Manager Jim Essian said Wednesday he would leave Rick Sutcliffe in the bullpen despite Sutcliffe`s rough debut Wednesday in an 8-1 loss to New York. ”It`s a situation he`ll adjust to,” said Essian, who plans to keep Sutcliffe in the bullpen until he needs a fifth starter in about 10 days.
Sutcliffe needed a long time to warm up before coming on in relief of Bob Scanlan, and his pitches had little on them. He allowed a run on two hits in two-thirds of an inning.
”To my knowledge, there are no physical problems,” Essian said. ”He threw 90 pitches Sunday (in a start) and we asked him to come in three days later. He might have been tired.”
Sutcliffe was clearly disappointed. ”I didn`t feel very strong, but I told him that if needed I`d pitch,” Sutcliffe said. ”No, there wasn`t much there at all.”
Asked if were reconsidering his role in the bullpen, Sutcliffe replied,
”There`s nothing for me to reconsider. My job is to do what I`m told.”
Injury update: The Cubs received their first bit of good news about Joe Girardi`s ailing back Wednesday when tests showed his condition had improved. But the club still doesn`t expect him back in the near future.
Girardi, who has missed 37 games, will be ordered to rest until Sunday. He`ll resume his therapy regimen, which includes swimming and stretching exercises, Monday.
In another injury-related note, Shawon Dunston stayed out of the lineup Wednesday with a bruised hip suffered when he was hit by a pitch Tuesday night. He`s expected back in the lineup Friday night.
Tidbits: Cedric Landrum is the 30th player used by the Cubs this year. . . . In a change from the Don Zimmer era, rock music now plays in the clubhouse before games. . . . The Cubs came into Wednesday leading the league with 53 homers. They had allowed only 32, giving them the best homers-to-homers-allowed ratio in baseball. . . . Reliever Chuck McElroy looped a single off Mets starter David Cone in the fifth for his first big-league hit in his third at-bat.