Wood, Williamson Examined In Cincinatti

[ThomasTomasz]

CINCINNATI (AP) -- Right-hander Kerry Wood, bothered by stiffness in his pitching shoulder, got an encouraging prognosis from the doctor who performed his most recent surgery.

The Chicago Cubs starter flew to Cincinnati ahead of his teammates on Wednesday and was examined by Dr. Timothy Kremchek, who cleaned out his rotator cuff and reinforced his labrum during a one-hour operation last August.

Wood has been bothered by stiffness in the shoulder. Kremchek described it as a normal part of his recovery from the operation.

"We were pleased with the results of the exam," trainer Mark O'Neal said Thursday. "Basically we're dealing with soreness. He's got a little joint irritation. There's no injury there.

"Everybody knows he's taken extra days (before) his last two starts. I think he just wanted to make sure we're not dealing with anything that's not to be expected."

Wood is still scheduled to start the final game of a series against the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday. The Cubs will decide after he throws on Friday whether to give him an extra day of rest or let him start as planned.

Wood lasted only 3 2-3 innings in a 4-1 loss to Houston last Tuesday. He has made four starts this season, going 1-2 with a 4.12 ERA.

The Cubs hope that Wood's shoulder gets better as the season goes along.

"Hopefully it subsides as we get further and further away from his operation," manager Dusty Baker said.

The Cubs also got encouraging news on reliever Scott Williamson, who went on the 15-day disabled list Sunday with tendinitis in his right elbow. Williamson was examined Thursday by Kremchek, who rebuilt the elbow earlier in 2001.

Williamson initially was worried that the soreness in the elbow could signify another serious injury.

"You make it a little worse than what it is, just because of things I've been through in my career," Williamson said. "It's hard mentally. You're like, 'Oh, gosh, it can't happen again, can it?' Mark did a great job of trying to settle me down, but your mind starts running."

The Cubs diagnosed it as nothing more than tendinitis, and Kremchek concurred.

"No big deal," Williamson said. "Let is heal and keep going."

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slu...v=ap&type=lgns

[redsfan28]

Williamson will always have a question mark on his elbow due to his pitching motion.