Sammy Sosa’s consecutive-games streak could end Wednesday at 304. But don’t bet the mortgage on it, or even the row boat.
He emphasized he has no great motivation to extend the streak but at the same time indicated playing in the finale of the Florida series was likely.
Manager Jim Riggleman was more direct: “He’ll play (Wednesday).”
Sosa wasn’t so certain after being hit near his right wrist in the first inning Tuesday by a Mark Hutton pitch. He was removed from the game in the fifth and was wearing a bandage afterwards.
“It doesn’t matter to me,” Sosa said of the streak, “because I’m not out to break the record. I just play the game every day.
“But if I can’t go, I have to shut it down. Why should I play if it’s bothering me? We’ll see (Wednesday). I’ll be OK.”
Limping home: Another day, another medical update. Physical problems, besides Sosa’s, were the focus Tuesday.
Amaury Telemaco went on the disabled list with a strained right shoulder, and Brian McRae missed his third game this year to rest a knee bruised by a pitched ball Monday.
“He’s 50-50 to play (Wednesday)” Riggleman said of his center-fielder, replaced Tuesday by Scott Bullett.
An opening: Whomever the Cubs were planning to send to the minors Tuesday caught a break with Telemaco’s injury. That made room on the roster for Kevin Foster. So who’s the fifth starter with Telemaco out?
“We don’t need to know that until Aug. 30,” manager Jim Riggleman said of a double-header at Wrigley Field against Atlanta.
Until then, Riggleman will stay with a four-man rotation of Steve Trachsel, Jaime Navarro, Frank Castillo and Foster. That’s because the Cubs have days off Thursday before leaving for Atlanta and next Monday before continuing a six-game trip to Houston.
While Riggleman isn’t making any promises, he thinks Jim Bullinger has the inside track to regain his starting job Aug. 30–though it’s possible Mike Campbell could be ready to come off the DL by then. And it’s also feasible the Cubs could make a deal for another starter before the Aug. 31 deadline.
The list: Sosa became the second player from the Dominican Republic to hit 40 homers when he got there Monday. George Bell hit 47 for Toronto in 1987.
There have been six other Latin American-born players to hit 40–Orlando Cepeda (46, 1961), Juan Gonzalez (43, 1992 and 46, 1993), Jose Canseco (42, 1988 and 44, 1991), Tony Armas (43, 1984), Ben Ogilvie (41, 1980) and Tony Perez (40, 1970).
Moving on: One of the most impressive traits about Mark Grace is his ability to concentrate in any situation. He already had run his hitting streak to 14 games with a first-inning RBI single, but he was just as focused in the eighth inning of Tuesday’s blowout when he singled again. Grace is now at .339.
