HOUSTON -- For a pitcher who struggled with the mental side of the game this spring, starting Tuesday's game by allowing a home run and a ground-rule double appeared to be a recipe for disaster.

But Travis Wood proved that he is a different pitcher now, recovering nicely from his unfortunate start and showing that maybe that offseason trade with the Cincinnati Reds isn’t so bad after all.

Wood didn’t allow a hit for the remainder of his outing, but his sixth-inning walk came back to haunt him and the Cubs. After giving way to reliever Shawn Camp with that walk at first base in the form of Justin Maxwell, the Astros took the lead for good two batters later on J.D. Martinez's single.

It was the best outing the Cubs received from the spot in the rotation that was previously held by Chris Volstad before he was optioned to Triple-A Iowa last week. The Cubs have still lost all nine times that spot has come up in the rotation.

“Travis was great,” manager Dale Sveum said. “A leadoff home run and other than that he was really, really good. He kept the ball on his arm side all day, he kept it down and he had a really good changeup. It was 12 mph off his fastball with some good fade.”

There was also some impressive hitting from Wood, including a double off the wall in his first at-bat that made him 3-for-3 on the season. He lined out hard to left field in his only other at-bat on the day.


But as much as the Cubs need offense, it is his pitching that will help the cause most. He retired 17 of the last 19 batters he faced with those only two hitters reaching by walk.

“When the first batter of the ballgame hits a home run everything is out of the way,” Wood said. “You’ve already given up a hit, you’ve already given up a run so there’s not much left to do but bear down and get after it.”

It was basically that simple.

“Sometimes it is and sometimes it isn’t,” he said. “You know it’s going to be their night or mine. Luckily we were able to ball and stay in the ballgame but unfortunately it didn’t work out for us. That untimely two-out walk there in the sixth, that can’t happen.”

All in all, though, it sounds like a much more mentally grounded Wood than the one that was struggling to find success with a new team in spring training.

“To get out of the first inning with one run and strike a couple of guys out he just did a great job,” Sveum said. “I tip my hat to him. I know he went through some adversity in all this coming over here and he’s had two impressive starts for us.”

Wood seems to be trusting himself a little more these days, with the biggest evidence of that the fact that he didn’t panic or change anything when the first two batters seemed to signal that it wouldn’t be his day.

“The first pitch that was hit out wasn’t where it was supposed to be and he put a good swing on it and hit it out,” Wood said. “The second one was where it was supposed to be and he just went with it and hit it down the line for a double.”

Then Wood did something he wasn’t able to do all spring. He shrugged his shoulders and got down to business.

When Wood couldn't get outs this spring, that offseason deal that sent Sean Marshall to the Reds was looking extremely lopsided. When Wood was in the minor leagues and Marshall was promoted to closer it looked even worse.

But Marshall now has a 4.80 ERA, even though he does have eight saves, and Aroldis Chapman is set to get more save opportunities. Wood will get another cance to prove himself when he takes the mound again next week against the San Diego Padres at Wrigley Field.