Fontenot starting vs. lefties

The Cubs started second baseman Mike Fontenot against Astros left-hander Wandy Rodriguez despite the presence of switch-hitting second baseman Aaron Miles on the bench.

We'll give him an opportunity here early in the season and see how he does," manager Lou Piniella said. "I like the idea of having some left-handed hitting against left-handed pitching. … I think it makes the pitcher work both sides of the plate. Maybe as the season goes on, we'll have a little more left-handed hitting from time to time against certain left-handers."

Fantasy Impact: This doesn't mean Fontenot will always be the lefty bat in the Cubs order against lefties, but it's a nice vote of confidence from Piniella in his pint-sized second baseman. Fontenot went 0-4 on the night in a 3-2, 10-inning Astros win. Expect him to continue to get the bulk of the time at second base, but against dynamic southpaws, he'll likely sit.