Johnson says Cubs can handle criticism
Cubs outfielder Reed Johnson is sporting a nice black eye, courtesy of being hit on the helmet over the weekend while on injury rehab at Class AAA Iowa.
But Johnson insists he and the Cubs have no bruised feelings about negative comments surrounding the team, whether over the air or in print.
TV analyst Bob Brenly has been critical of the Cubs, calling them a dead-(bleep) team last week just as he did last year.
“In general, when you’re losing, it looks like that,” said Johnson, who hopes to return to the active roster this week after rehabbing back spasms. “I think any time a team goes through a losing streak or isn’t playing well, things do look lethargic, and we all know that.
“We know that things are going to be written. It’s hard to be, sometimes, upbeat, when you’re losing six, seven, eight games in a row.”
As far as his health goes, Johnson was looking at the bright side.
“I’m still fortunate, all things considered,” he said. “My vision’s fine out of both eyes. I don’t have any issues with sight.”
Wood to DL:Reliever Kerry Wood went on the disabled list Monday with a blister on his right index finger. The Cubs activated infielder-outfielder Jeff Baker off the DL.#147;I was really hoping for the last few days that we could manage that thing, but it didn#146;t get any better,#148; said manager Mike Quade. #147;We were able to keep him off the mound for a few days. That#146;s a bigger recipe for disaster if we continue to trot him out there.#147;I don#146;t know, man. We can put people on the moon, but we can#146;t come up with something to fix blisters. Who#146;s going to invent that? They#146;re brutal. You#146;d almost rather have a guy break his pinkie than to have that blister on his index finger.#148;Jeff Samardzija is getting first shot at Wood#146;s slot, and he pitched a perfect eighth in Monday#146;s 1-0 victory over the Brewers.Milestone night: Cubs starting pitcher Ryan Dempster appeared in his 500th career game. Although he did not get a decision, he worked 7 innings of 4-hit ball, walking one and striking out seven.#147;That was awesome,#148; he said. #147;They (Brewers) are a really good team, and they#146;re playing good baseball right now. We just had a really hard road trip, and we came out today and played this game as hard as we could.#148;Hustle play:Second baseman Darwin Barney scored the winning run in the bottom of the eighth, coming home on Aramis Ramirez#146;s fielder#146;s-choice grounder. Barney slid home safely, but he was mad at himself for not scoring from first on Carlos Pena#146;s pinch double one batter earlier.Pena hit a fly to left, and the ball went off the wall near the #147;well.#148; Barney held up and made it as far as third.#147;I made the wrong read, and luckily I still got to third,#148; Barney said. #147;I should have scored on that play.#148;