Spitball67
03-22-2006, 03:47 PM
By Carrie Muskat / MLB.com
MESA, Ariz. -- Could Kerry Wood be ready by late April?
"He very well could be," Chicago Cubs manager Dusty Baker said Tuesday of the right-hander, who is rehabbing from arthroscopic shoulder surgery he had in late August. "Everybody heals differently, everybody progresses differently. The dates are a preliminary thing you shoot for. As long as he's not feeling any discomfort or soreness from throwing, we're very satisfied."
Wood is throwing off a mound twice in a four-day program, and progressing well. Baker said the last report he got on the right-hander was that he was "awesome."
"I'm still going in the direction we want to go, so I can't complain," Wood said Tuesday.
What's amazing is that Wood is bouncing around after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee to repair a tear in the medial meniscus. He missed one day in his throwing workout, and that was to have the surgery.
"His knee was a miracle of modern medicine," Baker said. "Back in our day, they [put a cast on] it. Now you're walking around two days later."
The focus has been on building up arm strength.
"I feel pretty good," Wood said. "I haven't got hitters in there yet and I won't be able to get a read until I see a hitter's reaction.
"We're picking up the intensity a little bit," he said. "The other day, when I threw off the mound, I was letting it go without any apprehension at all and putting more on it and kind of testing it. I recovered pretty well from that and we'll do it again [Wednesday]. One of these next times or two, we'll put some hitters in there and get some feedback from them."
What does Wood think about the possibility that he could be ready by the end of April?
"We'll see," he said. "I still have to build up to that point where I can throw 100 pitches and be able to do it four days later. It's optimistic, but we'll see what happens."
What's helped Wood progress is that he's not thinking about his shoulder -- and not thinking about his knee either. That way, he's not guarded, he's not altering his mechanics to compensate for any weakness or discomfort, or favoring anything.
"I've been pretty smooth, and I'm also worrying about [mechanics] more than my shoulder, so that's helping a little bit," he said. "I've been pretty optimistic from day one and that's the way you have to approach it."
On Wednesday, Wood will throw 50 to 55 pitches off the mound. He throws 20, then sits, another 20, and sits, and then another 10 or more, depending on how he feels. He's sticking to his fastball, slider and curve now. Everything feels good.
"We're getting there," Wood said. "Obviously, I'd like to have better location on my fastball. When I'm on the mound, I'm working on trying to throw to spots. It's to be expected."
Meanwhile, Mark Prior continues to do his exercises, but is not allowed to throw until he is examined this weekend by the Cubs orthopedic specialist, Dr. Stephen Gryzlo. Prior has a strained muscle in his right shoulder.
"He's working his butt off trying to get back," Baker said of Prior. "He always works. He's trying to get back and help us. I'm sure it's eating him up not to be out there."
Can the Cubs survive the first month without Wood and Prior?
"Days off will help us early on," Wood said. "We'd obviously like to both be there, but the guys we have who will be going out there are definitely capable of getting the job done, no question."
MESA, Ariz. -- Could Kerry Wood be ready by late April?
"He very well could be," Chicago Cubs manager Dusty Baker said Tuesday of the right-hander, who is rehabbing from arthroscopic shoulder surgery he had in late August. "Everybody heals differently, everybody progresses differently. The dates are a preliminary thing you shoot for. As long as he's not feeling any discomfort or soreness from throwing, we're very satisfied."
Wood is throwing off a mound twice in a four-day program, and progressing well. Baker said the last report he got on the right-hander was that he was "awesome."
"I'm still going in the direction we want to go, so I can't complain," Wood said Tuesday.
What's amazing is that Wood is bouncing around after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee to repair a tear in the medial meniscus. He missed one day in his throwing workout, and that was to have the surgery.
"His knee was a miracle of modern medicine," Baker said. "Back in our day, they [put a cast on] it. Now you're walking around two days later."
The focus has been on building up arm strength.
"I feel pretty good," Wood said. "I haven't got hitters in there yet and I won't be able to get a read until I see a hitter's reaction.
"We're picking up the intensity a little bit," he said. "The other day, when I threw off the mound, I was letting it go without any apprehension at all and putting more on it and kind of testing it. I recovered pretty well from that and we'll do it again [Wednesday]. One of these next times or two, we'll put some hitters in there and get some feedback from them."
What does Wood think about the possibility that he could be ready by the end of April?
"We'll see," he said. "I still have to build up to that point where I can throw 100 pitches and be able to do it four days later. It's optimistic, but we'll see what happens."
What's helped Wood progress is that he's not thinking about his shoulder -- and not thinking about his knee either. That way, he's not guarded, he's not altering his mechanics to compensate for any weakness or discomfort, or favoring anything.
"I've been pretty smooth, and I'm also worrying about [mechanics] more than my shoulder, so that's helping a little bit," he said. "I've been pretty optimistic from day one and that's the way you have to approach it."
On Wednesday, Wood will throw 50 to 55 pitches off the mound. He throws 20, then sits, another 20, and sits, and then another 10 or more, depending on how he feels. He's sticking to his fastball, slider and curve now. Everything feels good.
"We're getting there," Wood said. "Obviously, I'd like to have better location on my fastball. When I'm on the mound, I'm working on trying to throw to spots. It's to be expected."
Meanwhile, Mark Prior continues to do his exercises, but is not allowed to throw until he is examined this weekend by the Cubs orthopedic specialist, Dr. Stephen Gryzlo. Prior has a strained muscle in his right shoulder.
"He's working his butt off trying to get back," Baker said of Prior. "He always works. He's trying to get back and help us. I'm sure it's eating him up not to be out there."
Can the Cubs survive the first month without Wood and Prior?
"Days off will help us early on," Wood said. "We'd obviously like to both be there, but the guys we have who will be going out there are definitely capable of getting the job done, no question."