Imagine all the incredible things that have happened to the Cubs on their road to a playoff berth.
Now throw it all out and imagine Kerry Wood taking the mound for Game 2 Thursday night in Atlanta.
It could happen.
The Cubs don’t have to make a final decision on whom to put on the postseason roster until Wednesday, but General Manager Ed Lynch appears to be leaning toward keeping Wood there, and not just for show.
“If he was not going to pitch on Saturday or Sunday at Wrigley Field, we would not put him on the postseason roster,” Lynch said.
But team sources indicated Wood would start in Game 2 in Atlanta, not a potentially series-ending game, instead of Game 3 or 4, putting less pressure on him. Wood outdueled Greg Maddux on July 21 in Atlanta, shutting out the Braves 3-0.
Wood pitched 2 2/3 innings in the Cubs’ instructional league camp Monday in Arizona, walking three, striking out three and allowing three hits in a 51-pitch effort. Pitching coach Phil Regan said it hadn’t been determined if Wood would pitch in the first round if he’s put on the roster.
“My thoughts were that we’d see how he comes out of it (Tuesday),” Regan said. “I talked to Kerry myself and he said he had no pain whatsoever. He was throwing 95 m.p.h., some up to 98.”
Wood threw fastballs, sliders and changeups, but no curves to protect his sore elbow from added strain and discomfort. Could Wood go without a curve and still keep major-league hitters off-balance?
“He’s pitched maybe two or three games here where he’s only thrown a couple of curveballs,” Regan said. “He threw mostly sliders. We went a lot of times with him throwing 10 days without throwing curveballs on the side.”
The tough part for Wood would be the long layoff since his last start on Aug. 31.
“I don’t have any problems with that,” Regan said. “He’s a pretty competitive kid.”
Dunston back home: Shawon Dunston felt right at home Monday night, hugging former Cubs teammates, front-office employees and media members before the game.
Then the 35-year-old battled Cubs reliever Matt Karchner in the seventh inning, delivering a pinch infield single to load the bases with two outs. But reliever Felix Heredia induced an inning-ending groundout by Barry Bonds, preserving a 4-0 lead.
“I’m doing fine. It’s good to see everybody again,” said the affable Dunston, who broke in with the Cubs in 1985. “Everybody looks the same. Nobody has gotten any older.”
The Giants, who signed Dunston as a free agent for the 1996 season, acquired him for the second time when they got him from the Cleveland Indians on July 3 along with relievers Jose Mesa and Alvin Morman for pitcher Steve Reed and outfielder Jacob Cruz.
Dunston signed with the Giants after leaving the Cubs, partly because former Cubs General Manager Larry Himes “didn’t believe how bad my back injury was,” he said. “The old regime thought I was taking too long to come back. That bothered me. Other than that, I have nothing negative to say about the Cubs organization.”
The Brooklyn native seems to be enjoying the twilight of his career as much as he did his initial campaigns.
“I’m still having fun,” he said.
Mickey Mouse & Sammy: Camera crews from Walt Disney were on hand to get a shot of Sammy Sosa as he came off the field after the Cubs won. Sosa’s line was the traditional “I’m going to Disney World.” Asked if Barry Bonds would get to say the line if the Giants won the game, the Disney crew responded that they were only supposed to get Sosa, not any Giants player.
No hard feelings: During the air and water show weekend last month, the Blue Angels buzzed Wrigley Field during one of Steve Trachsel’s outings and Trachsel was upset when a strike he threw was wiped out because the umpire called time as the jets flew overhead during the pitch. Before Monday’s game, Trachsel received a poster from the Blue Angels with a good-luck inscription on it and autographs from all the pilots.
Helping hand: The Cubs announced they will donate $50,000 to the Sammy Sosa Charitable Foundation for the relief effort organized for Dominican victims of Hurricane Georges. Dominican natives Sosa, Henry Rodriguez, Sandy Martinez and Felix Heredia all chipped in to help load food supplies in Houston over the weekend, along with the Astros’ Moises Alou and Jose Lima.
