Terry Adams walked the only man he faced on four pitches leading off the 10th inning of the Cubs’ 5-4 loss Saturday night to the Astros, and manager Jim Riggleman promptly removed him.
Adams continues to struggle with his control, prompting speculation that he has elbow soreness and might have to be placed on the disabled list. Adams denied the problem was physical, and denied a rumor that he was going to have an MRI exam done on his right elbow.
“I feel fine,” Adams said. “It’s just plain and simple–I’m not throwing strikes. I feel good when I get out there. I feel confident and then it’s the same old garbage. I’m forcing Riggleman to bring in other guys to clean up my mess.”
How much longer Riggleman will go with Adams in critical situations remains to be seen. Adams understands he’s under the gun.
“If you don’t go out and get it done, you don’t deserve to go out there,” he said.
Pride of Texas: Kerry Wood’s debut in his native Texas finally occurs Sunday when the Cubs rookie faces the team against which he tied the major-league strikeout record May 6.
Wood, who hails from the Dallas suburb of Grand Prairie, expects 15 to 20 friends and family members to be at Sunday’s game. After giving up 12 runs in his last two starts, Wood realizes he must regain his old form if the Cubs plan on going to the postseason.
“That’s why you play the game, to go to the playoffs and get a shot to win it all, to be in a situation where every game is critical and every game counts,” he said. “It’s fun, and we’re having fun with it. The attitude in the clubhouse is good whether we win or lose. This is the main part of the season, where everyone has to step up and want it.”
After striking out 20 times against Wood on May 6, Houston is no doubt primed for the rematch.
“Of course,” former Cub Dave Clark said. “Everyone is looking forward to this. I’m sure he’s a little bit excited too, being from this area. He’s going to come out and try to do his thing, but he’s facing a different ballclub now. We’ve seen him once. We’ve seen him pitch on TV a couple of times and we’ve picked up a little bit of his tendencies.”
A pitcher usually has the advantage the first time he faces a team, but that still doesn’t explain Wood’s dominance that day over the top run-producing team in the National League.
“He was the phenom coming up, and all we’d done is read about him,” Clark said. “We had seen him on TV and you’re amazed at some of the stuff he had. Seeing a guy for the first time makes a big difference. The second time around, though . . .
“Like I said before, that was early in the year. I really believe it’s going to be a different story this time.”
Wood is scheduled to face Randy Johnson next Saturday at Wrigley Field.
Real men: Several Cubs players and manager Jim Riggleman took time before Saturday’s game to visit with Nikki White, a 6-year-old Cubs fan from Arizona who is receiving treatment for a brain tumor at the Alternative Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program in Houston. Sammy Sosa, Mark Grace and Mickey Morandini were among those who visited with Nikki in the dugout. Sosa, her favorite Cub, gave Nikki two kisses.
