Star power

Wood strikes out 10 Reds, Sosa homers in blowout

Kerry Wood struck out 10 in five innings to improve to 6-0 lifetime against the Reds. AP

CINCINNATI (AP) -- One long, wild inning turned Kerry Wood's season debut into more of a preview.

Wood struck out 10 batters in only five innings, and Sammy Sosa hit his first homer of the season as the Chicago Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds 10-3 Wednesday night.

Wood (1-0) came out for a pinch-hitter in the sixth because he'd already thrown 104 pitches on a cold night. The right-hander threw 34 in the second inning alone -- only 14 for strikes.

"We made him throw a lot of pitches," Reds third baseman Aaron Boone said. "He's one of those pitchers that it's no fun going out to face, especially on a night like this. We were able to scratch a couple of runs together, and then he settled in."

Unfortunately for Wood, by the time he settled down, it was time to go.

"I started out the way I wanted, but I came out in the second inning and the walks hurt," said Wood, who walked four in five innings. "I was able to get it back together and go from there."

The lopsided game got heated in the ninth, when Reds reliever Luis Pineda hit two batters and was ejected by plate umpire Mike Everitt. Both benches and bullpens emptied, but the players did nothing more than mill about for a few minutes.

Pineda was ejected after hitting Todd Hundley in the side of the thigh with a one-strike pitch. Hundley started toward the mound, then stopped in pain as the benches cleared.

"I couldn't move," Hundley said. "It was like a cramp. I couldn't do anything. It just surprised me. I just reacted."

Cubs manager Don Baylor couldn't tell whether Pineda tried to hit Hundley. Cubs reliever Jeff Fassero hit three Reds during Cincinnati's 5-4 win on Opening Day.

"I don't know what those guys are thinking in that situation," Baylor said. "We play them a few more times. That's uncalled for."

Corey Patterson drove in a career-high four runs for the Cubs, who stranded 14 runners in the opener but piled up 13 hits this time.

Patterson, a free swinger trying to be more patient this season, doubled home Chicago's first run off Elmer Dessens (0-1), who lasted only 3 2/3 innings.

Hundley hit a two-run homer in the fourth, Patterson had an RBI single and Boone dropped Sosa's high popup, letting Patterson score for a 5-2 lead.

Patterson singled home two more runs off Jim Brower in the sixth, and Sosa followed with a two-run homer to right. In two games, Patterson is 5-for-7 with three singles, a double, a triple, three walks and five RBIs.

Wearing elbow-length sleeves on a 41-degree night, Wood had an overpowering fastball and not much else. He started the game throwing a 95 mph fastball that the Reds couldn't touch -- Wood fanned the first two batters on six pitches.

"He was blowing some people away," Sosa said.

When Wood started mixing in the rest of his pitches, he got in trouble fast. He walked two batters on four pitches apiece in the second, when Juan Encarnacion singled home a run and Dessens drove in another with a groundout.

Wood struck out four of the next six batters, turning back to his fastball. He gave up three hits and walked four overall to remain unbeaten against the Reds.

Wood is 6-0 in seven career starts against Cincinnati with a 1.34 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 47 innings.

The Reds had a game reminiscent of their 2001 season, when they lost a club-record 54 at home. They managed only six hits, their starter fizzled fast and their defense drew hoots.

In addition to Boone's error, shortstop Barry Larkin backed off Alex Gonzalez's fly into shallow left at the last second -- he thought someone had called him off -- and the ball fell untouched for a double.

Notes: LF Moises Alou was out of the Cubs' lineup again with a strained right calf. Manager Don Baylor said it's premature to think about putting him on the disabled list. "By the time we get to the weekend, I think we'll have a better idea," he said. ... Mark Bellhorn started at third base and went 1-for-5. Baylor is trying to get the newcomers in the lineup so they can get over their jitters. ... The Reds signed infielder Kevin Jordan to a minor league contract and released minor league outfielder Jermaine Allensworth. Jordan was released by the Phillies last Friday after hitting .273 with one homer and six RBIs in 20 games this spring.

 

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