Cubs put Wood on DL ... Dempster next?
The Cubs lost one pitcher to the disabled list Friday, and another may follow.
Relief pitcher Kerry Wood went on the DL, retroactive to April 14, with what was termed right-shoulder fatigue. To fill Wood's spot, the Cubs recalled left-handed reliever Scott Maine from Class AAA Iowa. Maine pitched 1 inning in the 9-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field.
On top of that, No. 1 starting pitcher Ryan Dempster is questionable for Sunday. Dempster has a right-quadriceps ailment that required an MRI.
Right-hander Randy Wells was summoned from Iowa in case Dempster can't pitch. Wells was scheduled to start Friday for Iowa.
“We'll probably find out a lot more (Saturday),” said manager Dale Sveum. “We'll probably make some kind of decision later tomorrow afternoon.”
As far as Wood goes, Sveum said the Cubs were being cautious.
“We just felt that, just to be safe, we got him completely ready to go instead of waiting a couple of days to see how things were going when he tossed or threw off the mound,” Sveum said. “We had to shore up the bullpen a little bit to make sure.”
The Cubs took it easy on Wood in spring training, as he pitched only 5 innings. The Cubs said then they were saving Wood for the regular season.
Wood declined a request to speak with the media. This is Wood's 16th trip to the disabled list for his career.
The Maine man:
Lefty Scott Maine was 1-0 with 1 save and a 1.42 ERA in 5 relief appearances at Iowa. Maine, 27, was up with the Cubs for parts of 2010 and 2011.
He was hopeful of making the team out of spring training, but was optioned, with the Cubs citing command issues.
“I'm not going to say I wasn't disappointed,” he said. “I understand where they were coming from because I did walk a few people there. I went down and threw well, and the opportunity opened up here. So hopefully, I can capitalize.”
This and that:
Shortstop Starlin Castro has reached base in 53 of his last 54 games, dating to Aug. 15, 2011. He also has an eight-game hitting streak (13-for-31) … Bryan LaHair has a career best nine-game hitting streak (12-for-31) … The Reds recorded their 10,000th victory all time Friday.