When Terry Mulholland took the mound on Tuesday in Bank One Ballpark, he knew it could be his final Cubs start.
Mulholland hadn’t started since April 4, and was headed back to the bullpen right after Tuesday’s game.
“I’m well-rested on that one-month rotation,” he said.
Mulholland was hoping for a good outing to entice the many teams looking for a veteran starter, but General Manager Ed Lynch indicated Tuesday Mulholland would not likely be traded.
Staked to a 1-0 lead, Mulholland gave up three Arizona runs in the second, though only one run was earned because of an error by Kevin Orie. The key hit was Andy Stankiewicz’s two-run double, which Henry Rodriguez let sail over his head after misreading the ball.
The Cubs tied it in the fifth on Brant Brown’s two-run double off Andy Benes.
Despite his wish to be traded, Mulholland wasn’t looking at the game as an audition and said he would be able to put his anger with Cubs management aside.
“They’re asking me to go out and beat another team,” he said. “It’s no different than what they’ve asked me in the past. I can’t sit around here with my fingers crossed.”
Manager Jim Riggleman was confident Mulholland’s gripes wouldn’t affect his performance.
“It would bother some people,” Riggleman said. “But if Terry pitches well, it’s not to send a message. He’s an extremely hard worker and very well-conditioned. He has too much pride to let something like that (affect him).”
Mulholland still can’t understand why he had to beg for a job last winter.
“If someone could explain it to me in rational terms, maybe I could accept it a little better,” he said.
