Kerry Wood May Be Headed for the DL

Let's see ... five game winning streak for the Cardinals? Check. Four games for the Brewers? Check again. Cards getting their two best starters back? Yep. Another big trade for the Brew Crew? Uh-huh. Now mix in a series loss to the lowly Astros, and things are looking kind of dicey at Wrigley Field. Now Kerry Wood's blister might result in a DL stint and I think it's almost time for full-on Cub fan panic.

''Truthfully, we see no way [Wood will be available tonight or tomorrow],'' manager Lou Piniella said. ''We're coming to the point where we're going to have to come to a conclusion on this thing.

''We wanted to wait till we got to Arizona [tonight], but if he's not going to be able to pitch Monday night or Tuesday, maybe even Wednesday ... we'll see.''

Actually, it's not as bad as it seems. Wood hasn't pitched since before the All-Star break, so a DL stint would be retroactive to his last appearance and would mean he could be back as soon as Sunday. And it's still just a blister and not actual arm trouble. That means that it's not even close to a serious injury, even if it is a serious blister. Still, this NL Central race is heating up quite a bit, isn't it?