Chris Volstad and Travis Wood could figure in Chicago Cubs rotation next year – MLB News
With the 2012 Major League Baseball season coming to an end for the Chicago Cubs, the team manager said on Wednesday, September 5, that Chris Volstad and Travis Wood could well be members of the Opening Day rotation in 2013.
The statement cannot be construed as final, given the uncertainty about the fitness of the players and countless other unavoidable alterations. Nonetheless, Dale Sveum does not rule out its likelihood.
"I don't see why not," Sveum said. "There's going to be a lot of things that happen this winter with the roster, I'm sure. You're talking about guys that can pitch, pitch innings who a lot of teams would like. They're fourth and fifth starters and hopefully trying to get better to get into a bigger role to be starters, too. I definitely think they're in the mix."
Volstad remains part of the team at a time when a good number of veteran pitchers were traded. The likes of Ryan Dempster and Paul Maholm, among others, were traded last month which left very few experienced players in the rotation.
Volstad’s outing on Wednesday, much to his consternation, was not good enough wherein he gave up five and nine hits in five innings against the Washington Nationals, resulting in the team’s 9-1 loss.
In August, the player had a 3-3 record with 3.72 ERA in the six games that he played. The team which has not performed very well might well take inspiration from the fact that the pitcher has had solid presence on the mound, enabling the offence to have more space to manoeuvre.
In the team manager’s view, it is difficult to find his kind of pitcher who rises despite adversity of losing streaks.
"He's come back from a lot of adversity through the first part of the year," Sveum said. "He went down, did his work, got back and he's pitched very well, too.”
Wood, on the other hand, has 4-11 record. He will have to do a lot to retain his space in the rotation as he lost all six starts last month. But as the building phase continues, the Cubs are moving quite meticulously.
Tags: