Sveum likes Campana hitting second
Speedy Tony Campana made his second straight start in center field in Wednesday’s 5-1 loss to the Cardinals at Wrigley Field.
Campana went 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts. Manager Dale Sveum had Campana batting second, behind David DeJesus. The center-field spot is a rotation among Campana, Reed Johnson and Joe Mather.
Each brings a different skill set, but Campana may be the fastest player in the National League. Sveum was asked if he’s tempted to put that speed in the leadoff spot.
“I kind of like Camp in that second hole,” Sveum said. “He’s getting up in the first inning. DeJesus’ on-base percentage has been good. He can drive the ball and hit doubles to where Campana can bunt him over as well as get a hit when he’s bunting him over. When he’s putting a sacrifice bunt down for a basehit, the odds are pretty good in our favor he’s getting them over and possibly getting on base with a hit.”
That raises a general question. Most baseball analysts nowadays say that sacrificing with a position player, especially early in games, is just giving away an out.
Sveum says he sees an exception to that “rule” with Campana, whom he won’t hesitate to bunt early.
“With those kind of guys, yeah, I think you have to,” Sveum said. “You’re putting pressure on the defense to throw a ball away. It’s going to be bang-bang whether it’s at somebody or not. If he pulls off a good bunt, he’s going to be safe.”
No rush on Wood:
Setup man Kerry Wood threw off a mound Tuesday as he works back from right-shoulder fatigue.
Wood’s stint on the disabled list is backdated to April 14, but he may not come off when his 15 days are up.
“Everything’s going good,” Dale Sveum said. “He feels a lot better. We’ll just keep building that up. We’re not putting any timetable on his return or anything. We’re just going to make sure that he’s ready to go when we activate him.
“It’ll be close. I’m not going to say it’s going to be that exact day or not. We need him to go out and throw his curveball too, as well, off the mound. Really make sure that everything’s good.”
Opposites attractive:
First baseman Bryan LaHair has 4 home runs this season. Three other players are tied for second on the team, with 1: Darwin Barney, Ian Stewart and Geovany Soto.
The left-handed hitting LaHair homered Tuesday and Wednesday, with both homers going to the opposite field. LaHair’s grand slam in St. Louis also was an opposite-field shot.
“When I’m going pretty good, I go the other way,” he said. “They’re attacking me away right now. They’ll probably start coming in, which is always a good thing, too. I’ll take it.”