Chicago Cubs (40-40) at Atlanta (45-37), 7:05 pm EDT
ATLANTA (Ticker) - Since Kerry Wood won in his return from the
disabled list, the Chicago Cubs have done nothing but lose.
Wood takes the mound Monday in the opener of a four-game set
against the Atlanta Braves, aiming to snap the Cubs' four-game
slide.
The 28-year-old righthander had a triumphant return from a
shoulder injury Wednesday, allowing just one run and two hits in
six innings in Chicago's 3-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers.
It was Wood's first start since April 30 and his nine strikeouts
were a season high.
He will be called upon to help out a reeling club that dropped
the last four contests of a six-game homestand, including
Sunday's 5-4 extra-inning loss. Aramis Ramirez hit a two-run
homer in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Cubs scratched
two more in the 11th before falling in the 12th.
Atlanta counters with rookie Kyle Davies (3-2, 4.63), who
allowed two runs and five hits in five innings against the
Florida Marlins on Wednesday. The righthander, who walked four,
had surrendered at least five runs in each of his three
previous starts.
On Sunday, Wilson Betemit's sacrifice fly in the top of the
ninth inning scored rookie Ryan Langerhans with the go-ahead run
as the Braves rallied for a 4-3 victory over the Philadelphia
Phillies.
Atlanta starter Jorge Sosa went 5 1/3 innings, allowing just one
hit, a three-run homer to rookie Ryan Howard in the fourth.
Sosa, Betemit and Langerhans all have taken on more prominent
roles for the Braves, who have veterans Chipper Jones, Tim
Hudson and Mike Hampton on the disabled list.