Throwing the second complete game of his career certainly raised Jim Bullinger’s stock, but it hasn’t ensured him of a spot in the rotation yet.
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“He’s been excellent, but a lot depends on Anthony (Young) and Mike (Morgan),” said manager Tom Trebelhorn. “We’ll just have to wait and see.”
Bullinger has been used mostly in relief, but has made six emergency spot starts and is 2-2 with a 3.00 ERA in those starts.
He got 17 ground-ball outs Monday night against the Rockies and held the big three guns in the Colorado lineup-Dante Bichette, Andres Galarraga and Charlie Hayes-to a combined one hit and two walks in 12 at-bats.
“Yeah, but they hit a couple rockets to my shortstop (Jose Hernandez),” Bullinger said. “I gotta buy him dinner.”
That hurt: Outfielder Glenallen Hill said his body felt like “one big charley horse” before he was taken to a Cincinnati hospital suffering from dehydration Sunday.
Hill was hospitalized for two hours Sunday night and received intravenous fluids before taking a commercial flight and catching up with the Cubs for the start of a three-game series against the Rockies in Colorado.
“I didn’t feel it coming on,” said Hill, who took himself out of a 2-2 game in the bottom of the ninth inning just one pitch after running a long way to make a nice catch in left-center.
“Five steps before I got to the ball, I felt my legs buckle,” he said. “My thighs, my back and my calves were all one big charley horse. I stayed for one more pitch. Then I figured it would be just my luck that Kevin Mitchell would hit a ball my way and it would cost us the game.”
Hill was available to pinch-hit Monday night and could return to the lineup as soon as Tuesday.
Back attack: Shawon Dunston was a late scratch for what would have been his 1,001st game at shortstop for the Cubs. “It (his back) hurts too bad,” said Dunston, who played all four games on the hard artificial turf in Cincinnati and started a day game after a night game for the first time since he had back surgery in 1992. “It was good to know I could do it, but maybe I shouldn’t. I’d like to be able to hit in the thin air up here.”
Foul tips: Bichette was named National League Player of the Week for going 12 for 29 (.632) with a grand slam and 12 runs batted in. . . . Tuffy Rhodes’ seventh-inning home run was his first since May 14.