HOUSTON -- This time, Travis Wood will be able to unpack his suitcase.

Wood, who is already with the team in Houston, will be placed on the roster Tuesday and pitch against the Houston Astros. A corresponding move will be announced, which could be Welington Castillo (MCL sprain) going to the disabled list or pitcher Blake Parker going back to Triple-A Iowa.

It is already Wood’s second stint with the big league club this season after he was recalled before a May 6 game against the Los Angeles Dodgers and then sent down immediately afterward. He gave up three runs over six solid innings that day and the Cubs went on to a 4-3 victory.

That was just a one-and-done start, though, since Matt Garza was sick. This time he takes over the rotation spot left open when Chris Volstad was optioned to Iowa following his 0-6 start in eight outings, all Cubs defeats.

“Hopefully I can stick around for a while this time and if not, hopefully I can do what I can,” Wood said.

His plane ticket to rejoin the Cubs is open-ended, so if he doesn’t stick around he only has himself to blame.


Just the fact that he is expected to get three starts before June 1 seemed impossible when he was struggling through spring training. Unable to keep the ball down, much less in the strike zone, Wood realizes now that he was putting too much pressure on himself with his new team.

Coming to the team in a deal that sent a quality reliever like Sean Marshall to the Reds had its inherent pressures. His 3-3 record with a 4.57 ERA at Iowa wasn’t a solid enough indicator of just how far he came after his performance in Arizona.

“I think I just relaxed, quit pressing and let the pitches happen,” he said. “They’re there. Just quit trying to make them too good and let them work.”

His earlier start with the Cubs will likely help him to relax this time, but as time passes it helps him to make less and less of a big deal that he is in a new uniform.

“Whatever is going to happen is going to happen,” he said. “Hopefully if you keep that mindset to stay relaxed, once the ball leaves my hand I have no control over it so just try to make the pitch the best I can to see what happens. Let the guys behind me do their job and hopefully we can get some wins.”