No sim game for Wood
Passed Kerry Wood in the clubhouse today. "Nothing new," he told me.
Wood was supposed to throw a simulated game today, at least according to Lou, who told us that Monday and Tuesday. Turns out there was no real plan, perhaps some wishful thinking on Lou's part.
"Initially, we had talked about a simulated game, bringing a few hitters here, and let him get a little work in with a pad on his finger," Lou said this evening. "It didn't happen because he's really not close to coming back."
Lou didn't define what "close" meant but he amended it to say it wasn't "imminent close."
Lou also wouldn't comment on talk of whether Wood will soon need to start pitching through some discomfort with that pesky blister on his right index finger.
As far as the rest of the bullpen goes, Lou said he pitched Jeff Samardzija in the ninth inning last night during a blowout to get him some late-inning experience, especially on the road. Scott Eyre has been MIA or MII (Missing in Inaction) since coming off the DL July 23. Eyre hasn't pitched since June 26, and although Lou says he wants to use him, it sure looks like he wants no part of him. Perhaps the Cubs will do everybody a favor and trade Eyre by tomorrow's 3 p.m. non-waiver deadline.
Speaking of that, those rumors about Seattle's Raul Ibanez aren't far-fetched, but my Cubs people tell me they don't know if they can make a deal. When Bill Bavasi was the GM of the Mariners, Ibanez was an untouchable. That appears to have changed, but Cubs GM Jim Hendry has had little interaction with the new regime, and the Cubs aren't sure how easy or hard it will be to get something done. Hendry told me he was on the phone with four or five clubs today, but that's about as far as he would go.
Hendry has made several deadline deals, but I wouldn't be shocked if nothing got done this year.
You'd think that after spending an entire life in baseball his fingers would be callused and tough by now. With modern medicine we can transplant organs and cure diseases but what, we can't solve the mystery of the blister? ... lol.
Or do they plan on making him a (gulp) starter?
And some spot starts.
This is really getting old. I understand that pitching with a blister in a pain, but come on....We are at almost 3 weeks now. We need this guy back to put people back in their spots, and have gotten lucky that we haven't blown too many games late with him out. Aside from Bob Howry, WHO SHOULD NEVER SEE A MOUND IN A CLOSE GAME AGAIN, bullpen is doing a good job.
Seriously, any chance we can dump Bob "gas can" Howry on anyone? He is beyond bad. Unless he goes into a mop up role, he should be gone.
Ibanez trade could be interesting. A nice contact hitter who can get on base. I assume Kosuke would go over to center, and then what do they do with Johnson, and Edmonds? Very interesting......
Sounds to me like "imminent close", is close to "Imminent Danger"... Sorry I do not trust a word the Cubs say about an injury to Kerry Wood, been there done that...Without moving out Ward or Edmonds, no money involved with Edmonds and not much with Ward, I still dont see a bat coming in. The garden gnome Phil Rogers was pretty sure Ibanez would be the man with Fukodome moving to center. Of course Phil is usaully smoking his own papers sports pages anyway. If the Rockies want to hold up everyone, as has been reported with Fuentes, the right amount of young talent could pry Holliday away, but again where does he play with this team.. Watch Sherill from our ole buddy MacPhail get moved real soon as well.. Several deals huh ? Intersting...
Good time for Dempster to get win # 2 on the road.. Dont like the line up though...Hopefully the Cubs stay patient and make this kid work. the Brewers bull pen is ripe for some big innings.