According to Dave van Dyck of the Chicago Sports Tribune, Jim Hendry is comfortable with how the Cubs look going forward.
"’You have to stay on top of it,’ Hendry said. ’We got an extra bullpen guy in the trade with Oakland in Chad Gaudin. What you obviously need is for [Kerry Wood] to come back healthy and then everything else usually falls in line. And Samardzija is going to give us a lift.’"
Wood is aiming for Tuesday to be his return date. Along with Gaudin and Sean Marshall in the bullpen, the emergence of Jeff Samardzija may be all they need. Says Lou Pineilla, "If he continues to throw the ball [well], it’s almost like trading for a reliever."
On offense, Hendry feels Alfonso Soriano’s bat is only going to get hotter. He conclusively adds,
"’We aren’t hitting since the break like we want to, but we aren’t going to go out and replace our star players because they’re having a bad week,’ Hendry said. ’And the other players, let’s give them their due, the Ryan Theriots, Mike Fontenots, Reed Johnsons and Henry Blancos. Those people are doing more than their fair share. You don’t upgrade from that.’"
