Kerry Wood was placed on the disabled list. He had left the team in Miami to return for treatment on his shoulder.
Wood signed a $3 million deal after the local media pundits railed against new Cub management for not having any interest in signing the fragile Cub icon. The drumbeat was so loud that Epstein was forced to make the marketing move and sign Wood on the eve of the Cubs convention. The signing of Wood made no sense at the time when the Epstein Era was supposed to be all about Change. In the end, marketing and PR took priority over assembling a competent bullpen. Wood has the local media to thank for his windfall $3 million retirement check.
In 2012, Wood's numbers were shockingly poor:
4 games, 0-1 record, 11.57 ERA in 2 1/3 IP, 2.571 WHIP and 1.33 K/BB ratio.
In contrast, lefty reliever Scott Maine has been called up. His Iowa numbers:
5 games, 1-0 record with 1 save, 1.42 ERA in 6 1/3 IP, 0.632 ERA and 2.50 K/BB ratio.
Maine gives Sveum another lefty in the bullpen in the quest to replace Sean Marshall as the
setup man, spot closer.
The season is quickly getting away from management. The Cubs are 3-10 and face a tough 14 game in row stretch against contending teams. The trend of losing every series to date seems to continue to hold through the end of April. The promised change in hitting approach and upgrade in defense from spring training seems to have been lost once the real season began on Opening Day. And most the stories from the Cubs deal with the great plans for upgrading Wrigley Field, which strikes hollow to fans who thought the Cubs were going to prioritize the upgrades on the field. Wood's injury prone Cub career is the perfect symbol of the Cub status quo.
