend John Wooden.

"We've built nice expectations here, changed the culture here a heck of a lot," Piniella said. "Now we have to figure out how we go further."

Hopefully, the extra left-handed bats will make a difference. It helped the Philadelphia Phillies, who had four in their lineup en route to winning the World Series. Team Japan, which won the World Baseball Classic, often relied on a left-right-left-right lineup that extended from one through nine.

One of those Cubs lefty bats to be watched will be Fukudome's. He was benched at the end of last season and did not hit well in the Classic. Fukudome is being moved to center to make room for Bradley, but if the Japanese outfielder struggles, Reed Johnson is there.

In the NLDS, the Dodgers never used a left-handed pitcher against the Cubs. Can Bradley change that? He batted .341 against lefties last year, .312 against right-handers. A professional hitter, he led the American League in on-base percentage and seems a perfect fit between Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez. The Cubs just need to keep him in the lineup. Bradley also brings an intensity that may have been missing.

"He's one of the best hitters in the game when he can stay on the field," Lee said of Bradley, who was the Rangers' designated hitter last year, batting .321. "I'm excited to have him. I like the edge he brings, the way he plays the game."

Maybe the Cubs' postseason problems were because they were too nice. Bradley already has slammed his helmet after grounding out and exchanged some words with umpires over calls. And it was only March.

"We've all seen his episodes on SportsCenter," Lee said. "But when you think about it, there's two or three of them, which is not that many. It kind of gets blown out of proportion. He's got a clean slate coming in here, and so far he seems like a great guy. We'll let him show us his true character."

"Bottom line," Bradley said, "is I'm as serious as a heart attack about baseball and winning. My last goal in life, my bucket list, is winning a World Series, and that's it."

To many Cubs fans, that's all they want, too. The team did lead the National League with 97 wins last year, the highest figure since the 1945 Cubs went 98-56-1. That year also happened to be the last time the Cubs were in the World Series.

A more balanced lineup, more edginess, a few new ideas -- add it all together and the Cubs head into the regular season trying to end the now 101-year drought since the last world championship. There hasn't been much talk about that anniversary.

"I feel bad for the organization to have gone a long time without winning," Soriano said, "but we're not responsible. We're not the reason. We're in a new era now. Whatever happened in the past 80, 90, 100 years ago, we're not responsible.

"We feel bad, we feel sorry for the fans who want to see the Cubs win, but we weren't even born when those games were played."

Pitching matchup
CHC: RHP Carlos Zambrano (14-6, 3.91 ERA in 2008)
This has been a relatively quiet spring for Zambrano. No boasts about winning a World Series or Cy Young Award or even 20 games. "I don't have to prove anything," Zambrano said. "I've been in the big leagues for eight years. They know what I'm capable of doing." This will be Big Z's fifth Opening Day start, and he's still looking for his first win. He has a 5.57 ERA in his four previous season openers. Last year, Zambrano did not get a decision in a 4-3 loss to the Brewers. He gave up three hits over 6 2/3 innings, striking out five. In 2007, he took the loss as the Reds scored five runs on six hits and five walks in five innings for a 5-1 win. Zambrano did not get a decision on April 3, 2006, against the Reds, giving up five runs on seven hits and five walks over 4 2/3 innings. He also did not get a decision April 4, 2005, as the Diamondbacks scored three runs on seven hits and four walks over 4 2/3 innings. Only Fergie Jenkins and Rick Sutcliffe have started five consecutive Opening Days for the Cubs. Rick Reuschel is the only Cubs pitcher with at least four Opening day starts not to record a win. The Cubs were 0-4 in his starts from 1978 to 1981. Zambrano's offseason regimen focused on strengthening his shoulder, and he also dropped 14 pounds. He hasn't cooled off at the plate, hitting a home run and two doubles this spring. He is still a little zany, being spotted riding a bicycle around HoHoKam Park to get his cardio work in. Guess it can't be too crazy. Piniella did it, too.

HOU: RHP Roy Oswalt (17-10, 3.54 ERA in 2008)
Oswalt led the Astros in wins for a franchise-record fifth consecutive season in 2008. He also set a franchise mark with 32 1/2 consecutive scoreless innings, the longest streak in the National League and second-longest in the Majors last year. In his last nine starts of last season, Oswalt was 7-2 with a 1.47 ERA, and he posted a 2.24 ERA over 13 second-half starts, posting wins in 10 of his 12 second-half decisions. He was the first pitcher to pitch consecutive complete-game shutouts in 2008. Since he joined the big leagues in 2001, Oswalt leads all Major League pitchers with 129 wins. Over that span, he ranks third in ERA and is seventh in winning percentage. His .668 overall career winning percentage ranks first in Astros history, and his 3.13 ERA also is the best in club history among pitchers with at least 80 innings pitched. Oswalt has 1,335 career strikeouts, fourth-highest behind Larry Dierker (1,487). He has started six straight Opening Days, a club record. The previous record was held by Shane Reynolds, who started five straight from 1996-2000. Oswalt has had double-digit win totals in all eight of his Major League seasons, including 20-win seasons in 2004 and 2005. Among players who began their careers after 1957, Oswalt is the sixth-fastest to 100 in terms of appearances among pitchers. He earned his 100th victory in his 191st game (180th start) two years ago.

Tidbits
The Cubs are 73-58-2 on Opening Day. ... Lee batted .394 last season against the Astros. ... Whoever starts in center field between Johnson or Fukudome will be the fifth different starter in the last five years. Corey Patterson was in center on Opening Day in 2005, Juan Pierre in '06, Soriano in '07 and Felix Pie in '08. ... The Cubs were 8-9 against the Astros last year. ... Ramirez will make his sixth consecutive Opening Day start at third base. The other Cubs to start more at third are Ron Santo (13), Stan Hack (8) and Ned Williamson (7). ... Lee and Ramirez will be at first and third for the sixth consecutive Opening Day. The last corner combo to play more in a row was Ernie Banks and Santo, with nine from 1962-1970. ... Piniella is 0-2 in season openers with the Cubs. The only Cubs manager to lose his first three Opening Days with the team was Herman Franks, 1977-79.

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Up next
• Tuesday: Cubs (RHP Ryan Dempster, 17-6, 2.96 in 2008) at Astros (LHP Wandy Rodriguez, 9-7, 3.54 ERA in 2008), 7:05 p.m. CT
• Wednesday: Cubs (LHP Ted Lilly, 17-9, 4.09 in 2008) at Astros (RHP Brian Moehler, 11-8, 4.56 in 2008), 7:05 p.m. CT
• Thursday: Off-day