Byrd’s slow start a cause for concern
The Cubs are trying to figure out something with center fielder Marlon Byrd, who is off to a 1-for-21 start. Byrd singled home a run in the fourth inning on Opening Day. Since then, he has hit only two balls out of the infield.
In the ninth inning of Wednesday’s 2-1 loss to the Brewers, manager Dale Sveum pinch hit for Byrd, sending rookie backup catcher Steve Clevenger to hit. Clevenger hit a double.
Sveum is a hitting coach by trade.
“I think mechanically, he’s got to get a little bit more linear to handle pitches,” Sveum said. “But it’s still early yet. Guys get going a little bit later than other guys. We’ve got to get a little bit better against right-handed pitching our right-handed hitters. That’s the bottom line. Our right-handed hitters ... we have to take what the pitcher’s giving us. We’ve got to be better at that on the outer part of the plate.”
If Byrd continues to slump, Cubs fans and the media no doubt will call for center-field prospect Brett Jackson to be brought up from Class AAA Iowa, where he is off to a good start. The Cubs are unlikely to do that.
But if Sveum feels Byrd needs a breather, such as in Thursday’s finale against the Brewers, he can start either Reed Johnson or Joe Mather.
Wood looks good:
Kerry Wood bounced back nicely after a pair of shaky relief appearances against the Nationals. Working his first game since Saturday, Wood struck out the side in the eighth inning.
“Really good,” said Dale Sveum. “Threw some curveballs today. Did a really good job today. It’s going to be a huge asset to him to get that curveball back. You obviously saw it slow up bats. That’s what he has to do, to be able to slow bats up and throw that thing again.”
Shifty business:
Third baseman Ian Stewart took a page out of the book of last year’s first baseman, Carlos Pena. Just as Pena did several times, the left-handed hitting Stewart bunted down the third-base line in the fourth to try to break a shift put on by the Brewers.
The ball went foul, but Stewart later singled to center.
“Anytime they’re just giving you (that area) and you can bunt a hard ball somewhere around third base, you don’t even have to get a good bunt down,” Dale Sveum said. “You can get baserunners on. You’re going to make the pitchers throw more pitches on basically a freebie if we can just get it down there.”
“If they’re going to put these kinds of shifts on these guys, we’ve got to get them out and working on that (bunt play) quite a bit.”
No finger pointing:
Ryan Dempster has nothing to show for 2 quality starts. Even though the Cubs offense scored only 1 run for him Wednesday and 1 on Opening Day, Dempster blamed only himself.
The Cubs led 1-0 in the seventh Wednesday, but Dempster gave up a leadoff double to Mat Gamel. One out later George Kottaras homered.
“Oh, I could have won that game if I make a couple better pitches in the seventh inning,” he said. “A mistake can end up costing you a game, and I made a mistake. It cost me a game. It cost us a game. Try to make some better pitches right there. Unfortunately, I left a cutter over the middle of the plate, and he took it out.”