Wood, Piniella not on same page
Don't count on Wood winning that matchup.
''He shouldn't be questioning anybody, truthfully,'' Piniella said of Wood's assertions to reporters that he doesn't need the two-inning appearance or back-to-back days of games that Piniella has scheduled for all his relievers.
Wood, who's moving to the bullpen this year, pitched an inning of relief Friday for the first time in 12 days and looked sharp, needing only nine pitches -- eight strikes -- to get through a scoreless seventh inning against the San Francisco Giants. He had command and good velocity and seemed recovered from the triceps strain that kept him from pitching.
He said he feels ''great'' and that he's as sharp as he was before the time off. That's why he says he'll be ready to start the season in the Cubs bullpen, on time.
And he bristled at the suggestion he might be left behind in Arizona for extended spring training.
''I don't think anybody wants to hear my opinion on it,'' he said.
But Wood doesn't appear to have enough time left in camp to get the work Piniella wants from all his relievers to prepare for the season, even with appearances set for Monday, Wednesday and possibly Friday.
''All I'm saying [is] when we put the back-to-back and two innings in [it was] because that's a proper way to get the bullpen prepared for the start of a baseball season,'' Piniella said.
He plans to use the rest of camp to get the other relief pitchers that level of work. Bob Howry, for instance, completed the second of his back-to-back days Friday and sometime early next week is expected to make a two-inning appearance.
Wood, who has pitched only four innings this spring, seemed to be caught off guard by that expectation for him.
''I think it's something that we've all talked about before coming into spring training, that it's not necessary for me to go back-to-back days in spring training,'' he said. ''Can I do it? Yeah. What's the point right now?''
Said Piniella: ''I don't know what was talked about in the offseason. All I know is the way I've been preparing bullpens. And I've had pretty good success with my bullpens.
''But you've got to lay the foundation in spring training. You can't not use them here that way and then all of a sudden the first week of the season, you start piling up work on them and they're not ready for it. That's how you hurt yourself.
''So we might not have enough time with Kerry, but with the rest of these guys, you'll see that's exactly the way we'll use them.''
Also decreasing Wood's chance of getting a roster spot when the season starts is Piniella's desire to have two long relievers, especially early in the season. If Wood makes the team, that probably puts long man Angel Guzman at Class AAA Iowa.
''Ideally, I'd have a closer, I'd have two short people, and I'd have two long people [among the relievers],'' Piniella said. ''Now is that going to be the case here? I didn't say that. But ideally, that's a good way to set up a bullpen.''
Wood sidestepped a question about whether he'd lobby Piniella to start on time.
''I'm just going to worry about getting guys out,'' he said.
EYE ON PRIOR: Piniella said Mark Prior, who's also expected to stay behind when camp breaks, has been scheduled to take Carlos Zambrano's spot in the rotation on Wednesday.
Zambrano will pitch that day on the minor-league side to tune up for his Opening Day start.
''I think it's more important for Prior to pitch under that circumstance than sending him down to the minor-league club,'' Piniella said. ''Obviously, it's more competitive, and there's going to be more scrutiny to perform.''
Prior, who showed improved command in a four-inning start Thursday, said after that game he thinks he'll be ready to open the season in the Cubs' rotation, but Piniella reiterated that the team plans to continue with its slow-and-steady approach with Prior and his ''genetically loose'' shoulder.
One byproduct of using Prior in a Cactus League game so close to the season is that the team won't be able to backdate a disabled list move more than five days before the opener, setting up the likelihood that Prior would be optioned to Iowa instead.
SHORT HOPS: Piniella called shifting Prior to the bullpen to start the season ''unthinkable.''
• • Piniella had fun with a Japanese television crew that presented him with a ''billy goat'' to maul as a way to exorcise the Cubs curse. It actually was a stuffed toy lamb, which Piniella wrung, dropped and stomped on. ''No curse!'' he said. Stay tuned to YouTube.
• • Batting leadoff for the Giants on Friday was Randy Winn, the outfielder traded from Tampa Bay to Seattle in 2002 for the rights to sign Piniella as manager. Winn detoured to shake hands with Piniella when he walked on the field upon arriving at HoHoKam Park.
• • Piniella said lefty-hitting outfielder Cliff Floyd, who didn't play Friday and isn't scheduled today because of an opposing left-handed starting pitcher, instead was scheduled to load up on at-bats for a day in a minor-league game on the other side of camp.