After sitting out the last two games, Henry Rodriguez figures to be a key for the Cubs in their series against the White Sox.
Manager Don Baylor will need a designated hitter and that should open the door for Rodriguez’s return to the lineup.
“I’d love to have his bat in there,” Baylor said.
Rodriguez would love it too. The longer he sits on the bench, the longer it will take him to end his 4-for-20 slump.
And given that he hopes the Cubs will pick up the option year of his contract, Rodriguez can ill afford to stay glued to the bench.
“I wish they would come to me and sign me for 10 years,” Rodriguez said with a smile. “But I’m not even thinking about that now. I was talking to my agent the other day and he asked me if I wanted him to mention the contract [to the Cubs], and I said, `No, no.’ I want the team to start winning and then we’ll talk about that.
“I want to stay here, I’ve said that many times and I’m going to keep saying it. I love this organization, love the fans and have great friends on this team. But I only want to talk about the contract with them when we start winning.”
On a roll: Scott Downs had his third straight successful outing Wednesday. Since starting the season 1-1 with a 7.09 earned-run average, Downs has gone 2-0 with a 1.83 ERA.
“Confidence has been the big key,” he said. “That and I’m not trying to overthrow. I’m throwing strikes and letting the defense do the work.”
Downs ran into trouble in the sixth inning, giving up a leadoff home run to Luis Gonzalez and back-to-back singles to Matt Williams and Steve Finley. That’s when pitching coach Oscar Acosta visited the mound.
“He told me to do what had been working the whole game–getting ahead of the hitters,” Downs said.
On the next pitch, Greg Colbrunn grounded into a double play.
Andrews update: Third baseman Shane Andrews underwent successful surgery Wednesday morning at Chicago’s Northwestern Memorial Hospital. The surgery was performed by team physician Michael Schafer.
Andrews had a herniated disc in his lower back removed. He is expected to miss at least eight weeks.
Next question: Baylor got a little testy with one reporter after the game.
Reporter: “Don, with all the controversy that’s going on . . . “
Baylor: “There’s no controversy going on.”
Reporter: “You could have fooled me.”
Baylor: “Well, it did.”
Reporter: “Did you have the talk with Sammy [Sosa]?”
Baylor: “Anybody else have any questions about the game?”
The final word: Baylor on Sosa’s sixth-inning homer, estimated at 520 feet: “It was a monster. I thought it was going to go completely out of the ballpark.”
