Manager Lloyd McClendon and some of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ hitters downplayed Mark Prior’s successful debut. Cubs manager Don Baylor is more than happy to give them a second chance.
Baylor arranged Prior’s schedule so he would face the light-hitting Pirates in his first two starts. He expects good things when Prior makes his first road start Monday night at PNC Park.
“I don’t think he has to make the adjustment,” Baylor said. “I think the [Pittsburgh] hitters have to make an adjustment. When a guy is throwing 95, 96 [m.p.h.], you’d better make an adjustment. You get overpowered by someone, you get overpowered.”
Prior struck out 10 in six innings Wednesday night at Wrigley Field. He gave up two runs on four hits and two walks.
“You can’t quite call it the second coming of Tom Seaver just yet,” said McClendon. “He did a good job for them. But six innings doesn’t make a career.”
While preparing for Monday’s start, Prior also has been studying Houston hitters. His third career start is scheduled against the Astros on Saturday at Wrigley. He’s also on track to start June 12 at Astros Field.
If the rotation remains in its current order, he will not face the White Sox June 14-16 at Wrigley but would work at Comiskey Park June 28-30.
Hanging around: With Jason Bere working six shutout innings in Sunday’s 7-5 loss, the fate of Juan Cruz remains to be seen. Baylor had said Cruz was available in the bullpen the last two games but did not use him.
If Bere remains in the rotation, the Cubs will have to decide whether to keep Cruz as a long reliever or send him to Triple-A Iowa to start. Cruz earned his first victory of the season Tuesday, but there’s no room for him in the rotation with Prior in and Bere sticking around.
“We haven’t really made a decision about it,” Baylor said.
Streaking: It was a good thing Baylor scratched his plans to sit Fred McGriff against Houston lefty Carlos Hernandez. McGriff was 2-for-3 with a walk against Hernandez, including a ground-rule double.
McGriff extended his hitting streak to nine games. He has had five doubles and four homers during the streak, driving in 11 runs.
Getting better: Todd Hundley, who has been on the disabled list since May 6 with a dislocated left thumb, has caught back-to-back games at Triple-A Iowa on a rehab assignment, including a game in which the I-Cubs were no-hit by former big-leaguer Jamie Arnold. Hundley is 1-for-5 with a home run and a walk.
Blast from the past: Brooks Kieschnick, the Cubs’ first-round pick in the 1993 draft, struck out the side in his mound debut for Triple-A Charlotte in the White Sox’s organization Saturday night. He started the game as a designated hitter and came in to pitch an inning.
The Sox are giving the outfielder-first baseman a chance to get back to the big leagues as a reliever.
Local talent: According to Baseball America, the Cubs have heavily scouted two Illinois products, Morris High right-hander Billy Petrick and Logan Junior College right-hander Aaron Coonrod, in preparation for the draft, which begins June 4. Illinois-Chicago right fielder Curtis Granderson, who was second in the nation in hitting in the most recent rankings, is considered the top Illinois prospect.
