This could only happen to the 2004 Cubs: They are forced to take four days off–and they still lose a player to injury.
In this season of strangeness, Sammy Sosa’s sore bursa sac surpasses silliness.
But how appropriate in a season where the odd is norm and the unexpected is only a day away.
Of course, a four-day layoff in the middle of a five-way fight for a playoff spot is unprecedented in itself.
The respite could result in restfulness or rustiness for the Cubs and Marlins, the teams affected by Hurricane Frances’ rampage through Florida.
How will the Cubs handle sitting on the sidelines for fours days and then playing
29 games in their season’s final 28 days?
And what about the Marlins, who had been on a roll with seven straight victories before their four days of wind and rain? How will they handle playing 30 games in the final 27 days–barring more of nature’s nastiness?
On Monday, the Cubs showed a sort of restlessness, a sense of returning to the work at hand, with a 9-1 victory. The opponent was Montreal, which was a blessing considering the Expos are within a game of being eliminated from the NL East race.
Cubs manager Dusty Baker figured it helped heal the injuries of Nomar Garciaparra (Achilles tendon) and Aramis Ramirez (groin).
Garciaparra was 0-for-4, as was Corey Patterson. But Ramirez hit a pair of home runs, and Derrek Lee, Mark Grudzielanek and Michael Barrett hit one each.
“I didn’t know what to expect with four days off this late in the season,” Lee said.
While hitters should regain their stroke quickly, starting pitchers are the ones most affected because they are on a routine of pitching every fifth day.
On Monday, Carlos Zambrano was superb, allowing four hits and one run in eight innings, saying, “Anytime you get one, two, three days off, that makes you strong.”
The other starting pitchers–in order of upcoming games–are Matt Clement, Greg Maddux, Mark Prior and Kerry Wood.
“We just hope they’re as sharp as Carlos was,” Baker said. “Strength is one thing, sharpness is something else. I just hope the other guys are sharp.”
Clement pitches Tuesday, the first time he has seen game action since Aug. 29. Prior, who has thrown only 81 innings, will pitch for the first time since Aug. 31 in an expected Friday doubleheader against Florida.
In the Cubs’ idle time, the Giants gained a game in the wild-card standings, the Astros 11 1/42 games and Florida a half-game, while San Diego lost a game.
Makeup games
No official makeup dates have been announced, but a doubleheader is expected Friday at Wrigley Field and another Sept. 20 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami.
— Tribune
Right field, wrong place
Monday was not a good day to be a Cubs right-fielder.
Sammy Sosa sat out with an inflamed bursa sac in his right hip, and then replacement Ben Grieve had a run-in with the right-field wall on his first day as a Cub in Wrigley Field. While Sosa could be back in action as soon as Tuesday, Grieve might have to wait longer for his bruised shoulder and stitched-up left eye to get better.
Grieve received a standing ovation from the fans, who watched him run into the wall to catch Brad Wilkerson’s fly ball in the fifth inning. Grieve tried to stay in the game, until a cut on the edge of his eye started trickling blood down his cheek. He was replaced by Tom Goodwin.
— Tribune
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Edited by Chris Malcolm (ccmalcolm@tribune.com)
and Drew Sottardi (dsottardi@tribune.com)
