Howard Johnson’s slump continues to roll along at just the wrong time.
Johnson was 0 for 3 Wednesday and is on an 0-for-15 slide. He is batting just .114 this season.
When the Cubs bring back reliever Anthony Young, probably Thursday, they will have to clear a spot on the roster.
Johnson is a logical choice to be released, especially if the Cubs succeed in getting third baseman Sean Berry from the Expos.
Missing in action: Catcher Rick Wilkins has gone into a nosedive since signing his $1.475 million contract before last Saturday night’s game in Miami. Wilkins, hitting .200, is 2 for 12 with six strikeouts and hit into a double play, his team-leading sixth, since signing the deal. On the just-completed road trip, he hit just four balls out of the infield–a homer, a single and two fly outs.
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He still cares: Former Cub Dwight Smith, now thriving with the Braves, sent clubhouse manager Yosh Kawano flowers and a foil helium balloon as a belated birthday gift. Kawano, the guardian of the Cubs’ inner sanctum for 53 years, celebrated his birthday June 4, but declines to reveal his age.