Four-time National League batting champ Tony Gwynn says he could be back in the lineup against the Cubs this weekend.
Gwynn, second in the league in hitting with a .369 average, suffered a broken middle finger on his right hand Tuesday when he slammed it in a car door.
”If I get the blood and swelling out of it, I`ll be back by Friday,”
Gwynn says. ”Otherwise, it will be sometime next week.”
Gwynn originally described himself as ”stupid” for having slammed his hand in the door. He upgraded that to ”bonehead.”
– Even though they took two out of three from the Cubs this week, the Dodgers remain in last place in the NL West. They`ve been there for 24 days, a record for the Dodger franchise since it moved to Los Angeles from Brooklyn in 1958. ”Sometimes, it`s like quicksand,” said manager Tom Lasorda. ”The harder you try to get out of it, the tougher it is.”
– Maybe he likes the smog. Or the Dodger Dogs and nachos. Whatever it is, Sammy Sosa had a good series in Los Angeles. He was 5 for 14 against the Dodgers with a pair of two-hit games, just what the Cubs need from a leadoff hitter.
Unfortunately, the Cubs lost both games in which Sosa got two hits.
– The Cubs should play before their millionth fan this season here Friday night. They`ve drawn 986,763 in 39 games, averaging 21,538 at Wrigley Field and 28,210 on the road.
– The Cubs only have to win one of three games against San Diego to come home from their longest trip of the season with a 6-6 split. Considering they were 1-9 on their first West Coast trip last year, things are looking relatively bright.
– Speaking of bright, most of the Cubs are sporting new sunglasses-courtesy of a distributor who came into the clubhouse in Los Angeles and assembled snap-together shades for anyone who wanted them. More than a few of the players were wearing them on their off-day Thursday in sunny San Diego.
