Mike Harkey said he hopes to make his first spring training start Sunday. ”I would assume Sunday at the earliest, Monday at the latest,” Harkey said.
His optimism came after he had his strongest batting-practice outing of the spring. Harkey threw harder and with more snap than he had so far.
”He had a good fastball and breaking ball,” Dwight Smith said. ”He threw me a 3-2 change. You saw how it messed me up.”
Harkey replied, ”Smitty said that? He`s just trying to make me look good.”
Medical report: Catcher Damon Berryhill tested his injured shoulder by throwing out San Francisco`s Willie McGee in the third inning of the Cubs` 8-4 victory Wednesday in Scottsdale Stadium.
Batting binge: It`s only spring training, but the Cubs are whaling away at a .343 team batting average. They smacked 14 more hits Wednesday. Hector Villanueva, who homered one every 16 at-bats last year, belted a three-run pinch shot off rookie Mark Dewey.
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Tough in clutch: Former Cub Rick Reuschel, battling to remain in the San Francisco rotation, allowed five hits and two earned runs in a three-inning relief stint. But Reuschel, still serving up a tantalizing assortment of breaking junk, induced George Bell to bounce into a double play and got Andre Dawson to tap back to the mound.
Stout staff: Mike Bielecki limited San Francisco to an earned run in four innings. He allowed four hits, walked two and fanned a pair. Cubs starters have a combined 2.57 earned-run average through six games, five of them victories. Overall, the pitchers have a 3.86 ERA.
Lancaster struggles: Les Lancaster retired only half the men he faced in two innings. He gave up three earned runs on five hits and a walk. The first run came on a shot by Kevin Bass over the right-field fence on Lancaster`s second delivery.
Varsho`s bat hot: Gary Varsho continues to hammer the ball. He had two hits in a morning B game against the Giants and added another in the afternoon. He`s 5 for 8 on the spring. . . . Gary Scott (5 for 12) doubled twice.