Wells says 2010 'was just a tough year'
Randy Wells insists he's no different from the pitcher he was in 2009, when he enjoyed a 12-10 season to go along with an ERA of 3.05.
Wells fell off to 8-14 last year, but he's riding high again with a career-high five-game winning streak after he and the Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-3 Sunday at Wrigley Field. With the victory, Wells improved to 7-4 with a 4.86 ERA. He's also managed to right himself after missing two months with a forearm injury.
“It's a tough thing,” Wells said. “You guys keep asking me about who I was in 2009. I wasn't any different in 2010. It was just a tough year. I grinded it out, made every start and got close to 200 innings. Just some things didn't go my way. There was a lot of stuff off the field that was said and thrown out that was false. I had to deal with that for the first time in my career.”
It was Wells himself who recently brought up a “kick in the butt” from a teammate helping him turn things around. It was later revealed that veteran pitcher Ryan Dempster planted boot to posterior, figuratively speaking.
“All the stuff that's been said about the mysterious kick in the butt,” Wells said. “It's all true, what he (Dempster) says, just focusing on what you can do and what you can control.”
Wells threw 52 pitches in the first 2 innings Sunday, with the Pirates taking a 1-0 lead in the first. But he settled down after that and wound up with 114 in 6 innings.
Nice debut:
Recently brought-up Bryan LaHair made his first start, and he went 2-for-4. Both hits were singles, with his second driving in a run in the sixth to give the Cubs a 5-1 lead.
A first baseman in the minor leagues, LaHair played left field.
“I had fun out there today,” he said. “Most of all, we got a win, so that was the first priority. I had a lot of fun today.”
Second-half struggles:
Second baseman Darwin Barney was 0-for-3, as his batting average fell to .277. It's been a rough second half at the plate for Barney, who put up a hitting line of .306/.334/.374 before the all-star break. After the break, the line is .226/.281/.317.
“We're looking to give him (a day off),” said manager Mike Quade. “Blake (DeWitt) has got a little hamstring issue. It would be a good day to play Blake today, but we're trying to be a little careful with him. Just to give Barney a break. He's a high-energy guy. You see it a lot with young guys who are playing their first full year. He would never admit it. He never plays tired. I think it would be good if we could spell him a little bit.
“Probably give him a day tomorrow and play Blake at second. He still finds a way to contribute. He's still a valuable guy. Major league season's a tough deal for anybody, let alone a young player. I think he'll be better for it in the future as far as his career goes for grinding through this.”
Minor matters:
Third-base prospect Josh Vitters is likely to replace center fielder Brett Jackson in the Arizona Fall League. Look for Jackson to play for Team USA in the fall instead.
Three minor league teams will be in the playoffs. The Cubs' short-season Class A Boise club clinched a spot Saturday. Class A Daytona and Class AA Tennessee also will play in the postseason.
This and that:
Carlos Pena's 4 walks tied a career best. Pena now has 87 walks to lead the Cubs. Geovany Soto is second, with 41. ... Starlin Castro was 2-for-5. He's on pace for 206 hits. He has reached base in his last 18 games. ... Tony Campana stole his 18th base, marking the most by a Cubs rookie since Ced Landrum's 27 in 1991. ... Sean Marshall earned his fourth save, as Carlos Marmol got the day off after throwing 39 pitches Sunday as he blew a save chance.