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Burning Wood Pirates complete first 3-game Wrigley sweep since 1990
Posted: Sunday May 07, 2000 08:48 PM
CHICAGO (AP) -- Judging by the final score, Kerry Wood didn't have his best day. But there's more to pitching than numbers on a scoreboard. Especially for a guy making just his second start after missing more than a year recovering from reconstructive elbow surgery. "You've got to remember, this is a guy who hasn't pitched for a year, and he threw pretty darn well," catcher Joe Girardi said after Wood gave up seven runs in the Chicago Cubs' 11-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday. "To come back five days (after his first start) with the same velocity and better breaking stuff, that's pretty encouraging for me," he said. Wood (1-1) threw 104 pitches, 60 of them for strikes, with his velocity reaching 97 mph. He struck out six, and two of his best pitches came in the seventh inning when he got John Vander Wal on a big swinging strikeout. "He made two mistakes," pitching coach Oscar Acosta said. "He throws 103 pitches and makes two mistakes, that's a heck of a job." But those two mistakes were doozies. Wood gave up three-run homers to both Kevin Young and Brian Giles, giving the Pirates all the offense they needed. He also walked five, hit one batter and threw one wild pitch in 6 2-3 innings. It was only his second loss at Wrigley Field, where he's now 10-2. His ERA at home jumped from 2.87 to 3.30. "I thought my stuff was better today," Wood said. "My velocity I thought was better, my breaking stuff I was able to throw more consistently in the zone, my changeup was better. It just didn't have the same results. "It's tough to expect your team to come out and play good when you give up a three-spot in the first inning." Jason Schmidt (1-2), making his second start since returning from the disabled list, gave up two runs -- one earned -- on three hits in five innings. Luis Sojo added a three-run homer off Mark Guthrie as the Pirates completed their first three-game sweep at Wrigley Field since April 20-22, 1990. "Offensively, we really were struggling until we came to St. Louis and Chicago," Sojo said. "Three-for-three here is going to give us a lot of confidence. That's the way baseball is." Wood made an impressive return to the majors Tuesday, giving up one run on three hits and striking out four in six innings against Houston. He also homered in his first at-bat -- on the first pitch, no less. But he got off to a rough start Sunday. Only three of his first 10 pitches were strikes, and he was working on his fourth batter when Acosta visited the mound. "Sometimes, when things are going bad, pitchers tend to speed up," Girardi said. "Sometimes, they just need to slow down and evaluate a little bit. A lot of days, he's out of that inning without giving up any runs because of the wind. But not today." Young, the next batter up, hit the first pitch he saw into the basket in left field, giving Pittsburgh a 3-0 lead. Just as he did in his first outing, though, Wood settled down after the first inning. His pitch count dropped, and he didn't allow a hit in the second, third or fourth innings. He ran into some trouble in the fifth, giving up an RBI single to Vander Wal. And he gave up three more runs in the seventh after walking Warren Morris and Jason Kendall. He left after Young doubled, getting a standing ovation as he left the field. "We got him at the right time, in his second start," Young said. "A couple more, and he'll get his breaking ball back. He has to ease his way back into it." The Cubs, who've now lost four straight, got their first run in a bizarre fashion. Leadoff man Eric Young reached on an error in the first and then stole second. Kendall's throw skipped in the dirt in front of second and went into the outfield, allowing Young to take third. Giles' throw from center was way too high, sailing into the dugout and allowing Young to score. Notes: After losing 10 straight at Wrigley, the Pirates have now won four in a row dating back to last season. It's their first four-game winning streak since 1988. ... Jerry Meals, the home plate umpire during Wood's 20-strikeout game May 6, 1998, was behind the plate again Sunday. ... Grace was the Cubs' No. 2 hitter for only the second time since 1994. Grace, who bats either third or fourth, hit second during the last three months of the 1991 season, but hadn't since Aug. 16, 1998. It was the second straight "out of order" day for Grace, who made a rare reserve appearance Saturday.
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