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Thu May 01 2008
Wood Gets Burned
Even if you're not a Cubs fans, you were probably rooting a little when the Cubs named Kerry Wood as their closer in spring training. One in a long list of Cubs' hard luck stories, Wood battled back from injury after injury to find a spot on the roster, albeit as a closer and not in his usual starter's role.
Friday's performance in a 4-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field may, however, be the end of the Wood-As-Fireballing-Closer experiment. The Cubs blew a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the ninth, capped off by a two-run double by Ryan Braun. It was Wood's third blown save of the season. The loss dropped Wood's record to 2-1 with a 5.14 ERA.
All signs point to the Cubs dropping Wood from his closer role in favor of Carlos Marmol, or even taking a peek at the waiver wire. Manager Lou Pinella didn't say as much, but his testy post-game press conference wasn't exactly the vote of confidence Wood might have been looking for.
There may be a new role for Wood as a middle reliever, but his days as a closer might be over.
