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player ready...Rick Sutcliffe on Wednesday night will try to perform an encore to his best start in two seasons, an eight-inning, nine-strikeout effort in Wrigley Field. The start came just two weeks after a series of poor minor-league outings had Sutcliffe considering the possibility of retiring.
”My last start was a big boost, but I can only think about Wednesday night now,” Sutcliffe said.
In three starts since coming off the disabled list, Sutcliffe has allowed only three earned runs in 17 innings. He`s lasted seven and eight innings his last two starts.
Sutcliffe gave credit for his turnaround to pitching coach Billy Connors, who detected a flaw in Sutcliffe`s delivery. ”No question, Billy coming along had something to do with it,” he said.
Ouch: Greg Maddux sported a nasty bruise on his left thigh but otherwise suffered no damage when he was drilled by a line drive in the groin Monday night.
”I had a little facial discoloration at the time,” he said. ”I turned a little white.”
Manager Jim Essian, a former major-league catcher, voiced sympathy for Maddux, who remained in the game and faced two more batters after Marquis Grissom smoked him.
”It hit him in the protective cup,” Essian said. ”I think you and I can both feel for him. As a catcher, I went through that, but never a direct line drive like that.”
Maddux was not expected to miss his next start.
Old reliable: Ryne Sandberg`s fielding error on Bret Barberie`s first-inning grounder Tuesday snapped a 47-game errorless streak for the Cub second baseman. It was Sandberg`s fourth error of the season. Sandberg still has not committed a throwing error since July 4, 1990, a stretch of 192 games.
On the farm: Damon Berryhill is hitting .368 with two doubles and four home runs and has driven in nine runs in 10 games at Triple-A Iowa.