Posted on June 26, 2006 by Andrew Flynn
Overnight Dispatches
There’s a chance that Kerry Wood could begin throwing bullpen sessions as soon as today, according to the Daily Southtown. He remains on the disabled list due to his ailing shoulder and has no timetable for a return. Wood played catch on Saturday and may have a bullpen session on Monday. The Cubs should know soon if Wood is going to continue to attempt a comeback this season or if he will shut it down.
If all goes well for Juan Cruz in his rehab start Wednesday, he appears likely to return to the Didamondbacks’ starting rotation on July 3, sending Edgar Gonzalez back to the minors. He’s recovering from a stiff shoulder.
Moises Alou (back) wanted to play Sunday, but manager Felipe Alou decided to give him an additional day off. Barring a setback on the off day, Alou will play on Tuesday.
An MRI on Armando Benitez’s shoulder revealed a slight sprain. He’ll likely test the injury on Tuesday. It currently looks like he’ll avoid the DL, though that could change if the injury fails to respond Tuesday. Tim Worrell would be the top candidate for saves if Benitez needs additional time off.
Chuck James picked up a win in his first big league start by limiting the Devil Rays to just one run over eight innings of work on Sunday. Today was pretty much James in a nutshell. He struck out eight, walked four, and posted a 2/13 GB/FB ratio. By allowing just three hits, none of which ended up on the wrong side of the outfield fence, James was able to keep the opposition’s runs to a minimum. That his command may not be completely ready combines with his frequent flyball tendencies to limit his short-term potential, but James is worth picking up in NL-only formats anyway. He can be used against the Orioles next time out.
Jose Reyes collected four hits, including a homer, in a 7-4 win over the Blue Jays on Sunday. The other three hits were singles for Reyes, who also went 1-for-2 on the basepaths in the game. Today was his third four-hit game in his last five outings, and Reyes has now raised his season average to .302 thanks to batting an insane .430 this month. That he also has 14 steals and 17 extra-base hits in June means he’s pretty much locked up NL Player of the Month.
Mark Mulder has rotator cuff inflammation and irritation in his left shoulder, an MRI revealed. The Cardinals should consider themselves fortunate if those are his only problems. We wouldn’t surprised if there’s some real damage in there. The plan is for Mulder to be reexamined in a week. If he’s feeling better then, the club will likely aim for a return not long after the break.