NATIONAL LEAGUE Cunnae is bailing out the Braves as reliever

Promoted to the majors Aug. 7, Will Cunnane already has three saves.
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
CHICAGO -- Dusty Baker chooses his relievers carefully as he tries to nurse a lead from his starting pitcher to his unsung closer, Joe Borowski. In the meantime, pitchers the Cubs rejected are propping up in bullpens on both sides of the National League.
Rod Beck, a Baker favorite whose lack of velocity worried the Cubs brain-trust, entered the weekend 20 for 20 in save situations with San Diego. But the Shooter hasn't been the biggest surprise lately.
No, that's 29-year-old Will Cunnane. The right-hander made 16 undistinguished appearances for the Cubs a year ago, failed to earn a job in spring training and opened the year working alongside Beck in the Iowa bullpen. He received his walking papers from farm director Oneri Fleita shortly after he punched a dugout wall with his fist May 3. Now he's bailing out the Atlanta Braves.
Got promoted
Cunnane signed a minor-league deal with Atlanta on July 2, and didn't allow an earned run in 21 innings with Triple-A Richmond. He was promoted to the big leagues Aug. 7, replacing Darren Holmes, and quickly won manager Bobby Cox's trust. He entered the weekend having picked up three saves as a fill-in for John Smoltz, who continues to recover slowly from a troubling elbow injury.
Cunnane credits it all to getting angry with himself after making an error. He didn't see himself going anywhere with the Cubs before the tantrum that got him released.
"I'd probably be at home right now, watching games on TV," he said. "It's a good story."
In his first 13 outings for the Braves, Cunnane compiled a 1.26 earned-run average and allowed only 11 base-runners in 141/3 innings. He seems assured of a spot on the postseason roster, in part because Kevin Gryboski is out indefinitely with a partially torn labrum.
"Will Cunnane has done a fantastic job filling in for Smoltz," Cox said. "It doesn't matter who he's facing, lefties or righties. He has been a great find for us."
Has tendinitis
While the Braves downplay their concern about Smoltz, who they maintain is recovering only from tendinitis, it wasn't a good sign that they sent him to visit Dr. James Andrews last week. General manager John Schuerholz originally said Smoltz was going on the disabled list only as a precaution, almost like a quick pit stop before the playoffs, but he experienced discomfort when he threw off the mound a week ago.
Andrews is the doctor who rebuilt Smoltz's elbow in 2000. Most pitchers go to see him when they have serious injuries but the Braves insist Smoltz's stay there was only for some intensive rehabilitation. They weren't sure if he would join the team during the current trip, which takes them from Florida to Montreal.
Cox says he's not worried about the time Smoltz misses.
"I don't care, as long as he's [physically] ready," Cox said. "He's not going to forget how to pitch."
Crowded house
While Beck has been the best story of the Padres' season, the team is expected to exercise a $10 million option on Trevor Hoffman for 2004. That probably will force Beck to choose between staying in San Diego as a set-up man or looking for a closer's job on the free agent market.
"We'll address it in the off-season," said Beck, who has 286 career saves. "But I'll never forget the Padres were willing to take a chance on me. That carries a lot of weight."
Beck sounds torn between the two options.
"My thoughts are that I would like to stay here," he said. "But I'd also like to get 300 saves, and I have to balance what's best for my family."