Wood steps up big for Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon could not stop talking about relief pitcher Travis Wood after Monday's 2-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers at Wrigley Field.
Could. Not. Stop. Talking.
As soon as Maddon hit the interview room for the postgame session, he said: “You really should be talking to Travis.”
Soon enough.
Partway through his interview, Maddon simply summed up the day's proceedings: “I think it's truly Travis Wood's day. He set that whole game up, period.”
Wood, a left-hander, found himself pressed into emergency relief duty at the start of the third inning when starter Jason Hammel went to the ground with cramping in his right hamstring. Hammel received attention from the athletic trainer but could not go after he had pitched 2 innings, giving up 1 hit.
There would be no more hits for the Dodgers on this day, when the Cubs won their sixth in a row to improve to 35-14.
Wood came in and worked 4 perfect innings to get the victory. He was followed by Justin Grimm, Pedro Strop and Hector Rondon, who earned his ninth save.
Wood was entitled to as much time as he needed to warm up after Hammel's injury, but he got ready quickly.
“I did feel good,” he said. “I made a few more pitches than normal just to get loose because I didn't get fully loose. But I'm not going to make the game wait for me to get loose. Once I feel I can execute pitches, it's time to go.”
The 29-year-old Wood is one of the quiet success stories on the Cubs over the past year. He lost his starting job early last season but has redefined himself as a reliever to be used in any situation. He says there's a certain pride he takes in that.
“Absolutely,” he said. “Going to the bullpen and everything, but when they call your name, it's still pitching. Go out there and make your pitches. Get the guys out, and help your team in any way you can.”
Once he got rolling Monday, Wood was super efficient, throwing 43 pitches, 35 for strikes.
As for Hammel, he expressed optimism that the injury was “just a cramp” that would not cost him time. He was able to joke about his contribution to the game.
“I blew the no-hitter,” he said. “It makes me feel real small. I obviously wanted to stay in there. It (stinks), something like that, where it's on and off. After I stretched it and I was down on the ground, I threw the first (warmup) pitch, it was fine.
“I threw the next pitch, and it (the cramping) was back. It would have taken us six hours to get through the game if I had stayed in there.”
The Dodgers' only hit came with two outs in the first. Justin Turner singled on a little flyball to right center that dropped as center fielder Jason Heyward, right fielder Ben Zobrist and second baseman Javier Baez gave chase. Heyward was in center because Dexter Fowler was out of the lineup with a sore heel, forcing Heyward to move over from right.
The Cubs scored both of their runs in the fifth with the help of some poor Dodgers defense. Zobrist led off with a single, and when right fielder Yasiel Puig misplayed the ball for an error, Zobrist raced to third base. He also extended a hitting streak to 16 games, tying a career high.
Heyward drove Zobrist home on an infield single to first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, who had nowhere to go with the ball. After Kris Bryant struck out, Anthony Rizzo doubled home Heyward.
But the man of the moment on this gorgeous Memorial Day was Wood.
“The bullpen in general, but Travis for sure,” catcher David Ross said. “Those guys get loose a little bit later, and he had to rush and get out there.
“Credit to him. He's always had a good rubber arm since I've known him. He can pitch on short rest. Even when he was a starter, he would go long in a game, deep into games when he had his good stuff. All those guys are impressive, but Woody continues to impress me about how professional he is on a daily basis.”