Wood giving Cubs solid lefty in bullpen

CHICAGO — Travis Wood knew he might come into the game during the eighth inning of Saturday’s 5-3 Cubs win against the D-backs. He just wasn’t sure who he would face.

Luckily for Wood, he did his homework. When Cubs manager Joe Maddon brought in the left-handed Wood to force the D-backs to pinch-hit for lefty Jake Lamb with two outs and the bases loaded, Wood was ready. He had looked ahead and studied other hitters, including Rickie Weeks Jr.

In the game’s most important at-bat, Weeks worked Wood for eight pitches before lining out to Ben Zobrist.

Wood didn’t dominate Weeks, and he was fortunate Zobrist was perfectly positioned. But he did throw a huge 3-2 strike, and thanks to the out, he continued making progress in his adjustment to a full-time role in the bullpen.

“Weeks worked a great at-bat, but give Travis credit for throwing that strike,” Maddon said.

Wood has been a starter for most of his seven-year career and bounced between the bullpen and rotation for the Cubs last year, finishing 5-4 with a 3.84 …

continue reading in source mlb.mlb.com