Fifth spot still up in the air for Cubs
The Cubs say they have not decided on a starting pitcher for next Saturday when the fifth spot in the rotation comes up again.
It probably won’t be veteran lefty Doug Davis, who had a strong outing Thursday for Class A Daytona. Davis, whom the Cubs signed last month, worked 6 scoreless innings, giving up 2 hits. He’ll likely start next Tuesday for Class AAA Iowa.
Veteran right-hander Ramon Ortiz is a possibility. He’s at Iowa, where he is 1-1, with a 3.45 ERA. He would be on a schedule to pitch next Saturday.
The Cubs are in need of a fifth starter with Randy Wells and Andrew Cashner still on the disabled list. Both pitchers threw in Arizona Friday morning, and the Cubs said live batting practice is a likely next step. Wells has a strained right forearm, and Cashner has a strained right rotator cuff.
General manager Jim Hendry and field boss Mike Quade probably won’t talk about next Saturday’s starter until Monday at the earliest.
No homefield advantage: The northwest wind Friday at Wrigley Field was technically a crosswind, but it was helpful to balls hit to right field. The Reds#146; Jay Bruce got one up into that wind for a 3-run homer in the fourth inning of Cincinnati#146;s 5-4 victory. The Cubs could not take advantage. They#146;ve been outhomered 18-8 at Wrigley Field this year. When the wind has blown out, the advantage is 8-1 for the opponent. Crosswinds favor the opponents 7-4. #147;We noticed,#148; said Cubs first baseman Carlos Pena about the wind. #147;We notice when the wind is in our favor, and we also notice when it#146;s not. You try not to make that part of your plan. Rudy (hitting coach Jaramillo) would say, #145;Hey, stay inside the ball today; the ball is actually flying out.#146; When you think that way, good things happen.#148;Pena hit his first 2 homers of the season on the just-concluded road trip. On Friday, he walked three times and struck out.#147;I still don#146;t think we have seen the best of this lineup yet,#148; he said. #147;I don#146;t think we have been going 100 percent. So there#146;s a lot of potential there, and I#146;m very anxious to see it materialize on the field.#148;This and that: The home run by Jay Bruce was the first homer given up by Cubs starting pitcher Matt Garza this year #133; Garza picked up his first major-league hit, a single to center field in the third inning #133; Marlon Byrd extended his hitting streak to eight games by going 2-for-4. He#146;s 11-for-30 (. 367) in the streak #133; Reliever Kerry Wood, on the 13th anniversary of his 20-strikeout game, worked a season-long 1.2 innings.