Todd Hundley stressed that “helping the Cubs win the pennant and, God willing, the World Series,” was his No. 1 goal when the club reactivated him Thursday.
The 32-year-old catcher was signed as a free agent last winter for $24 million over four years. But he was batting only .179 when a lower-back strain forced him onto the disabled list June 19.
“The at-bats I got at Iowa helped a lot,” Hundley said of his recent rehabilitation assignment with the Cubs’ Triple-A team. “The exercises I’m taking make it OK to play. I’m 100 percent ready to play.”
“I won’t play Todd today,” manager Don Baylor said before the game. “We’ll see where he fits in. I want him to do things naturally, not to press. Hopefully, he can be the left-handed bat we’ve been seeking.”
Hundley may have to be a part-time player, at least for a while.
In his absence, Cubs starting pitchers have become comfortable pitching to Joe Girardi and Robert Machado.
Hundley said he does not consider this a hurdle in his comeback.
“Early on, it was frustrating not catching every day,” said Hundley. “But I’ve caught them all.”
Hundley termed speculation over the cause of his poor start “weird.” He said it was strictly because of his aching back.
“When you have to alter your game, it’s a whole different deal,” Hundley said. “You’re not yourself. I learned that when I injured my elbow at Los Angeles.”
Hundley hit 41 home runs and had 112 RBI’s with the Mets in 1991. Could he become that long-sought left-handed bat Baylor mentioned?
“I’m going to do my talking on the field,” Hundley said.
To make room on the roster for Hundley, the Cubs placed relief pitcher Courtney Duncan on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to July 20. Duncan has right-shoulder tendinitis. The Cubs are operating with 11 pitchers and three catchers.
One on one: Mark McGwire has been injured much of the season, so his 16 homers can’t compare with Sammy Sosa’s 34. But after McGwire cracked two home runs into the wind in Thursday’s 3-1 Cardinals victory, he and Sosa were almost even in home run ratio per times at bat.
Sosa had 34 home runs in 350 times at bat or one homer every 10.3 times at bat. McGwire had 16 homers in 166 at-bats or one homer every 10.4 at-bats.
More telling numbers: The Cubs have a 49-7 record when they score four runs or more in a game, a percentage of .875. When they score three or fewer runs, their record is 10-35. And they are 5-28 in the 33 games when they scored two runs or fewer.
Help! For fans still pleading for the Cubs to acquire a proven hitter to bat behind Sosa in the lineup: Sosa received his 27th intentional walk of the year Thursday. It came in the fifth inning. Ron Coomer then flied out to retire the side and leave two runners on base.
