"Since April, when he hit .344, Kosuke Fukudome has seen his average decline steadily, opening a door for manager Lou Piniella to find playing time for rookie Tyler Colvin.

Hitting only .222 since May 16, Fukudome now has his Japanese hitting coach, Kyosuke Sasaki, here to help him work on his problems.

The left-handed-hitting Colvin was in the lineup a second straight day as the Cubs opened a three-game interleague series against Oakland.

''We're giving [Fukudome] a little time off,'' Piniella said. ''He's been struggling. With his coach here, it gives him some time to work with him. We'll give Colvin a chance to play a little.''

Colvin, hitting .313 (25-for-80) in his last 37 games with seven doubles, a triple, five homers and 14 RBI, batted fifth while rookie shortstop Starlin Castro moved into the second spot."