Prince Fielder is frustrated about his contract.

The Milwaukee Brewers slugger renewed his deal for $670,000 yesterday after finishing third in NL MVP voting last season.

"I'm not happy about it at all," Fielder said. "The fact I've had to be renewed two years in a row, I'm not happy about it because there's a lot of guys who have the same amount of time that I do who have done a lot less and are getting paid a lot more.

"But my time is going to come. It's going to come quick, too."

The first baseman will be eligible for arbitration after this season.

General manager Doug Melvin said he thinks the 23-year-old Fielder is making more money than any player not eligible for arbitration who doesn't have a multiyear contract. The Brewers base their offers to young players on performance benchmarks, not what other teams have offered players in similar situations.

"We view our system as more than a fair system," Melvin said. "You can't worry about it. It is what it is. You do it."

Fielder, who led the NL with a franchise-best 50 home runs last year and had 119 RBIs, didn't let his frustrations show in the field or at the plate yesterday against the Los Angeles Angels in Phoenix.

He finished 1 for 1 with a single and was twice hit by pitches, just off the right knee by Chris Bootcheck in the fourth and a glancing blow off the right elbow pad by Matt Wilhite in the fifth.

Fielder also made a circus play at first base in the third inning when his glove was knocked out of his hand by a sharply hit grounder. But he managed to scoop up the ball with both hands and hustle to first for the out.

Melvin said he hoped the contract strife didn't affect the organization's ability to attempt to negotiate a long-term deal in the coming years with Fielder and his agent, Scott Boras.

"Prince is going to make a lot of money in this game," said Melvin, who acknowledged the Brewers do not have a long-term deal on the table for Fielder at the moment.

CUBS

SORIANO SIDELINED WITH BROKEN MIDDLE FINGER

Chicago outfielder Alfonso Soriano will miss up to five days after he fractured his right middle finger during practice yesterday in Mesa, Ariz.

The team said the right-handed Soriano broke the finger while working on fly ball drills.

Manager Lou Piniella also apologized for comments he made about starting pitcher Jason Marquis following Saturday's game against the Angels.

Marquis had suggested he fits best as a starter — with the Cubs or any other team — and threatened to play elsewhere, prompting a bit of a tirade from Piniella.

"Well, if that's the case, he can go somewhere else. How's that?" Piniella said.

Piniella backed down yesterday, saying there was no problem between the two. Marquis is battling to keep his starting spot in the rotation after going 12-6 with a 4.60 ERA last year.

PADRES

PETTITTE HAPPY WITH FIRST OUTING OF SPRING

Andy Pettitte looked focused yesterday after spending the past few months answering questions about performance-enhancing drugs.

The left-hander pitched two scoreless innings for the New York Yankees in a 7-7 tie with the Philadelphia Phillies at Tampa, Fla.

He allowed an infield hit and picked off a runner at first base with owner George Steinbrenner and his son, senior vice president Hank Steinbrenner, watching from a suite.

"All in all, I was real happy," Pettitte said. "It definitely was a good day."

Pettitte struck out one, walked one and induced an inning-ending double play in the first. He threw 13 of 21 pitches for strikes in his first outing since apologizing last month for using human growth hormone in 2002 and 2004.

ELSEWHERE

Giants: Matt Cain pitched three shutout innings in his first start of the spring as San Francisco held on to beat the Chicago Cubs 8-6 yesterday in Mesa, Ariz. Cain, the Giants' hard-luck pitcher who went 7-16 last season despite leading the team in ERA, strikeouts and innings pitched, allowed two hits while striking out two and walking one.